Beijing Auto Show highlights
- The 2026 Beijing Auto Show was described as massive, with automakers emphasizing software, AI, and EVs. - Nio will show all three of its brands together with 11 models, while BMW unveiled a refreshed 7 Series with over 720 km WLTP electric range. - The show’s scale and the premium-EV push were covered as signals that Chinese brands are upping software and autonomous claims. ( )
Beijing’s auto show opens April 24 as the world’s biggest car exhibition, with Chinese and foreign brands using it to sell software-heavy electric luxury cars. (autobeijing.org.cn) Auto China 2026 runs through May 3 across two venues in Beijing, with a record 380,000 square meters of exhibition space. Organizers say more than 1,500 exhibitors are attending, and show coverage ahead of opening listed 1,451 vehicles and 181 premiere models. (autobeijing.org.cn, cnevpost.com) Nio said it will place Nio, Onvo, and Firefly 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 April 24 in Beijing and said its flagship ES9 sport utility vehicle will make its public debut there. (cnevpost.com) BMW used the Beijing show for the April 22 debut of a refreshed 7 Series, which the company called its biggest update ever for the model. BMW said the sedan brings Neue Klasse technology into the current lineup, and outside coverage of the launch said the electric version offers more than 720 kilometers of range under the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure, or WLTP. (press.bmwgroup.com, qz.com) The show floor map points to what brands think sells now in China: electric drivetrains, driver-assistance systems, and in-car software. Nio shares Hall E2 with Xpeng and Aito, while Mercedes-Benz, BYD, Huawei Qiankun, and other brands and suppliers are clustered across the two venues. (cnevpost.com) South China Morning Post reported on April 23 that Chinese premium electric-vehicle makers are using the expo to challenge BMW and Mercedes-Benz with new high-end models and stronger technology claims. Reuters, in reporting carried by other outlets this week, described domestic brands as targeting European premium makers with lower prices and more software-focused features. (scmp.com, anewz.tv) That pressure has been building for more than a year. Reuters reported from the 2024 Beijing show that Chinese brands were already competing on “tech luxury,” packing advanced screens, assisted-driving features, and premium cabin touches into electric vehicles at far lower prices than many foreign rivals. (yahoo.com) This year’s Beijing event turns that trend into a scale story: bigger halls, more debuts, and more brands selling the car as a software platform as much as a machine. The next test starts after May 3, when buyers decide whether those claims can pull them from German badges to Chinese ones. (autobeijing.org.cn, scmp.com)
