You might know the Chery Omoda 5, GWM Haval H6 and MG ZS but what about the Arcfox Alpha S5, Li Mega and Stelato S9? Here's our list of the Top 5 Chinese domestic market models you've never heard of

Eighteen months ago we dived into the Chinese car manufacturing business in an attempt to establish just how many domestic brands were involved in the ultimate automotive cage fight. 

We came up with 88, before joint-ventures and pure imports. And since then, others, including the ever-reliable Wikipedia, have bumped that number up to 97. And it’s worth noting there are now 43 JVs on top of that with imports pushing the total number of active brands attempting to win over Chinese buyers to around 150!

The Australian market is rapidly filling up with new offerings from BYD, Chery, Deepal, Foton, GWM, JAC, LDV, Leapmotor, MG, Skywell, Smart, Xpeng and Zeekr with even more like GAC’s Aion, Geely and Chery’s Jaecoo coming soon.

So, while it might feel like we’re experiencing a major new product onslaught it’s really only the tip of the emerging Chinese brand iceberg.

Which begs the question, what’s lurking behind the domestic market curtain that we haven’t seen or maybe even heard of so far?

Well, to help answer that question, here are our Top 5 Chinese domestic market models that might raise your eyebrows, and who knows, slide onto your driveway in the not too distant future.

IM LS6

The LS6, developed by SAIC subsidiary IM Motors, was unveiled in Shanghai this September. A pure-electric large medium SUV, it’s offered in rear- and all-wheel drive form with the latter producing no less than 579kW and sprinting from 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds.

Battery capacities range from 75kWh to 100kWh with a quoted maximum (CLTC) range of 760km. At the same time 900V fast charging is claimed to replenish 579km in 15 minutes.

Tech highlights include four-wheel steering (with ‘Crab Mode’), intelligent lighting (with 165-degree illumination), smart taillights (able to display English, numbers and animated emojis), a 26.3-inch media screen and 21-speaker audio (including an additional external speaker).

Price, on a straight currency conversion, ranges from roughly $47,000 to $60,000.

Arcfox Alpha S5

The Alpha S5 electric mid-size sedan is BAIC-owned Arcfox’s domestic rival to the BYD Seal and lays claim to the world’s lowest drag coefficient for a mass produced car at 0.1925.

A swoopy, fastback-style design incorporates frameless doors and an electric rear spoiler, while inside there’s a 'floating' 15.6-inch central screen, 15-speaker audio and 256-colour ambient lighting.

Offered in two- and all-wheel drive, outputs range from 185kW/360Nm (2WD) to 390kW/690Nm (AWD) with the latter carrying a 79kWh battery and boasting a 0-100km/h spring of 3.7sec. Maximum (CLTC) range of 708km and an 800V architecture means it can charge 380 kilometres in 15 minutes.

Pricing, again on a straight currency conversion, ranges from roughly $38,000 to $47,000. 

Li Mega 

Publicly-owned carmaker Li Auto produces this large, luxurious and impressively aero-efficient (Cd 0.215) electric people mover.

A 400kW/542Nm electric motor drives the front wheels for a 0-100km/h time of 5.5 seconds and 520kW peak charging is available. A substantial 103kWh battery results in a claimed (CLTC) maximum range for this 5.35m long seven-seater of 710km. 

Seating is 2-2-3 with heaps of interior space on offer and seats featuring a 10-layer structure with ‘zero-pressure sponge’ and a “spa grade” 16-point massage function.

Spec highlights include air suspension, a huge panoramic roof, electric sliding side doors, 21-speaker audio and a 17-inch OLED screen for the entertainment of second- and third-row passengers.  

And this is far from a budget family truckster with a direct currency swap price of roughly $120,000.

Kaiyi Shiyue 

The Kaiyi Shiyue is a three-door, four-seat pure-electric city car wearing a scowl that makes it look like it just got out of the wrong side of the bed.

Priced from the equivalent of $11,500 to $21,500 this tiny budget-focused hatch measures just under 3.4m long, 1.7m wide and 1.6m tall. Colour options include ‘Peach Pie’ and ‘Pop Blue’.

Air conditioning, four-speaker audio and a 10.25-inch central control screen are standard. A modest 2160mm wheelbase is enough to accommodate a 130-litre boot, expanding to 430 litres with the second row folded.

There’s a fearsome 40kW motor in the nose, with the car’s lithium iron phosphate battery delivering a maximum (CLTC) range of around 300km. DC charging, with a maximum rate of 31kW allows 10 to 80 per cent charging in 30 minutes.

Xiangjie S9

Offered in rear- and all-wheel drive the S9 ‘executive’ EV sedan is produced by Xiangjie (anglicised to Stelato) a joint-venture brand established recently by Huawei and BAIC. 

This large, sleek and ultra-luxurious four-seater features hectares of Nappa leather over four ventilated, heated and massaging seats as well as solid wood trim elements.

And it features what its maker claims is the “industry's brightest and widest colour gamut automotive-grade projector, combined with a 32-inch liftable projection screen, to provide a movie theater-like experience” for rear seat passengers.

There’s also 23-speaker/2080W audio, a fridge in the rear, an ‘encrypted storage compartment’, a large glass roof over the rear section and (a lot) more.

Power comes from a single motor for rear-wheel drive in the Max grade and twin motors for all-wheel drive in the top-spec Ultra model, with the latter’s 100kWh lithium ion battery delivering a CLTC range of 665km.

The AWD is claimed to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds and 800V architecture means it can take on 200km of range in five minutes.

A straight currency conversion on price comes to $86,000 for the Max and $97,000 for the Ultra.