Foreign automakers were forced to take a back seat as around 100 new vehicles made their debut at the Shanghai show -- with the majority of them from Chinese brands.

Chinese automakers are looking overseas for growth and profits as price cuts at home, spurred by Tesla, create a full-blown industry pricing battle that is engulfing nearly all automakers operating in China.

The Chinese market’s rapid shift to electrified vehicles, especially EVs featuring rich digital devices and assisted driving, has caught a wide range of automakers off guard. They include most traditional domestic manufactures which are supposed to know the home market well. 

China sales at the U.S. EV maker are slowing in part due to an aging product line, analysts say, with consumers also delaying purchases while waiting to see if other EV makers cut prices.