Bridging the gap

Tesla’s hegemony is over: both Europe and China now make some cracking mid-sized EVs.

Tim Pollard

Just how much of a threat to the established order are electric cars from China? It looks as though the balance of power is tipping inexorably towards the new brands from the Far East, after decades of strategic investment. But is the rise of the Chinese EV still a work in progress, or have we already reached the tipping point? To assess the state of play, we gathered two electric saloons from the CAR long-term test fleet: our VW ID. 7 and BYD Seal – close rivals cut from similar cloth, if not precisely the same aisle of the tailor’s shop. Both have a fastback profile but, at 4.9 metres long, the VW stretches 166mm beyond the BYD, explaining the more generous 532-litre boot accessed by a tailgate, compared with…

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CAR UK (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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