Beijing show: EVs push back

Beijing’s auto show opens April 24 with carmakers pushing back against the idea that battery-only vehicles will dominate every segment. (beijingautoshow.com) At a brand event in Beijing on April 23, smart unveiled the #2 concept, a compact battery-electric sport utility vehicle, and the #6 EHD, a hybrid hatchback using what the company calls electric-hybrid-drive. TechNode reported the #6 EHD as smart’s latest sign that the brand is widening beyond pure electric models. (technode.com) Nio said it will bring its Nio, Onvo, and Firefly brands together at one booth for the first time at a major global auto show and display 11 models. The company scheduled a media briefing for 10:00 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. Beijing time on April 24. (cnevpost.com) BMW used the Beijing show to present a refreshed 7 Series and said the sedan is the first luxury model to adopt technologies from its Neue Klasse architecture. Quartz reported BMW’s claim of more than 720 kilometers, or about 447 miles, of electric range on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure cycle. (qz.com) The show itself is expanding as manufacturers crowd in. Organizers said Auto China 2026 runs from April 24 to May 3 across two Beijing venues, with total exhibition space of 380,000 square meters and 212 press conferences scheduled during media days. (beijingautoshow.com, autochinashow.org) That mix of products points to a broader split in strategy. Some brands are still using Beijing to sell longer-range battery cars, while others are adding hybrids that use gasoline as backup power or direct drive to ease charging concerns in parts of the market. (qz.com, technode.com) Nio’s booth plan also shows how crowded China’s electric-vehicle field has become. Instead of one marque carrying the stand, Nio is using three badges to cover premium, family, and small-car buyers in the same hall. (cnevpost.com) Smart’s lineup underscores how much the brand has changed since its two-seat city-car era. TechNode described the April 23 unveiling as part of smart’s effort to reposition itself in the premium electric-vehicle market while broadening its powertrain options. (technode.com) BMW, meanwhile, is using Beijing to connect its future electric platform to one of its oldest flagship nameplates. Production of the refreshed 7 Series is set to begin in July 2026, according to Quartz. (qz.com) As the doors open in Beijing on April 24, the clearest message is not that one technology has won. It is that the world’s biggest auto market is still making room for battery EVs, hybrids, and luxury long-range experiments at the same show. (beijingautoshow.com, technode.com, cnevpost.com, qz.com)