At China auto show, EV makers to grapple with autonomous-tech crackdown, launch Tesla 'killers'

Reuters - 21/04
More than 70 Chinese and international automotive brands will showcase more than 100 new or refreshed models at the Shanghai auto show this week, intensifying already cutthroat competition in the world's premier market for electric vehicles and hybrids.
  • BYD, Geely, Volkswagen among brands to showcase models
  • Chinese regulators have tightened scrutiny on automated driving features
  • Several Chinese automakers expected to launch rivals to Tesla's Model Y
SHANGHAI, April 21 (Reuters) - More than 70 Chinese and international automotive brands will showcase more than 100 new or refreshed models at the Shanghai auto show this week, intensifying already cutthroat competition in the world's premier market for electric vehicles and hybrids.
Top-selling Chinese brands such as BYD (002594.SZ), opens new tab and Geely (0175.HK), opens new tab are expected to take centre stage at the show from April 23 to May 2, while foreign automakers such as Volkswagen (VOWG.DE), opens new tab, Nissan (7201.T), opens new tab, Toyota (7203.T), opens new tab and General Motors' (GM.N), opens new tab Cadillac brand will also jostle for attention.

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As a years-long consumer price war in China drags on, next-generation automated-driving features have become the next front in the battle for vehicle sales and profits.
But automakers' plans to tout next-generation driver-assistance systems in Shanghai have been upended by a government crackdown on marketing claims using terms such as "smart" or "autonomous" to describe their technology after a fatal crash of Xiaomi SU7 in March.
The Chinese electric sport sedan struck a cement pole and caught fire, killing three people, shortly after the driver tried to take over from the car's assisted-driving system.
The launch of the SU7 shortly before last year's Beijing auto show created a sensation, and it has since sold more than 215,000 copies, outpacing Tesla's (TSLA.O), opens new tab Model 3 on a monthly basis since December.
The resulting government scrutiny has Chinese automakers such as BYD and Zeekr (ZK.N), opens new tab scrambling to revise their marketing presentations, veering away from boasts about automated-driving capabilities and instead emphasising driver caution.
Driver-assistance systems have become a critical tool for automakers to differentiate themselves in China's crowded EV market.
BYD, the nation's leading EV-and-h...
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