Shanghai auto show reaffirms design, electric vehicle trends, reminds Hongkongers of what they are missing

Shanghai Auto 2017 closed today and left five impressions in Hong Kong.

First, the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class looked the Best of Show. The marque highlighted four models it says were developed with “China in mind”: two six-cylinder diesels and two petrol variants: the Mercedes-Benz S 560 4MATIC (fuel consumption combined: 8.5 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 195g/km) and the Mercedes-Maybach S 560 4MATIC (9.3 l/100 km; 209g/km). The latter’s 469hp V8 achieves 700Nm of torque for “about 10 per cent less fuel” than its predecessor. It also deactivates four cylinders to save fuel, but town-bound Hongkongers might wait for the marque’s new inline-six-cylinder petrol engine and a hybrid option promising an electric range of 50km. Mercedes-Benz has also upgraded the S-Class’ Intelligent Drive with DISTRONIC Active Proximity Control and Active Steer Assist, which is said to adjust speed ahead of curves or junctions.

Second, Mercedes-Benz might have also reset two car design trends. The latest S-Class’ grilles denote owners’ rank distinctly, and other marques might escalate the trend. The grilles of the S-Class range’s six- and eight-cylinder versions “sport three twin louvres as well as vertical strips with a high-gloss black finish”, the marque says. Long-wheelbase and V-12 engine versions are “fitted with additional chrome-finish vertical strips in the radiator grille”; Mercedes-Maybach versions have more chrome and a marque logo between the louvres, it adds.

The marque’s Concept A Sedan also returns compacts to rounded bodywork. “The time of creases is over”, says Gorden Wagener, Daimler’s chief design officer. It is a significant design development as the marque has sold two million compacts since 2012 (compared with 300,000 S-Classes since 2013). The 4.57m Concept A Sedan also “expresses self-confidence” with deep, assertive “eyebrowed” headlights and 20-inch wheels. So bonnets and wheel arches could bulge more across the industry, this year, and the curvy BMW Z3 and early Mazda MX-5s seem back in fashion.

Third, the Hong Kong government’s first registration tax waiver cap on electric vehicles might not last.