Humanoid driver, swift EV charging on show as 2025 Auto Shanghai gets into gear

Global CEOs of major carmakers and companies along the automobile industry's supply chain are all flying to China for the 2025 Auto Shanghai.

It wasn't long ago when leggy fashion models, entertainment celebrities and fancy concept cars from top foreign nameplates were the talk of the biennial Auto Shanghai. Now, the buzz belongs to the humanoid riding the car from the same factory, the five-minute charging for electric vehicles, and the smart driving systems sought after by top foreign brands.

This year, the theme is "embracing innovation, empowering the future". Analysts expect to see the competition of turning electric go further to turning smart. The tech and supply chain exhibiting area is significantly larger this year, with many tech companies attending the auto show for the first time.

Around 100 new models are expected to premier at the exhibition, along with pioneering auto parts, smart driving systems and robots. This is the era when automakers are producing robots, and tech giants are manufacturing cars.

It is hard for today's people to imagine how a Santana would attract all the attention on the street back when Auto Shanghai first started in 1985. One of the main reasons behind organizing such an auto exhibition was the establishment of German giant Volkswagen's joint venture in China. The kingdom of bicycles, as China was known back then, launched an era where automobiles entered households.

Foreign brands dominated until domestic automakers began to appear on the exhibition stands at Auto Shanghai in the 1990s.

Now, China has become the world's largest car market, especially dominant in the electric vehicle sector. As a result, the Chinese market continues to lead the way in the transition to electric mobility. It is a market that no automakers can overlook, however competitive it is.