Can Chinese carmakers win over enthusiasts? Plus £5k weekend car challenge | TGS
The Gassing StationShow Notes
New Chinese electric performance cars are coming thick and fast, but they’ve yet register on the enthusiasts radar. Just what do they need to do to win petrolheads over?That’s easier said than done, especially when a) the cars themselves are almost exclusively battery powered and b) the enthusiast market pales in comparison to the sheer volume of buyers in China wanting hi-tech EVs. So we take a closer look at the current crop of fast Chinese EVs, from the Denza Z9 to the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, and see how they compare to the electric competition. Don’t worry, it’s not all about EVs. We’ve got a £5k buying challenge to sink our teeth into, including a boy racer icon and a few couple of candidates that may just stray into Brave Pill territory. 🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctionsChapters:0:00 Intro3:35 What performance cars does China make, anyway?37:13 Weekend toys for £5k53:32 Can Chinese carmakers win over enthusiasts?TOPICS:Denza Z9 Racing reviews: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/2026-denza-z-racing--ph-review/51408Denza Z9 Xtreme spied: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/electric-vehicles/wild-denza-z9-gt-xtreme-emerges-160-/51577SC01: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/electric-vehicles/new-electric-sc01-sports-car-is-inbound/51488 Weekend car challenge: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2147364 CARS:Sam's Peugeot 208 GTI: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20620000Cam's Mazda RX-8: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20746603
More from The Gassing Station
Both production versions are now out, and the public reaction could not be more different. Which ultra-controversial luxury EV did it best?
You can’t blame Renault for doing a good job with the R5, nor can you blame them for following it up with the R4, the Turbo 3E and rebooted Twingo. But now everyone wants a piece of the action, and it’s getting a bit much…
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the lightweight British sports car had gone the way of the dinosaurs, but there are still plenty of brands keeping the dream alive.
The Bentley Torcal may not be the world’s first luxury EV, but it could open the floodgates for others to follow.You can argue all day about who came up with the first, though it’d be hard to argue against the Rolls-Royce Spectre. The company was once famous for its buttery-smooth V12s now selling battery-powered coupes in droves, so it’s little wonder why Bentley has followed suite. Of course, the Torcal uses the same underpinnings as the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q6 e-tron, and in S guise can put out up to 888hp and go from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds. That’s supercar performance from a 2.8 tonne SUV. With the Torcal joining the Spectre in the ultra-plush electric club, it does make you wonder whether luxury buyer interest in highly-intricate combustion engines has all but vanished. Good thing, then, you can still pick up a big luxury barge with a big wafty engine for peanuts these days, with this week’s challenge featuring a V8 BMW 7 Series and a Maserati Quattroporte for well under £10k. 🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctionsChapters:0:00 Intro3:51 news roundup8:24 Bentley Torcal32:03 £8k luxury barge challenge48:17 Does the Torcal look like a Jaecoo? TOPICSBentley Torcal: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/all-new-bentley-torcal-officially-revealed/51709£8k barges: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2149484 CARS:Sam’s Bentley Arnage: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20743818 Cam’s Lexus LS460: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/21000451FOLLOW US: 🗣 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pistonheads 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pistonheads 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/pistonheads
It’s been many, many decades, but the Jensen Interceptor name is back. Only this time, it’s a humungous, track-only V8 luxury barge. Confused?