China has become the world's most important car market and the country's manufacturers have emerged as the fiercest rivals to Western automakers, a dominance on full display at the Auto China motor show in Beijing (April 24 to May 3).
Where once China was an emerging market for Western carmakers, the People's Republic has now risen to become the world's leading automotive nation.
It is little wonder, then, that the industry revs higher at this show than at any other.
While exhibitions such as the IAA in Munich or the Paris Motor Show have recently been comparatively subdued affairs with modest attendance, Beijing is buzzing like an anthill.
Crowds pack eight halls across two floors, with dozens of established players and many more brands that even many Chinese consumers have never heard of. At the show one premiere follows the next.
Long since emancipated from the Western automotive world
The Chinese manufacturers are making an impressive show of how far they have moved beyond the Western automotive world, finding their own style and competing for technological leadership. That applies to electric powertrains, of course, but also to future technologies such as autonomous driving — and even more so as cars prepare to take to the skies.
Even Chinese combustion-engine cars are causing a stir at the show, after Geely presented a hybrid drivetrain that, at 2.2 litres per 100 km, could become one of the most fuel-efficient petrol engines in the world.
Unlike in previous years, the once-dominant Western brands are no longer so easily outshone on their most important overseas market. The presence of Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes and others shows that they have woken up and are not prepared to surrender without a fight.
For visitors to the show, all of this means a spectacular number of new models and an overwhelming sensory overload. Here are the seven most exciting new arrivals and the key technology trends to watch.
1. Smart #2: A big comeback for a small car
Around three decades after the brand launched, after many wrong turns and a flirtation with gigantism in the form of the #5, Smart is returning to its roots with Chinese technology, presenting in Beijing the successor to the Fortwo. As the #2, it has grown to just under 2.80 m in length but remains one of the shortest and most charming cars in the world.
The production version will be unveiled by the brand — now relocated to China — in the second half of 2026, with the two-seater going on sale in the new year. It will be purely electric, with a range of just under 300 km, and makers are hoping to give it a price close to €20,000.
2. Jetta: Muscular instead of mundane
The Jetta has largely been forgotten in Europe, but in China it is a brand in its own right at the lower end of the Volkswagen price scale — the small saloon was for a long time one of the country's best-selling cars.
Volkswagen is now repositioning its budget offshoot and giving it more style with this SUV, so much so that even the ID.4 suddenly looks tame by comparison. And if it does go on sale within the year for around €15,000, even more so. It is a shame it will only be available in China.
3. Denza Z9 GT Cabriolet: Summer calling
Western manufacturers have long blamed the supposedly fresh-air-averse Chinese consumer for the dwindling number of convertibles on offer. But now it is a Chinese brand that is making us long for summer. To put its luxury offshoot Denza firmly in the spotlight, BYD is showing the Z9 GT at the show with a folding roof, placing it in the company of the Mercedes SL or the BMW 8 Series.
4. Freelander: Comeback in China
The Freelander is history in Europe, but in China the British brand is starting afresh under the old name: together with Chery, they are launching a new brand for electric off-road vehicles.
Whether it will come to Europe remains to be seen. In the meantime, the electric Range Rover will soon be arriving at dealerships here, and the Defender is also set to go electric before long.
5. Leapmotor D19: Go big or go home
In Europe, Leapmotor is known only as a budget brand within the Stellantis family, importing electric and electrified SUVs from China at competitive prices (its T03 is one of the cheapest electric cars in Europe at €19,990).
But the Chinese manufacturer is showing it can aim higher with the D19, a vehicle that matches the Mercedes GLS or the BMW X7 in both form and size, and is of course also fully electric.
It comes with a 1,000-volt battery system and a 115 kWh pack offering more than 700 km of range, as well as a range-extender version for those sceptical of pure electric driving. The D19 looks elegant and makes a strong impression, but it lacks the prestige needed to compete in the premium segment.
What it does have, however, is a significant price advantage. With a starting price of under €30,000, it costs less than either of the European rivals mentioned. It is little wonder the Chinese are considering bringing the car to Europe in the longer term.
6. Kosmera: A sports car from Berlin
In Europe, Dreame is best known for its robot vacuum cleaners. But now the company is pushing into the car business with the Kosmera brand, tempting show visitors with high-performance sports cars and SUVs packed with artificial intelligence. Xiaomi has already shown that a successful newcomer can topple Porsche — its SU7 did exactly that. And electric outputs of more than 2,000 hp (1,470 kW) are no longer a unique selling point.
What makes the Kosmera Nebula Next 01 stand out, however, are its production plans. The Chinese company intends to build its electric high-flyers not in China but, from 2027, as a neighbour of Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin.
7. Audi E7X: Second attempt with an SUV and without the rings
Audi is in a state of shock in China. To overcome it, the company founded the sub-brand AUDI a year ago, dropped the four rings and changed almost everything else about its approach. That worked well initially with the sporty estate E7, but after a rapid rise came the fall, and the futuristic glider is languishing.
The automaker is now following up with the matching SUV, the E7X, to cover this in-demand segment as well. The E7X also features 800-volt technology developed in China, charges faster and travels further than European electric models, and is capable of largely autonomous driving.
Its design marks a new beginning inside and out. The elongated Q5, making its debut alongside it — complete with the four rings — already looks like yesterday's news by comparison.
Tech trends: Faster charging, autonomous driving and taking flight
With well over 1,000 cars on display and almost 200 world premieres, the show also features a wealth of technical exhibits worth noting:
Battery world market leader CATL is showing a battery pack with a range of 1,500 km.
BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, is presenting its Flash Charging system, which in its latest version operates at up to 1,500 kW — allowing the Denza flagship Z9 GT to charge from 10% to 97% in 9 minutes.
Geely is unveiling a hybrid drivetrain that, at 2.2 litres per 100 km, could rank among the most fuel-efficient combustion engines in the world.
For those who find all of that too tangible, the show also features cyber-dogs and humanoid robots ready to shake hands.
Robot taxis are sketching out a near-future of driverless urban mobility at Auto China.
And Beijing brings the promise that escaping a traffic jam from the air may not be far off: the idea of the flying car has been around for a long time, but its presence at the Beijing show suggests a market launch may not be too distant.