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European Car Companies Can't Compete With Chinese Tech. In Paris, They Leaned On 'Heritage' Instead

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European Car Companies Can't Compete With Chinese Tech. In Paris, They Leaned On 'Heritage' Instead

It was the Paris Motor Show, but you’d hardly have known it. Walking through the plazas of the Paris expo Porte de Versailles, I was bombarded with advertisements for Geely and BYD. The first booth I saw was for Li Auto. While Renault, Peugeot, and other members of the Continental home team were present, if you give half a crap about EV technology, they weren’t the ones likely to catch your eye.

No, it was Zeekr, Li Auto, Denza, BYD, and that lot who were offering 10-minute charging times, mind-bending power figures, and unconventional designs. Between the ultra-plug-in-hybrid Zeekr 9X with its 111-mile electric range and plush recliners and the Li Auto Megahome with its “mobile home from the future” aesthetic, these brands are offering things I couldn’t have imagined five years ago. BYD, meanwhile, showed off cars with 10-97% charge times of 9 minutes, a mind-bending figure.

(Full disclosure: Geely was the company that brought me out to the Paris Auto Show, covering my flights and lodging. Li Auto also provided a 30-minute test drive of the i6.)

Li Auto's first European-market EV, the i6, charges from 10-80% in under 11 minutes, and offers massaging rear recliners, excellent software, and cushy air suspension.

European firms, unable to match Chinese EV tech, leaned on something else: tradition. From the Renault Espace to the Citroen Is Finally Bringing Back The 2CV. And I’m Here For It and the Alpine A310 , most brought re-interpreted concept versions of their greatest hits.


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