In 2025, the Chinese Consulate General in Dubai hosted the "Embracing the Chinese New Year 2025" series of activities. For the first time, the celebration featured a new energy vehicle (NEV) parade, showcasing popular models from Chinese automobile companies such as XPENG, BYD, CHERY, GAC, Great Wall Motor, Changan, JAC, ZEEKR, AVATR, Li Auto, and Skyworth. This event marks a significant step in promoting China's NEV industry on the global stage.
China's NEV industry has experienced rapid development, driven by the establishment of advanced industrial clusters. The quality and competitiveness of Chinese NEVs now surpass those of their European and American counterparts. The UAE, having established partnerships with Chinese NEV enterprises eight years ago, and was one of the first countries to introduce Chinese electric vehicles. Nowadays, the UAE is vigorously promoting electric vehicles, and popular Chinese new energy vehicles such as XPENG G9, BYD Song PLUS, ZEEKR 001 and so on have been listed in the UAE and are much loved by locals.
So, in what dimensions do Chinese new energy vehicles have a leading edge? In this article, we will explain in detail about intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, battery and motor.
Intelligent Driving: Full scenario coverage
According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) grading of automatic driving, Level 2 (L2) systems supporting functions such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and adaptive cruise control (ACC) have become standard in most new cars. Chinese NEVs have pushed the boundaries of L2 capabilities, leveraging AI-powered Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). These systems analyze road conditions in real-time, enabling vehicles to mimic human driving behavior, reducing driver fatigue, and enhancing safety.
Among them, a representative car company is XPENG, which in July 2024 updated intelligent driving system XNGP (XPENG Navigation Guided Pilot), can be used in all 2,595 cities in China. AITO M9 equipped with HUAWEI ADS 3.2 can also“drive when there is a road”, no matter where the owner can enjoy the convenience of intelligent driving.
(XPENG G9)
In the past, users hesitated to trust intelligent driving because they thought the vehicle's ability to judge road conditions was inferior to their own. But with the continuous algorithmic advancements of intelligent driving algorithms, today's vehicles behave more and more naturally during the automatic driving process, and can smoothly accelerate, decelerate, change lanes to overtake, avoid pedestrians, and even automatically change lanes in advance when approaching the highway exit. Media tests confirm that vehicles like the AITO M9 equipped with HUAWEI ADS 3.2 can complete autonomous journeys from parking lot to destination with minimal time differences compared to human driving.
(AITO M9)
With the growing maturity of the intelligent driving systems, more and more car owners are willing to use the intelligent driving. According to the official data of XPENG, the percentage of car owners who have used the intelligent driving in 2024 is 97.3%, and the total mileage of intelligent driving is 241.28% of that of 2023, which shows that XPENG owners recognize the intelligent driving function.
(XPENG G6)
Intelligent driving systems are becoming increasingly prevalent in China’s new energy vehicles. Among the models participating in this new energy vehicle parade, the XPENG G6 and G9 feature the XNGP, while the AITO M9 and AVATR 11 are equipped with HUAWEI ADS 3.2. Additionally, automakers such as ZEEKR and Li Auto have developed their own intelligent driving systems. Although technologies like XNGP and ADS 3.2 are not yet supported in the Middle East, we look forward to seeing Chinese vehicles equipped with intelligent driving capabilities navigating the streets of the region in the future.
(AVATR 11)
Intelligent Cockpit: Understands You Like Family
AI technology extends beyond driving systems, playing a transformative role in intelligent cockpits. Traditional voice interactions allowed for basic commands, such as adjusting air conditioning or opening windows. Today, AI-powered voice assistants offer human-like feedback and execute complex commands with ease.
With the support of high-computing chips, voice assistants can understand and execute more complex commands. XPENG's voice assistant can not only recognize the continuous commands issued by the owner, but also achieve more functions. You only need to say the text displayed on the screen to the voice assistant to realize the corresponding function. When it is inconvenient to touch the operation, the owner can quickly access the multi-level setting page in the car computer by reading out the options.
After applying the AI model, the voice assistant continuously learns from the "conversation" with the user, and can realize a rich degree of functions far beyond vehicle control. XPENG's voice assistant can learn the car owner's habits, reason the user's needs, and understand the owner's colloquial expressions. Li Auto's voice assistant "Lixiang Tongxue" uses the self-developed AI model Mind GPT, which can not only have a smooth conversation with the car owner, but also listen to each user's voice and learn the user's preferences in a targeted way, and even understand more than 10 kinds of Chinese dialects, which weakens the influence of the user's accent on user experience.
(Lixiang Tongxue)
Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, envisions "Lixiang Tongxue" as a "silicon-based family member," providing round-the-clock companionship for car owners. With plans to adapt these systems for international markets, the global appeal of Chinese NEVs is set to expand.
Furthermore, Chinese NEVs are integrating with broader digital ecosystems. For instance, the AITO M9, equipped with HUAWEI Harmony OS, allows seamless synchronization with Huawei smartphones, enabling functionalities like navigation and media streaming across devices. Features such as automatic payments via HUAWEI Pay exemplify the convenience of this interconnected ecosystem.
(Harmony OS)
Battery and Motor: Redefining Performance Standards
China's NEV industry leads in battery and motor technologies, surpassing traditional automakers in Europe and the U.S. Most Chinese NEVs deliver exceptional power, with many dual-motor models accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in under four seconds. Models priced around 200,000 RMB rival the performance of million-dollar fuel-powered sports cars, making high performance accessible to a broader audience.
(BYD SEAL)
In the luxury segment, cutting-edge engine technology gives luxury more room for imagination. Yangwang U8 is equipped with a number of BYD's cutting-edge technologies, such as "e(4)" individual wheel drive technology, which not only has an outstanding power of 1,197 horsepower, but also enables each motor to drive the wheels independently and accurately distribute the torque of each wheel. Thus, the U8 can achieve the four-wheel drive effect of non-interference with each other, and easily pass through a variety of road conditions such as deserts and mountainous terrain, and also reduce the turning radius, and even make a turn on the spot, enhancing urban driving convenience.
(Yangwang U8)
As the world's leading battery manufacturer, CATL from China is the deserved industry leader. CATL has the world's leading battery products in both LFP and NCM battery technology - Shenxing battery and Qilin battery.
The Shenxing Battery is the world’s first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery to support 4C fast charging. Its upgraded version, the Shenxing PLUS Battery, can provide up to 600 kilometers of range with just 10 minutes of charging. While maintaining the chemical stability of LFP batteries, it addresses the challenges of slow charging and low energy density.
The Qilin Battery, a representative product of CATL's NCM battery, significantly enhances energy density, allowing battery packs of the same size to hold greater capacity. For instance, the ZEEKR 001 participating in this event features a Qilin Battery with a capacity of 100 kWh, delivering a pure electric range of 750 kilometers. For daily commuting, this means drivers may only need to charge the vehicle once or twice a month.
(ZEEKR 001)
Conclusion
China is globally recognized as a leading powerhouse in the NEV sector, with its strong technological capabilities giving rise to numerous models that are widely acclaimed by consumers worldwide. This new energy vehicle parade serves as a window into China’s NEV expansion into the Middle East and plays a highly positive role in fostering China-Arab cooperation in the NEV field, as well as advancing China’s NEV industry onto the global stage. We look forward to more Middle Eastern consumers experiencing the appeal of Chinese NEVs in the near future.
Adrian is an Editor. Psychology graduate with over 4 years in the automotive industry, 3 in front of the camera. Occasionally seen at his family owned tyre shop. He will only buy cars that pass the big bottle test.
