10 Craziest Cars Revealed at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show

Every car manufacturer on earth, be warned. That was the sentiment of Auto Shanghai 2025, which revealed the true scale of China’s ever-increasing dominance in the automotive industry. Previously seen as a show full of gimmicks and copycat designs, the cars revealed at this year’s Shanghai auto show are real and ready for the road, filled with power, technology, and most importantly, substance. They’re no longer giant rolling tablets. No, with enhanced R&D that takes months, not years, to improve the model lines, these new Chinese cars are here to take on anything the established brands can throw at them. Here’s a look at the craziest cars revealed at Auto Shanghai 2025 and the glimpse they give us at the future of automotive.

Best Cars from Shanghai Auto Show at a Glance

Highlights from our list include the following options:

• Best from the show overall: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra
• Craziest car reveal from the show: Huawei Maextro S800

Now you’ve read our favourites, let’s check out the complete list.

1. Xiaomi SU7 Ultra

We’ve seen this car before, but Xiaomi’s mental SU7 Ultra hyper sedan is the most exciting car to come out of Auto Shanghai 2025. This 1,548PS (1,138kW) electric vehicle can accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 1.98s (without a rollout) and 0–200 km/h in 5.86s. If you want to find a quicker car than this, maybe investigate a top-fuel dragster.

What impresses us the most about this reveal is not the straight line speed or the RMB 529,900 price tag (approx. AUD$114,000). No, it’s the fact that you can lap the Nürburgring twice on one charge without the car overheating. Then, when it comes time to charge the SU7 Ultra, you can plug it in and accomplish a 10–80% charge in 11 mins. You also get dual-chamber air springs with adaptive dampers, a torque-vectoring system with a 500Hz refresh rate, carbon ceramic brakes that measure 430mm, carbon fibre roof, 285kg of max downforce, the list goes on and on about what makes the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra the fastest thing coming out of China right now.

2. GWM Tank 300 Hooke and 4.0-litre Twin-Turbo V8 Engine

If we had to pick one car to go home with from the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, it would be the GWM Tank 300 Hooke. While the engine under the bonnet of this model is yet to be confirmed, and it’s very likely a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, we do have some exciting news about a V8-powered Tank for the future.

Revealed alongside the Tank 300 Hooke, GWM has announced an all-new plug-in hybrid 4.0-litre Twin-Turbo V8 Engine. We don’t know much about this powerplant just yet (rumoured to rev to 8,000rpm), but the fact that GWM will likely be introducing V8 power to the Australian market as the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol cease the sale of their V8-powered models does make it a rather intriguing. “Our R&D centre as well as engine development department, the technology and also the level of skill is very high,” said Mr Wang through an interpreter to Australian media at the show.

“In this market (Australia), in the future, maybe we also want to launch the premium Tank 700,” he said. “For this vehicle, I think the V8 is suitable, but only this model, or maybe such as the Tank 300 – the small vehicle, but the off-road capability is very good,” added Mr Yang.

Whether or not this model or the V8 powerplant will make it to Australia remains to be seen. However, the ability for GWM to make these V8 engines PHEV does mean they’re ready to meet emissions standards. “Basically with electrification on the vehicle, it’s really changed the market, and what we are doing is combining both,” said Mr Wang. “That’s why the low-speed and high-torque application is not that great for like a more pure electric kind of setup, and with the higher capacity of the engine, it really helps compensate for the shortfall of the BEV, especially once again in towing as well as off-road situations.”

3. Huawei Maextro S800

While every brand in China wants a piece of Rolls-Royce, some get closer than others, and the best of the bunch might be this Maextro S800 brought to you by phone manufacturer Huawei and their partnership with JAC.

Promised to be bigger than 99.99% of sedans in China, the doors were shut for the reveal of this 5,480mm long (wheelbase of 3,370mm) luxury EV at Auto Shanghai 2025. However, from the recently released images, we can see the cabin is filled with yacht-size screens and the compulsory Champagne flutes are included next to reclining rear massage seats. Rear seat entertainment is the aim of the game, and the flutes are joined by an aluminium folding table, hot and cold cup holders, a wireless charging area, a refrigerator, and a fingerprint-secured password box for valuable items.

Power-wise, there’s a pure EV version with a 94.364 kWh battery pack and up to 702km of range, or there’s an extended-range version with a 63.262 kWh battery pack offering up to 311km of electric range. It’s very likely we’ll never see this car in Australia, but carnewschina.com says pre-sale pricing starts from 1 million yuan (USD$131,600) and the brand claimed 2,108 pre-orders within 48 hours. Yes, that’s the entire monthly sales for a Tesla Model Y in Australia!

4. Nissan Frontier Pro

We covered the release of the Nissan Frontier Pro PHEV when it launched, and while it’s certainly not as “crazy” as the Rolls-Royce copycats littered throughout the show, it’s the car that’s most likely to disrupt the automotive landscape in Australia. We’ve already seen the success of the BYD Shark 6, and we expect the same from the Frontier Pro if it were to land on our shores (unconfirmed).

