Auto China unveils 1,500 vehicles

Auto China 2026 opened in Beijing on April 24 with 1,451 vehicles and 181 world premieres spread across two exhibition centers. (autochinashow.org) (technode.com) The show runs through May 3 at the China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi and the Capital International Exhibition Center, using 380,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor space. Organizers say that makes it the largest auto show in the world by exhibition area. (autochinashow.org) (carnewschina.com) Official figures also list 71 concept cars and more than 200 press conferences during the 10-day event. Media days on April 24 and 25 drew nearly 30,000 journalists, including almost 4,000 from overseas, according to the organizers. (autochinashow.org) The center of gravity was Chinese electric and hybrid brands. BYD showed models under its main badge and premium sub-brands, XPeng highlighted assisted-driving technology, and Xiaomi used the show to keep attention on its expanding car business. (apnews.com) (technode.com) Foreign brands still showed up in force, but the pitch shifted. Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota and Nissan used Beijing to roll out China-focused electric, plug-in hybrid and software features rather than treating the market as an afterthought. (technode.com) (autos.yahoo.com) That reflects the market underneath the show floor. China remains the world’s largest auto market at about 30 million annual vehicle sales, and domestic brands have gained share quickly by moving faster on batteries, in-car software and price. (apnews.com) (usnews.com)) The Beijing event also arrived as traditional Western auto shows have lost clout with some manufacturers, which now prefer either their own launch events or the China calendar. In that setup, Beijing has become a place where companies try to set the year’s narrative around electric vehicles, fast charging and driver-assistance systems. (technode.com) (carnewschina.com) The official theme this year is “Lead the Era, Intelligent Future,” and the displays matched it with heavy emphasis on software-defined vehicles, cockpit chips and assisted-driving features. In Beijing this week, the car itself often looked like only part of the product. (autochinashow.org) (apnews.com) By the numbers alone, Auto China 2026 turned Beijing into the industry’s biggest stage: 1,451 vehicles, 181 debuts, 71 concepts and 380,000 square meters of floor space. (autochinashow.org) (carnewschina.com)