Wheelsboy offers a close look at the latest from the world’s biggest automotive industry

ANYONE curious about the eccentric and innovative landscape of Chinese motoring should tune into the Wheelsboy show on YouTube. 

Hosted by Ethan Robertson, an American based in Shanghai, this channel reviews the latest from China’s thriving industry, including some vehicles that are quite unconventional and many that are barely seen in Western markets, if at all. 

If you need to know the latest about BYD, Xpeng, Neta, iCar, Onvo, Changan, Robocar, Xiaomi, JiYue and so much more? Well, this is the place.

China’s hunger for electric and electrified motoring and cutting-edge in-car technology is patent. Minimalist designs paired with expansive dashboard screens are a recurring theme, as are brightly-coloured interiors and premium materials that seemingly define the modern Chinese automotive aesthetic.

Robertson’s become a bit of a celebrity in China's cyberspace. His background is interesting: obsessed with China and its history, he is a fluent speaker of Chinese Mandrarin. 

He studied the language at University of North Carolina and further improved it during a six-month programme in Beijing and Shanghai in 2013. He went back to the US subsequently, but felt a strong calling to return to China so now bases in Shanghai.

His breaking into vlogging about cars came when he met a couple of local auto industry insiders and online-video company entrepreneurs who were looking for Chinese-speaking foreigners to do car videos. Wheelsboy soon went viral on the Chinese internet as netizens were curious to hear how a Mandarin-speaking foreign auto enthusiast would rate Chinese cars. The show has now progressed to the international format I’m advocating, introducing Chinese cars to foreign drivers in English.

His presentation is slick and his knowledge seems solid. An in-depth coverage of the recent Beijing auto show impressed me. You’ll need to set aside an hour to fully appreciate the vast number of new electrics and small-engine-capacity hybrids. The pace of Chinese model development is utterly startling.

WheelsBoy’s testing regime is lenient, and raises questions about how these vehicles would handle our own roads, should the day come when they ever do. 

Advertisements within the show are refreshingly minimal. The channel also sports well-crafted, high-definition video quality and innovative exterior and interior camera angles. The sound clarity is also top-notch, adding to the overall viewing experience.

The show is an excellent resource for anyone captivated by China’s automotive market. Whether you’re an EV enthusiast or simply curious about the future of automobiles, it’s a worthy go-to.

The Wheelsboy Homepage: https://www.youtube.com/@Wheelsboy