The CarExpert team’s favourite reveals from the Shanghai motor show

Apr 26, 2025 by admin

Auto Shanghai 2025, also known as the Shanghai International Automobile Exhibition, kicked off earlier this week and we’ve already been treated to a raft of exciting new model reveals!

From rough-and-tough off-road SUVs to plug-in hybrid (PHEV) utes and electric sports cars, the 21st running of the biennial Chinese motor show since 1985 has had it all and there’s still plenty to come.

Fans of the Toyota Prado will be keeping an eye on the Geely Galaxy Cruiser, an electrified 4×4 that could be among the six ‘new energy’ models Geely has promised for Australia in the next three years.

Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.

Then there’s the Nissan Frontier Pro, an all-new PHEV ute to take on the likes of the BYD Shark 6 and Ford Ranger PHEV.

Zeekr continues to wow crowds, this time with the 9X large SUV. It looks like a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, but the bones are undeniably Zeekr – a plug-in hybrid powertrain, air suspension, more than 380km of electric range, and a 0-100km/h time of three seconds.

We could go on, but you get the picture. There’s a lot going on in Shanghai this week, and here are our favourite reveals so far.

Let us know your pick in the comments below!

Marton Pettendy: Nissan Frontier Pro

Nissan’s new Mitsubishi Triton-based Navara is still at least a year away from Australian showrooms, but this all-new plug-in hybrid dual-cab revealed in China this week could complement it nicely.

With a plug-in hybrid powertrain that slams out 300kW of power and 800Nm of torque, and offers 135km of electric-only driving range, it could become Nissan’s Australia’s answer to the popular BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, and the upcoming Ford Ranger PHEV.

Armed with an all-new look and advanced powertrain tech, it could not only provide Nissan with a two-pronged attack in the booming local ute market, but become an invaluable asset to help it meet the federal government’s ambitious new emissions targets – whether or not the next Navara brings hybrid as well as diesel power.

James Wong: Lexus ES

Get lost haters – I reckon the new-generation Lexus ES is a vibe, and a welcome departure from the frumpy design of the current mid-size luxury sedan. The side profile and the rear-end in particular are to die for.

The silvery colour of the original launch images didn’t do the new ES justice; check out the ES500e in bronze, which is much nicer and with sportier wheels it looks quite mean.

I think the 2026 Lexus ES is a big signal from the Toyota and Lexus brands too, given the TNGA-K architecture has basically been re-engineered to accommodate both hybrid and electric powertrains.

Also props to Lexus Australia for putting its hand up for both of them from launch. Though the all-wheel drive versions are yet to be confirmed for local release, there should be an ES for everyone – provided you want a hybrid or EV luxury sedan.

Interested in buying a Lexus ES? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

MORE: Everything Lexus ES

William Stopford: Zeekr 9X

In China, the domestic brands have significantly upped their game over the past several years, to the point where buyers there are abandoning American, European, Japanese and Korean brands in significant numbers.

It was great, then, to see the likes of Lexus, Mazda and Nissan fight to remain relevant in China, with each revealing impressive new vehicles – some of these not possible without the extensive assistance of Chinese joint-venture partners.

My colleagues have all praised these new Japanese-brand vehicles already, so given I’m among the last to supply my answer I’m going to go with something from a Chinese brand.

We haven’t seen the interior yet, but the Zeekr 9X is glitzy, gaudy, gauche and yet surprisingly charming. Beneath the slab-sided bodywork is an intriguing powertrain, the first hybrid from what has always been an EV brand.

It features a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 205kW of power, mated with a 290kW front electric motor and a 370kW rear electric motor, with a claimed electric range of more than 380km and a 0-100km/h time of three seconds.

It rides on air suspension, too, and features five LiDAR units.

The Chinese brands have not only matured, they’ve flourished. It’s remarkable how not too long ago, Chinese brands were selling blandly styled, cheaply constructed vehicles with old tech either licensed or reverse-engineered from foreign brands.

Now, the likes of Audi and Mazda are leaning heavily on Chinese carmakers to develop and produce new models, and the foreign brands that were once able to take the Chinese market for granted are struggling to keep their heads above water. This sea change is exemplified by vehicles like, among others, the Zeekr 9X.

Josh Nevett: GWM V8

Engine downsizing is rife across the industry as manufacturers race to meet tightening emissions standards, threatening the very existence of the mighty eight-cylinder.

So it came as a surprise when GWM ripped the covers off a new V8 in Shanghai this week, and it seems like an epic feat of engineering.

Supported by twin turbochargers and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology, the box-fresh V8 powertrain will offer multiple selectable personalities, from silent electric city driving to exhilarating highway performance.

And after more than three years of development, the new V8 is now under consideration for a variety of models to be sold in China and export markets including Australia.

Among those touted for production is a V8 version of the Tank 300, a possibility that has me uncharacteristically excited for a new SUV.

The Tank 300 has made its name as a cut-price alternative to our favourite off-roaders, and I think it has a lot more charm than many of the SUVs hitting our market at present.

Add a powerful and efficient V8 to the mix and GWM would be onto a winner. Let’s just hope the decision-makers in China agree.

Interested in buying a GWM Tank 300? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

MORE: Everything GWM Tank 300

Max Davies: Lexus ES

I reviewed the Lexus UX300e around six months back, and though it has flaws I thoroughly enjoyed the small electric SUV.

It was my first prolonged experience in any Lexus vehicle, and something about its fit, finish and the way it drove absolutely sold me on the idea of Japanese luxury motoring. There are three main issues though, starting with the ridiculous price tag.

The second is the fact it’s a fairly unassuming SUV that wasn’t built to be electric, and the last is that it has far too much power to put through only the front wheels. It got me thinking though – a fully electric, rear-wheel drive, ES-size Lexus sedan would surely be glorious. Why don’t they just build one?

Well, it seems they now have. The new ES looks like it ticks all those boxes except being rear-drive, which I’m willing to forgive because Lexus will also make the car available with all-wheel drive for the first time ever, hopefully in Australia too.

Specifically, the ES500e is the one I’m most excited for. It will offer loads of power and – hopefully – a decent real-world driving range. And although it’s also likely to cost a bomb, it has the design to match – both inside and out.