The 2026 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition opened its press days on Friday across two side-by-side venues spanning 380,000 square meters. Organisers confirmed 1,451 vehicles on display, 181 making their global debut, and 71 concept cars. Public doors open April 28 and the show runs through May 3. By any measure of scale, it is the largest automotive event in the world this year.
The theme, "Driving the Future of Intelligence," is not marketing abstraction in this context. Dozens of exhibitors are showing advanced driver-assistance stacks, in-vehicle AI software, connectivity systems, and at least one 10-seat air taxi from AutoFlight that visitors could physically climb into. The show floors are a working argument for where automotive product development is headed, not a collection of design studies.
XPeng Makes the Biggest Claim
CEO He Xiaopeng unveiled the GX on stage: a six-seat battery-electric SUV measuring 5.2 meters in length, positioned to compete in the luxury segment with AI technology as the primary differentiator. The vehicle is not yet fully specified for international markets, but XPeng president Brian Gu said Europe now accounts for half of the brand's global sales in 2025 and that local production in the continent is already underway, with new models targeting the European market this year.
Gu also confirmed that XPeng is working toward humanoid robot production in 2026 and flying-car mass production at some point beyond that. On the tariff question from AFP: he said only that the US market remains important.
German Brands Are Still Present, Just Quieter
BMW's Beijing lineup centers on a revised 7 Series with exterior styling inspired by Neue Klasse, an interior featuring the Panoramic Vision display system already introduced on the new iX3, and improved range for the i7 at 728 km (452 miles). For China specifically, BMW is showing the iX3 Long Wheelbase and i3 Long Wheelbase, both with a three-metre wheelbase, mechanical door handles (required by Chinese regulation banning flush electric handles), and heated rear seats on the i3 LWB.
Audi's Chinese joint-venture brand is separately present with the E7X production model, built on the Advanced Digitised Platform shared with the E5 Sportback. The E7X carries a 109 kWh battery, over 750 km of CLTC range, dual motors producing 500 kW (670 hp), and a 0-100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds.
BYD's Scale Play
BYD is showing the Tang Great, a seven-seat family SUV stretching over five metres and weighing around three tonnes. It carries BYD's second-generation Blade battery at 130 kWh with a 950 km (590-mile) CLTC range. Also on display: the Sealion 8, a seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV above the Sealion 5, and the Seal 8 flagship saloon with 1 MW peak charging capability and a claimed 1,000 km of range.
Other Debuts Worth Noting
Smart showed the Concept #2, a global-market successor to the ForTwo city car on the new Electric Compact Architecture. Unlike the #6 recently launched for China alone, the production version of the #2 is confirmed for UK and European sale.
Zeekr's 8X PHEV pairs a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with a 900-volt tri-motor setup producing a combined 1,015 kW (1,362 hp). Zero to 100 km/h takes under three seconds, electric-only range exceeds 322 km (200 miles), and the 70 kWh battery supports 800-volt fast charging.
Jaguar Land Rover announced that Freelander will be a standalone marque from a Chery-JLR joint venture, separate from the Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery house of brands.
Nissan's NX8 is a large rear-drive electric SUV rated at 250 kW (335 hp), with adaptive electronic dampers and a "zero gravity" driver's seat designed for long-haul comfort.
The Hyundai Ioniq V, MG 07, IM LS8, and Luxeed V9 MPV from Huawei's automotive arm are also on the floor, alongside Lepas and OMODA models from the Chery group targeting export markets in Europe and the Middle East.
Foreign brands held significant floor space but were largely spectators at their own stands. The crowd flow and the media attention tracked differently. Press conferences from BYD, XPeng, and CATL ran longer than anything from the European contingent. That is not a commentary on vehicle quality. It is a description of where the product energy currently sits.