Beijing Auto Show push

China’s biggest auto show opens on April 24 with local electric-vehicle brands using Beijing to press deeper into the premium market once dominated by BMW and Mercedes-Benz. (autoshow.org.cn) Auto China 2026 runs through May 3 across two connected venues in Beijing, covering 380,000 square meters with 1,451 vehicles, 181 world premieres, 71 concept cars, and 212 press conferences, according to the organizers. (autoshow.org.cn) Nio said it will show 11 models from Nio, Onvo, and Firefly, marking the first time its three brands appear together at one booth at a major global auto show. The company scheduled a media briefing for 10:00 a.m. Beijing time on April 24. (cnevpost.com) The show floor now doubles as a test of software as much as sheet metal. Chinese brands have spent the past two years pushing driver-assistance systems, in-car artificial intelligence, and fast-charging features into vehicles priced against German luxury sedans and sport utility vehicles. (beijingautoshow.com) Foreign brands are answering with China-focused debuts of their own. BMW unveiled a refreshed 7 Series on April 22 ahead of the show and said the update adds Neue Klasse technology to its flagship sedan, with an electric range of more than 720 kilometers under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure. (qz.com) Smart, the Mercedes-Benz and Geely joint venture, used a Beijing brand event on April 23 to unveil the Concept #2 city car and the #6 EHD hybrid hatchback before the exhibition opened. TechNode reported the launches as part of a broader pre-show push by brands trying to show they can cover both battery-electric and hybrid demand. (technode.com) The scale of the event shows how much the center of gravity has shifted toward China’s domestic market. Auto China’s organizers said the 2026 edition is the first to use both the China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi and the Capital International Exhibition Center, making it the largest auto exhibition in the world by floor area. (autoshow.org.cn) That matters for luxury brands because Beijing is no longer just a sales venue. It is now where carmakers have to show they can match local expectations on cockpit software, automated-driving features, and new-energy drivetrains in front of Chinese buyers, suppliers, and rivals at the same time. (beijingautoshow.com) The immediate test starts this week, with two media days on April 24 and April 25 before trade and public days begin. By the time the show closes on May 3, the question will be less whether Chinese brands can fill the halls than whether foreign incumbents can still set the pace inside them. (autoshow.org.cn)