If you’re the type to follow car news on the internet, you’ve probably heard a lot about Chinese-built electric vehicles recently. This is despite China not being able to sell any of these cars in the United States, due to America having a 100-percent import tariff on vehicles built in China, and a ban on China-developed car software.
The reason the Chinese car industry remains in the news is thanks to its explosive performance everywhere else in the world. In the past decade, Chinese manufacturers have gone from footnotes to worldwide industry juggernauts, producing cutting-edge products—namely EVs and hybrids—that deliver more range and performance for a lower price point than most traditional manufacturers. In 2025, Chinese carmaker BYD overtook Tesla as the biggest seller of EVs.
Due to America’s laws effectively banning new Chinese cars, most people in America have never even seen one, let alone driven one. However, sometimes these manufacturers temporarily bring their cars to the States for testing or marketing purposes. Occasionally, they even let journalists and influencers get behind the wheel.
The Beautiful Chaos Of CES
I got a notification on my phone recently showing me a photo that read, “9 Years Ago, Today.” It was a photo of the presentation hall for Faraday Future during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2017, which was showing off running prototypes for its then-new FF 91 (against all odds, Faraday is still around, albeit just barely). Weirdly, despite working in the auto industry all this time, I’ve managed to avoid going to CES since then. That changes this week.
In 2017, CES was already starting to become a bit of an auto show. Now, though, it feels even bigger than traditional auto shows held in places like New York, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Its tech-heavy undertone means automakers across the planet feel it’s a great place to unveil new concepts and future products—even manufacturers that don’t actually sell things in America.
Chinese manufacturer Geely, which was one of the 10 biggest carmakers on the planet last year, invited The Autopian to the show (or, more specifically, Las Vegas Motor Speedway), to drive a handful of its cars, some of which will be on display in the Geely booth at CES. As I write this, I’m on a plane right now headed there.
Here Are The Cars I’ll Have Access To
Like most huge Chinese manufacturers, Geely has a host of subbrands under its umbrella, with each having its own distinct identity, goals, and design cues. In addition to the main brand, Geely Auto, the company owns Lynk & Co., Zeekr, Livan, and Farizan. It also has controlling stakes in a few brands you’re probably more familiar with: Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, and Smart. It owns Proton, the budget brand founded in Malaysia, and the London Electric Vehicle Company, the firm responsible for building the city’s electric taxis.
While not every brand will be represented in Geely’s lineup for my test, there’s still a healthy amount of cars available for me to drive, according to the brand’s welcome email to me. From the Geely Auto brand, there will be two versions of the EX5 crossover, a hybrid model and an all-electric version. The Geely Starray, a slightly bigger plug-in hybrid, will also be available.
From the Lynk & Co. corner, there’s the 900, an 845-horsepower hybrid with three electric motors that promises Range Rover comfort for about half the price. There’s also the 08 and the 09, two plug-in crossovers. From the Zeekr brand, there’s the X and the 7X, two more crossovers, and the 001, a weird wagon-hatchback-shaped four-door. Zeekr is also bringing the 9X, a big SUV that looks like a cross between a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and an Aurus Senat.
It’s easily the most ridiculous-looking car of the bunch, and the one I’m most excited to drive. It makes 1,381 horsepower from its plug-in hybrid drivetrain, which includes a turbo four-cylinder and a 70-kWh battery. Despite weighing over three tons, Zeekr claims a 0-62 mph time of just 3.1 seconds. If there’s only one car I absolutely have to experience, it’s this one.
I’d like to know: Which of these cars are you most excited to hear about? What do you want to know about these cars? How they drive? The sort of tech they have? How they compare to Western equivalents? I have no idea how much time I’ll have with the cars or their engineers, though, going by the schedule, I should have at least a few hours. Fingers crossed.
Top graphic images: Geely Auto; Lynk & Co.; Zeekr; CES
is there a an English with Chinese accent as an option?
I want to see Small overlap crash test on ALL of them please
Do any of them have “normal” controls for the doors and climate control (I.E. the way Slate is planning to do it)?
On a personal level I’m very interested in your professional opinions on the Zeekr 7x, it’s on the shortlist for the next possible lease!
In general I want to know your take on two things:
1. The software in Chinese cars vs what’s in the American equivalents and what’s good/bad about both
2. The driving dynamics. The reputation down under seems to be that the Chinese cars are generally a bit more soft and wallowy than say the European competition. Does an American perspective see that too, especially compared to American cars which also seem to have that reputation here!
Very keen to know how the software is. Overly complex or apple simple? A synergistic experience in movement or a kludge of a design committees top twenty ideas. Have fun, let us know what we are missing.
I’ll admit that, while I support the switch to electric vehicles, they don’t really excite me. I don’t really care what they drive like. I am officially old and pine for late 90s/early 2000s simplicity and driving dynamics.
What I am curious about is what parallels we can draw between the Chinese cars of today and the previous ‘invasions’ of Japanese and then Korean cars in our market.
In both cases, they were seen as inferior products not to be taken seriously, and in both cases they improved to be competitive and even better than domestic offerings.
Sorry but I don’t want to know a single thing about Chinese vehicles (including motorcycles). They’ve consistently stolen our technology and should not be rewarded for this behavior. I dislike the treatment of their people in terms of free speech. I dislike the necessity that we must continue to spend Trillions of dollars on defense just to maintain the status quo. Such a waste.
Off topic but I’ll go one step further. I don’t really want to know about any EV. Gas is cheap, currently plentiful and efficiencies of design have proven they can be clean burning.
Wow … It feels good to get that off my chest. Agree or disagree. We have what China doesn’t have – freedom.
God Bless America.
While everybody has their préférences I can’t help that the statement is stubbornly and quite stupidly narrow minded.
I’m not a fan of the Chinese political system but know I can’t hold any in Europe or the Americas as being that great either. However that’s a sideshow, isolationism very rarely proves to work. Even if it’s not your thing, understanding it is healthy as is understanding that the people who design, manufacture and buy these things are also human
It’s not in your list of cars, but if you get the chance, I heard some people from the WATT motor company (Watt Electric Vehicles) are at CES (not sure if they have a booth though). It sounds like they have some cool sporty cars in their pipeline (if you can get any information out of them)…
(sounds like they’re at stand #5539 in the West Hall if you’re at all interested in talking to them about their new in-wheel motor hubs and how that will work with unsprung weight)