Global carmakers desperately want to become more Chinese

ANY doubts that China has become the heartland of the global car industry are quickly dispelled by a visit to the country’s main motor show.

This year, the event in Beijing was twice as large as in 2024 – it moves to Shanghai on alternate years – with around 180 new cars on display.

The noisy and crowded show, which concluded on Sunday (May 3), demonstrated once again that foreign carmakers are lagging behind their Chinese rivals in the race for the industry’s future.