If China figures are to be adopted, expect 300kW of power, 800Nm of torque, and around 135km of EV-only range. What gets us most excited, however, is that compared to the BYD, the Nissan Frontier Pro uses a solid axle 5-link rear suspension like a traditional dual-cab ute, and this should help it off-road. Of course, the interior tech includes massive dual screens, massage seats, and there’s V2L charging as well.

5. Zeekr 9X

Zeekr’s Rolls-Royce Cullinan “inspired” 9X was also revealed at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show. It’s a flagship model for the brand’s SUV line-up and measures a whopping 5,239mm long with a 3,169mm wheelbase. That’s slightly less than the Cullinan Series II’s 3,295 mm wheelbase, but substantial no less.

It will be a hybrid SUV, is powered by a 205kW 2.0-litre internal combustion engine and backed by CATL’s Xiaoyao battery, which is said to deliver an all-electric range exceeding 380 km. This massive SUV, which will surely weigh nearly 3-tonnes, can complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 3 seconds. It also features an “industry-first” dual-chamber air suspension and active stabiliser bars to balance comfort and performance.

We don’t know what the interior of the Zeekr 9X looks like just yet, but more will be revealed at the global launch in Q3 2025. What we do know is that it will be opulent. The headlights feature 42,242 laser-engraved, diamond-cut lamp facets to create a “starry sky” effect for crying out loud, and they’re matched by 22-inch mirror-finish forged wheels that are very Maybachish.

6. AUDI E5

“With our new China-only brand AUDI, we are continuing to push boundaries,” said Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, when announcing the new “AUDI” brand (spelled in capital letters, without the four rings) in China last year.

Now, it’s here, and the E5 Sportback is the first model unveiled by the new brand at the Shanghai Auto Show. “The AUDI E5 Sportback is our first model based on the Advanced Digitised Platform,” said Fermín Soneira, CEO of the Audi and SAIC Cooperation Project, in a press release at the vehicle’s launch. “It delivers on our brand promise: the best of both worlds. Audi’s DNA and engineering excellence is blended with China’s digital ecosystem and innovations, specifically tailored for our tech-savvy customers.”

The new 800-volt Audi E5 delivers up to 579 kilowatts of power and a maximum range of 770 kilometres, which is impressive to say the least. It will be offered in China with rear-wheel or quattro drive, and in the sportiest set-up, it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds, which makes it faster than almost any Audi on sale in Australia right now, outside of an E-Tron GT.

Why Audi has decided to keep this a China-only vehicle remains to be seen, but we’d sure love a piece of the AUDI E5 with its 27-inch pillar-to-pillar 4K display in Australia.

7. Hong Guang MINIEV “Capybara”

Nothing to see here! No, this is just a Hong Guang MINIEV wearing a Capybara outfit. Why? Well, we’re not exactly sure, but it sure looks cute, and Capybaras have become a popular household pet in China, so the brand has clearly doubled down on their market research here.

Hong Guang is a sub-brand of Wuling, which is partly owned by General Motors, and while this EV would be perfectly useless in Australia, it makes a lot of sense in the dense cities of China. It only has 205 km of range from its tiny battery, but the power consumption is only 8.9 kWh/100 km, so that’s quite good. Standard DC fast charging lets you charge the battery from 30% to 80% in 35 minutes (which isn’t very fast) but the Hong Guang MINIEV Four-Door (as pictured, minus the Capybara) received 20,000 pre-orders when it was announced, so clearly the numbers matter none!

8. Honqi Hardcore Off-roader

High-end hardcore off-roaders were the theme at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show. While the limelight was stolen by the GWM Tank 300 Hooke edition, the second prize went to this Honqi Hardcore Off-roader, which debuts in a brushed-satin gold paint finished with BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres, side-steps, side-opening tailgate like a GWM Tank 300, and a fold-down rear ladder for access to the roof rack. Below that sits a roof-mounted lidar and camera system for the off-road cameras and driver assistance features.

The yet-to-be-named model reportedly uses a four-motor system developed in-house by Hongqi and three diff-locks to help it dominate off-road. Meanwhile, the undisclosed power figure helps it accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4 seconds, which is quite swift for an SUV riding on all-terrain tyres.

The name Hongqi translates to “red flag,” and the brand is state-owned by FAW, which is one of the big four car manufacturers in China, alongside Changan, Dongfeng, and SAIC.

9. Haval H9 Meti Force

We don’t know much about the Haval H9 Meti Force just yet, as it’s still very much in the concept-car phase, but doesn’t it look tough and rugged? Like many other high-end hardcore off-roaders revealed at the auto show, this one combines a boxy exterior design with heritage-style wheels and beefy off-road tyres. The Haval G9, on which the Meti Force is based, is currently offered in China and powered by either a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol or 2.4-litre diesel engine from GWM.

10. Chery iCar V23 SUV

Last but certainly not least is the last of the high-end hardcore off-roaders, the Chery iCar V23 SUV. While you can have it in a design that is one-part Defender, one-part LandCruiser BJ40 and one-part Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, the one you see here is finished in a fluffy pink material that stole plenty of eyeballs at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show. Currently available in China from RMB99,800 (approx. AUD$22,000) minus the fluffy pink wrap, the iCar V23 isa Suzuki Jimny alternative with five-link rear suspension, 15.4-inch infotainment touchscreen, dual-motor powertrain that produces 155kW of power and 292Nm of torque.