Audi

Volkswagen

Infiniti

Nio

Aston Martin

Lotus

The 2019 Shanghai auto show is now underway, and electric cars are thick on the ground. If there was any doubt about how important the Chinese market is to the world's car makers, this year's show should put it to rest, with forward-looking vehicles on show from established OEMs and startups. Some, like the Audi AI:ME point the way to a possible future of autonomous transport. The AI:ME is a followup to 2017's AIcon, this time showing us the company's idea of a much more compact self-driving vehicle.

But plenty more are closer to reality. Volkswagen took the wraps off yet another ID family member—the ID Roomzz joins the ID range alongside the Crozz, Buzz, Vizzion, and Buggy. A three-row SUV, this one goes on sale in 2021 and unlike the compact ID itself, we're pretty sure that includes the US market as well as Europe and Asia.

It's not all SUVs, either. Though we keep hearing that time's up for the humble four-door, the evidence at Shanghai points to that idea being premature.

Infiniti showed up with the Qs Inspiration. Unlike some of its recent EV concepts which have been pure flights of fancy, this too seems closer to reality. It's the automaker's take on an electric sedan. Nio—current record holder for the fastest electric lap of the Nurburgring—showed us its take on the form factor with the ET Preview. And Aston Martin brought an actual production car, the new Rapide E. It's much more practical than the Valkyrie hypercar, but it will sadly be almost as rare, with just 155 to be built.

Speaking of hypercars, how does an all-new electric one from Lotus sound? Unfortunately, we have little to go on beyond the teaser sketch in the gallery above. In the past, I'd have caution skepticism, but the Norfolk-based car maker is now owned by Geely, and we've all seen how Volvo has flourished under its ownership.

Listing image by Aston Martin