Beijing Auto Show Push

China opens its 2026 Beijing auto show on April 24 with domestic electric-vehicle brands using the industry’s biggest stage to press deeper into the premium market. (beijingautoshow.com) The 10-day event runs through May 3 across two venues in Beijing and spans 380,000 square metres, according to organizers. Official schedules split the show into April 24-25 media days, April 26-27 trade days, and April 28-May 3 public days. (autoshow.org.cn) Organizers say the exhibition will display 1,451 vehicles, including 181 world premieres and 71 concept cars, with 17 halls in use and 13 dedicated to complete vehicles. The official theme this year is “Future of Intelligence.” (beijingautoshow.com) That framing reflects where China’s car market has moved: premium models are now being sold on battery range, charging speed, driver-assistance software, cockpit systems, and in-car chips as much as on horsepower or badge value. The South China Morning Post reported that Chinese brands are using the show to challenge BMW and Mercedes-Benz with tech-heavy premium electric models. (scmp.com) Nio is bringing 11 models from its Nio, Onvo, and Firefly brands and putting the three marques in one booth for the first time at a major global auto show. The company said it will also present 12 “full-stack technologies,” a phrase it uses for hardware-and-software systems developed across the vehicle. (cnevpost.com) BMW is using the Beijing event to debut a refreshed 7 Series that adds technology from its Neue Klasse program, BMW’s next-generation electric and software architecture. BMW said the battery-electric i7 eDrive50L is rated at more than 720 kilometers on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, or WLTP, cycle. (press.bmwgroup.com) BMW said production of the new 7 Series will begin in July 2026 at its Dingolfing plant in Germany, with a global market launch to follow at the same time. Quartz reported the Beijing debut makes the 7 Series the first luxury sedan in BMW’s lineup to adopt Neue Klasse technologies. (press.bmwgroup.com) (qz.com) The Beijing show has become a test of how far foreign carmakers will localize for China, not just how many imported nameplates they can display. Automotive News reported that Volkswagen, General Motors, Audi, Hyundai, and BMW are bringing China-focused electric models and locally developed software to this year’s exhibition. (autonews.com) By the time the public days begin on April 28, visitors will be walking a show built around one question: whether China’s premium electric brands can turn scale and software into lasting share at the top end of the market. (scmp.com)