Beijing auto show reveals

Beijing’s auto show opens on April 24 as carmakers crowd into the world’s biggest exhibition floor and turn the spotlight to software, batteries, and driver-assistance systems. (beijingautoshow.com) Auto China 2026 runs through May 3 across two venues in Beijing, with 380,000 square meters of exhibition space, 1,451 vehicles, 181 premieres, and 71 concept cars, according to organizers. Press days are April 24 and 25, followed by trade and public days. (autobeijing.org.cn) (cnevpost.com) BMW used the week of the show to unveil a refreshed 7 Series and said the flagship sedan is the first luxury model to get technologies from its Neue Klasse program. BMW said the electric i7 version now offers more than 720 kilometers of range on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, with production starting in July 2026. (press.bmwgroup.com) (autos.yahoo.com) Neue Klasse is BMW’s next-generation hardware and software package for electric cars, and the company said the 7 Series is the first existing model line to receive that technology rollout. BMW described the update as the most extensive model revision it has ever carried out on the 7 Series. (press.bmwgroup.com) Nio said it will bring its Nio, Onvo, and Firefly brands together in one booth for the first time at a major auto show, displaying 11 models and 12 full-stack technologies. The company scheduled a media briefing for 10:00 a.m. Beijing time on April 24 and said the all-new ES9 sport utility vehicle will make its public debut there. (cnevpost.com) Nio said the updated Onvo L90 uses its in-house Shenji NX9031 autonomous-driving chip, built on a 5-nanometer process, with the company’s World Model driver-assistance system. Firefly, Nio’s smaller-car brand, will show an updated electric hatchback with peak motor power raised to 120 kilowatts at the same price, according to the company. (cnevpost.com) FAW-Audi said it will show a broad lineup that includes the A5L, the new A6L, the new Q5L, the A6L e-tron, and the Q6L e-tron family, alongside the Audi R26 Formula 1 show car. Gasgoo reported that the new SQ8 is set to go on sale and that the S5 Avant will make its China debut at the event. (autonews.gasgoo.com) FAW-Audi said it is pairing internal-combustion and electric platforms with more in-car intelligence, and Gasgoo reported that the new Q5L will open pre-orders for Huawei’s Qiankun intelligent-driving system before the show. That puts a legacy luxury brand into the same software race that Chinese electric-vehicle makers have been using to sell faster update cycles and more automated features. (autonews.gasgoo.com) (cnevpost.com) Organizers said brands from China and abroad will use the show to present electrification and intelligent-driving products, with suppliers including Huawei, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., and Bosch also exhibiting. In Beijing this year, the car itself is only part of the pitch; the rest is the code, chips, and charging behind it. (cnevpost.com)