How times change in Wolfsburg and Shanghai. A decade ago, the idea that Volkswagen - pretty much the king of global automotive engineering - would turn to a young Chinese tech startup to co-develop its core electric vehicle architectures was unthinkable. Yet here we are staring at filings from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, admiring the newly revealed SAIC Volkswagen ID. ERA 5X.

There is something wonderfully absurd about a 3,009 kg wedge of cold-rolled stainless steel tearing up the black stuff with up to 845 ponies going wild. Yes, it does look like it was drawn on a napkin during a late-night sci-fi marathon and engineered by folks who take subtlety as a personal insult. But for all its angular bravado and brutal straight-line acceleration, early Cybertruck owners keep slamming into a brick wall - a tiny electronic component giving out and...

The pace of the Chinese electric vehicle arms race is relentless. The moment a brand has settled into its rhythm, it pulls out the drafting paper and drops a fresh design directly onto the showroom floor. Case in point: Avatr. The joint effort between Changan Automobile, tech powerhouse Huawei, and battery titan CATL isn't letting rival tech-darlings steal all the spotlight.

The Smart #2 was recently spotted undergoing testing ahead of its launch at the Paris Motor Show in October. In case you're not aware, this is an EV that's very much inspired by the original Smart ForTwo city car. It has a very similar shape and size, but of course it's electric.

Back in my day, car camping was all about pitching a soggy tent next to a rusty hatchback, eating cold beans, and praying a raccoon wouldn't steal my boots or leave a nasty surprise in the said tent. And for a very long time, things haven't changed much. But in China? It turns out China has a completely different idea of car camping. Why am I not surprised...