China's six coolest new models: how MG, Great Wall and Haval could shake up the Australian market

Lynk & Co 393 Cyan concept with 2.0 hp 03-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

It's been a tough year for many in the auto industry - from declining sales to Holden's death - but one group is having a memorable year; Chinese automakers.

It's becoming increasingly clear that 2020 is shaping up to be a year in which Australians have adopted Chinese cars in significant numbers, with Chinese brands averaging double-digit growth compared to a market that is in steep decline.

One reason for the improvement is the growth of the Chinese auto industry as a whole, as the country now hosts the world's largest auto market. This prompted companies with little history to enter the auto industry in hopes of profits, in much the same way that the US spawned dozens of auto brands roughly 100 years ago.

Names like Lifan, Roewe, Landwind, Zoyte and Brilliance will be unfamiliar to most Australians. But in this crowded market, a few big players have emerged to develop more recognizable brands such as Great Wall, Haval and Geely. Even MG is now a Chinese car company, and the former British brand is now under the control of SAIC Motors, a Chinese state-owned company that also operates LDV (under the name Maxus in China) and the previously mentioned Roewe.

As the Chinese industry is on the move, we have selected some of the most interesting vehicles to come to the country. While not everyone will make it here, the size and scope of the market means there are some really cool cars here.

Hawal DaGo

Big Dog (this is the literal translation of the name) is a new SUV from Haval, which somehow combines elements of Suzuki Jimny and Toyota LandCruiser Prado.

It pairs well with the Prado, a bit shorter but with more ground clearance, but has the boxy retro styling that makes both the Jimny and the Mercedes G-wagen so popular.

There's no word yet on whether the big dog will join the Australian Haval lineup, but the off-road and local market-focused brand with a seemingly never-ending desire for more would make a smart addition.

Great Wall Cannon

Sister brand Haval has a potential big gun for the Australian market in the form of a new gun. Due before the end of 2020 (albeit with a different name), it will sit above the existing Steed ute brand to give the brand a more premium competitor for the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

In fact, Great Wall used both models as yardsticks during the development of Cannon (or whatever it will be called), which bodes well for raising the bar for what we can expect from the Chinese model.

It's about the same size as Toyota and Ford, has a turbodiesel engine with similar performance (although early specs indicate it will have less torque) and should have a payload of 1000kg and tow up to 3000kg.

The most important question that has not yet been answered is the price. If Great Wall can continue its habit of undercutting its more established competitors on price while offering a good value for money car, then this could be a major breakthrough for Chinese cars.

MG ZS EV

The ZS EV is far from the MGB roadster that made the company famous, but this compact electric SUV has a lot of potential for the brand. It's due later this year, but the company made the announcement when it offered the first 100 units for just $46,990 - the cheapest electric car available in Australia.

Whether the company can sustain that price after the first 100 sales remains unclear, but even if it isn't, the fact that the resurgent brand will be able to offer a battery-powered compact SUV will make it a rarity in the Australian market. The ZS EV's only competitor will be the Hyundai Kona, which starts at $60.

MG E-Motion

Of course, MG has a rich history of building sports cars during the British period, so what better way than an electric sports car to fuse the old with the new, modern and electrified Chinese version of the brand.

It's a huge departure from the MG3 hatch and ZS SUV, but the brand teased the idea of ​​a sports car resurrection back in 2017 with the E-Motion concept. Recently discovered patent images have shown that the design has changed, and the four-seat coupe is distinctly Aston Martin-like.

Full specifications are being kept under wraps until the car's launch in 2021, but we do know that it will likely be capable of 0-100 km/h in 4.0 seconds and have a range of up to XNUMX km.

Nio EP9

Nio is another relatively new Chinese automaker (created in 2014) but has made a big name for itself by focusing on very fast electric vehicles.

Nio makes EV SUVs in China but has an international profile because it fielded a team in the all-electric Formula E racing series and made headlines with its EP9 hypercar; set a lap record on the famous Nürburgring in 2017.

The Nio EP9 completed the 20km German track in just 6:45 to show just how productive an electric car can be. While Volkswagen abandoned this later, the German giant needed to build a dedicated electric race car to outdo the Nio.

Nio goes beyond electric vehicles to specialize in autonomous technology, and set a driverless lap record at Circuit of the Americas in 2017.

Lynk & Co 03 Blue

Speaking of Nürburgring records, another Chinese brand used the German race track to announce its ambitions - Lynk & Co.

This young brand (founded in 2016) owned by Geely, the same brand that controls Volvo, has attracted a lot of attention with the Lynk & Co 03 Cyan concept. It was designed to celebrate the brand's participation in the World Touring Car Cup, or in other words, it was a racing car for the road.

Cyan Racing is the official motorsport partner of Geely and Volvo, although you may remember it better by its former name, Polestar. Cyan used his experience on the track to extract 393kW of power from his 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which sent its power through a six-speed sequential gearbox to the front wheels.

The result was a Nurburgring lap record (at the time) for both a front-wheel drive and four-door car, beating both the Renault Megane Trophy R and the Jaguar XE SV Project 8.

Unfortunately, while Geely wants Lynk & Co to become a global brand, it doesn't look like it'll make it to Australia anytime soon, with plans to expand into Europe and the US being its priority.