A worker uses his phone while walking past the venue of this year's Beijing Auto Show on the eve of the event at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on April 23, 2026. Photo: VCG

Excitement is surging across the auto industry as domestic and international carmakers converge on Beijing ahead of what is set to be the world's largest auto show. Running from Friday through May 3, the Beijing Auto Show comes as companies race to unveil new models and cutting-edge technologies while vying for attention, partnerships, and market momentum during a crucial window for the industry.

Analysts say global attention—once focused on auto shows in Munich and Tokyo—is increasingly shifting to China, where the rapid rise of new energy vehicles mirrors the broader global energy transition. The deep integration of electrification and intelligent driving technologies has, in their view, given Chinese automakers a generational edge in the intensifying global competition.

According to the Beijing Municipal Government's official website, this year's exhibition marks a historic leap in scale—setting a new benchmark for the Beijing Auto Show and poised to break global records as the world's largest and most influential automotive showcase.

This year's auto show covers a total exhibition area of 380,000 square meters, bringing together nearly 1,000 automakers from 21 countries and regions. It is expected to attract close to 1 million visitors, according to media reports.

Official data shows that a total of 1,451 vehicles will be exhibited at this year's auto show, according to the Securities Times. Among them, the number of world premiere models has risen from 117 in 2024 to 181, while 71 are concept cars. Both the density of new launches and the intensity of concept car showcases are higher than in the previous edition, said the report.

NEV shines

From fast-charging technology capable of operating at minus 30 degrees Celsius in extreme cold to full-speed-range flux-adjustable drive motors, a wide range of advanced innovations will be showcased at this year's auto show, underscoring the technological strength of China's automakers.

At this year's show, Chinese carmaker BYD is using an entire hall for its exhibition, with multiple world premiere models and technology advances being showcased, the Global Times learned from the company on Thursday.

In the technology display zone, the company's the second-generation Blade Battery and flash-charging technology will deliver a disruptive charging experience, enabling "charging at normal temperature to 80 percent in 5 minutes and full charge in 9 minutes; at minus 30 degrees Celsius, only 3 minutes longer."

Also at this year's auto show, another Chinese carmaker Chery is showcasing more than 50 models, reflecting its global product portfolio and the upward momentum of Chinese brands in overseas markets.

On the technology front, the company is presenting 31 cutting-edge exhibits, demonstrating its systematic innovation capabilities and forward-looking layout in the global automotive and new energy sectors. 

The auto show underscores China's growing strength in the auto industry and serves as an important window both for Chinese automakers going global and for foreign companies seeking to expand in the Chinese market, Sun Xiaohong, secretary-general of the automotive branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In the past, more attention was focused on auto shows such as those in Munich and Tokyo, but increasingly, global attention is shifting toward China, Sun said. "This year's auto show highlights China's full industrial-chain advantages in the automotive sector, particularly the rapid rise of new energy vehicles, which aligns with the global energy transition," Sun said, giving as an example the integration of new energy with intelligent driving technology, which has delivered a generational lead in competitiveness.

The auto show is a microcosm of the rapid development of China's automotive industry. In 2025, the industry delivered an impressive performance, with both production and sales exceeding 34 million units, maintaining its position as the world's largest for 17 consecutive years, the Economic Information Daily reported. 

Moreover, new energy vehicles accounted for nearly half of new car sales, said the report.

Behind these figures lies continuous breakthroughs in technological innovation, the steady improvement of market order and safety standards, and the ongoing enhancement of overall industrial quality, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The auto show has also drawn wide attention in international media outlets. 

After years of churning out the world's most technologically advanced, low-cost electric vehicles, Chinese companies like Geely and Nio are now unleashing a number of ‌premium models that are packed with features and priced significantly lower than those offered by German rivals, Reuters reported.

Another report by South China Morning Post said that this year's Auto China, the world's largest car show, is likely to mark a watershed for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers as they push dozens of new premium models into the spotlight, challenging European manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Car dealers from across the globe are flocking to the Beijing auto show this week with ambitions to bring more China-made green vehicles home as an antidote to gasoline prices driven up by the US-Israel war with Iran, Nikkei Asia reported.

The increasing commitment of international businesses to the Beijing Auto Show underscores China's growing role as both a key innovation hub and one of the most dynamic automotive markets in the world, particularly amid the accelerated shift toward electrification and intelligent mobility, said Hu.

From follower to leader

About a week before the Beijing Auto Show, at the 2026 Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, a humanoid robot from Chinese smartphone maker HONOR set a new record, outpacing the man's half marathon world record of 57 minutes 20 seconds recorded by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo in 2026 at the Lisbon Half Marathon.

From the robot half-marathon to Beijing Auto Show, global attention is increasingly focused on China's evolving industrial landscape, which is also playing a growing role in shaping and leading global industrial development, analysts said.

In the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), the government vows to move faster to build a modernized industrial system and foster new drivers of growth.

To propel the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, we will implement a new round of high-quality development initiatives for key industrial chains in the manufacturing sector, carry out initiatives to improve quality, lower costs, and cut carbon emissions in key sectors, the outline said.

From a broader perspective, technological development, reflected at the major events in Beijing, is not only about technological upgrading, but also directly drives industrial upgrading and productivity gains. Ultimately, it is creating new opportunities for both China and the global economy, said Hu.