Beyond technology? How Bentley is reacting to the 21st century.

Summary

Chinese manufacturers are embedding more digital bells and whistles that impact all segments of the market, and not just in China. "Just as in other segments, the Chinese OEMs are moving faster than anyone else on software, especially for infotainment, bringing big screens and digital assistants with homegrown software and lots of connectivity, but also on driving assist and automation," Abuelsamid said. "These vehicles are being equipped with lidar, radar, cameras, and point-to-point driving assist, similar to Tesla navigation on Autopilot." The onslaught of features by Chinese competitors has luxury European automakers on their toes. The Hongqi booth at the 21st Changchun International Automobile Expo in China. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Hongqi booth at the 21st Changchun International Automobile Expo in China. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Huawei MAEXTRO S800 Luxury Car is popular in China. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Huawei MAEXTRO S800 Luxury Car is popular in China. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Hongqi booth at the 21st Changchun International Automobile Expo in China. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Huawei MAEXTRO S800 Luxury Car is popular in China. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images "Hongqi is probably the closest to a direct competitor in China and certainly has some offerings that might considered be in a similar class to Bentley," Abuelsamid said. "There are numerous other brands that continue to move upscale and will likely eventually reach a similar level, even if they aren't as hand-built as a Bentley, such as the BYD Yangwang U8 SUV." For example, the Maextro S800, a premium car born out of Huawei and JA joint venture, crab-walks a 16-degree angle to make tight parking easy, features hand-off "level 3" partially automated driving, and charges from 10 to 80 percent in just 10.5 minutes, according to Inside EVs. "We see it drives demand for features and what people expect their cars to have," Walliser sai...