China: the country that makes everything. It's by far the world's biggest hub for manufacturing, including of course plenty of carmakers. Up until recently though, most of those carmakers focused on economy or commercial vehicles, as that was the primary demand from domestic buyers. In recent years, as the Chinese appetite for performance cars has grown, so too has the Chinese sports car sector. Some Western enthusiasts might write off these cars as simply rip-offs of other models, and in the early days that was largely true.'
But today, there's a surprisingly wide range of sports and performance models that are coming out of China, many of which have ambitions to eventually go global. These aren't the cheap and cheerful rip-off models of old; modern Chinese sports cars feature industry-leading technology and are designed by some of the world's greatest automotive minds. Most gearheads outside of China probably won't have heard of these cars, but given how ambitious many of these manufacturers are, it may not stay that way for long.
10 Arcfox GT
Arcfox is a newly-formed subsidiary of the Chinese auto conglomerate BAIC, which made billions selling economy cars during China's early boom years. The company wanted to diversify into making more premium vehicles, and hence Arcfox was born. The GT is their flagship vehicle, and it uses four electric motors to make a total of 1,600 hp.
Despite that crazy power figure, New Atlas reports that the car will top out at around 158 mph. That's pretty low for any modern sports car and it suggests that there might be a mechanical limitation that Arcfox is trying to hide, perhaps a tendency to overheat at high speed. Either way, this is an impressive-looking car, and it's a solid first attempt for a manufacturer that's still finding its feet in the sports car world.
9 Lynk & Co 03+ Cyan Edition
The sports sedan market has seen big changes in recent years, as many of the traditional players have shrunk their sedan lineups and new contenders from the likes of Kia and Hyundai have entered the fray. Another quietly emerging rival is Lynk & Co, a brand whose parent company is Geely, the owners of Volvo and Lotus.
Geely has an advantage over other Chinese competitors in that it already has access to British racing know-how and Swedish engineering, and it's used that to its advantage with the Lynk & Co lineup. The 03+ Cyan Edition is a limited-run sedan that's built to celebrate the company's three World Touring Car Cup championship titles. It's based on the same platform as the Polestar 2, and it boasts a healthy 261hp and a carbon fiber body kit to add to its sporty credentials.
8 Nio EP9
There's no denying it: the Nio EP9 has to be one of the best-looking sports cars out there right now. It looks straight out of a video game, and yet its manufacturer NIO is currently in the process of delivering the first units to customers. The car has a total power output of 1,341 hp via four electric motors, giving it a 0-60 time of just 2.7 seconds.
Its chassis is made from carbon fiber, and it's based on the FIA's Le Mans prototype regulations. It was built with the assistance of NIO's Formula E team, and with all this racing influence it's no surprise that this is a car built for the track. In fact, it's not road legal in China, and so far none of the car's sixteen units have been exported elsewhere.
7 Qiantu K50
As cool as they might be, many of the sports cars featured here are limited-run collectors cars that will likely never be seen on public roads. Either that or they're brand-new models that are still in the manufacturing stage and not yet in the hands of customers. The Qiantu K50 is neither, as it's been out since 2019 and there's plenty of reviews documenting exactly how it drives.
It's a refreshingly normal sports car, with a 402 hp electric drivetrain and a starting price of just under $100,000. It's been a sales success in China and there are even plans to bring the car to the US via the California-based EV company Mullen Technologies. The partnership was reportedly close to ready for a US debut in 2020 but it's been delayed thanks to the ongoing pandemic.
6 Techrules Ren
The Techrules Ren is certainly a head-turner thanks to its Giugiaro-penned design, but it's a solid sports car underneath too. There are reportedly three powertrains available that make between 429 hp and 1,287 hp via either an all-electric or hybrid setup. The car also utilizes a unique turbine setup for power delivery, which the company's CEO claimed in an interview was a world first.
Production of the car was due to start in 2019, although it's unclear whether any cars actually made it into the hands of customers. The company's website is still live, although it seemingly hasn't been updated in a while.
5 Geely Beauty Leopard
For all the new and cutting-edge sports cars coming out of China, it's worth taking a look back a decade or two and seeing where things started. The oddly-named Geely Beauty Leopard was one of the first Chinese sports cars, and design-wise it's an unusual one.
It's a loose copy of the Toyota Supra, but with a front that resembles a Holden Commodore. As well as looking odd, it came with some very weird features as standard, including a karaoke machine for some reason! With a 1.3L four-cylinder making just 85 hp, the Beauty Leopard was as slow as it was strange. But, it deserves some credit for being one of the cars that started the segment and just because of how silly it was.
4 Dongfeng Aeolus ePi
Dongfeng is one of China's biggest automakers and it already makes a range of passenger vehicles under the Aeolus name. They're sold in China and South America, but like many other Chinese automakers, Dongfeng aims to diversify into new segments.
The ePi is a sports coupe that's currently just a concept, but its production-ready drivetrain suggests a mass-market version is on the way. It's apparently capable of Level 4 autonomy and comes with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovations like passenger health monitoring. That's an odd selling point for a sports car but hey, at least it's unique.
3 Enovate ME-S
America might think it has the monopoly on electric car startups, with Rivian, Faraday Future, Lordstown Motors, and Nikola all fighting to get their first models into production. But, on the other side of the globe, China has just as fierce competition, and one of the companies aiming to take the market by storm is Enovate.
The difference between Enovate and many American startups is that they already have an electric SUV on sale in China, and they're building an EV supercar based on the same platform. The ME-S is slated to pull 0-60 in three seconds and use solid-state batteries to boost its range further than any of its competitors. It was originally scheduled for release in 2021 but Enovate has pulled one of Tesla's tricks and delayed the car without explaining why.
2 MG E-Motion
The MG brand was plucked from the ashes of the fallen Rover Group by Chinese automaker SAIC, and they've been selling cars in export markets like the UK for several years now. Their main focus is on affordable passenger vehicles, but their recent E-Motion concept reflects their ambition to launch a sports car in the new few years.
British magazine Autocar has reported that the company appears to be close to the production stage, which makes it very likely that the finished product will resemble the E-Motion concept, at least in design form. The exact details of the drivetrain are unknown, but it's likely to be electric and make use of MG's existing battery technology. The new MG sports car is currently slated to debut in late 2021 or early 2022.
1 Hongqi S9
The Hongqi S9 concept debuted in 2019 to critical acclaim, although at the time it was unclear if the car would make it to production. As of August 2021 though, the company confirmed that the car was going into production with its stunning design unchanged and still with the concept's original 1,400 hp drivetrain.
It's being developed in partnership with an Italian company called Silk EV and will be built in a new factory close to Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello. Hongqi has also brought in a team of ex-Ferrari and Lamborghini executives to make the car happen, so it's definitely one to watch out for in the near future.