Well, it is a few months since I first chanced upon the Nio...

Well, it is a few months since I first chanced upon the Nio showroom and they have been going from strength to strength since then. They are developing quite a profile in the US and they can be seen on the roads in China now. The ES8 is a fine looking vehicle. I just got in to Hangzhou this afternoon and headed straight for the showroom to see if there was anything new - nothing new but the queue at the door to get in to the showroom was evidence enough that they have some serious following. Seriously - a queue (and not a short one) at the door to a car showroom...

But I have to comment on the Xpeng. I saw an Xpeng G3 SUV displayed in a mall in Guangzhou. For an approx 50k AUD car, it looks sharp - very sharp. Eye catching lines and no issue with the finish. In a very nice shade of red (of course), it was a real head turner.
https://qz.com/1362926/chinese-ev-unicorn-xpeng-motors-wouldnt-exist-without-tesla/
https://wattev2buy.com/electric-vehicles/xiaopeng-motors-xpeng-ev-models-strategy-sales-news/
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xpeng-motors-premieres-its-ev-g3-at-2018-international-with-4-prominent-attributes-to-usher-in-a-new-era-of-autonomous-driving-experience-300580602.html
https://insideevs.com/xpeng-could-become-chinas-biggest-electric-car-maker/
https://www.electrive.com/2018/12/16/xpeng-launches-tesla-infused-g3-electric-car-for-e30000/

A lot is written about the China market. At present it is probably fairer to say the China markets, because it is less than homogeneous. In the tier two cities, you see the occasional green plate. On the other hand, at one traffic light in Shanghai a couple of weeks ago, junior counted with me roughly 25% green plates passing by. The available product is being incentivised in to the urban markets most urgently needing a bit of fresh air. In time these new brands will sweep China. When the capacity is there to sell outside of China, I am sure they will stand up very well. The global car industry has some major changes coming - VW and others are right to be committing everything to be ready....