Amid price war, EVs geared up to dominate world's biggest auto show in Beijing

The world's biggest car show opens Friday (April 24) in Beijing, with hundreds of thousands of auto fans expected to descend on the Chinese capital to size up the latest sleek, teched-out models on the market.

Legacy overseas brands such as Volkswagen, Toyota and BMW once dominated in China, but have lost market share in past years to domestic firms that beat them to the electric vehicle revolution and undercut them on price.

Next wave: Software, autonomous driving

Chinese manufacturers including BYD, Xiaomi and Xpeng are now also at the forefront of integrating AI software and autonomous driving technology into their EVs.

The Xiaomi YU7 GT is packing serious heat: 1K PS (1003PS) and a 300km/h top speed. Despite the massive output, it doesn’t sacrifice endurance, maintaining a 705km CLTC range.

Lei Jun has been vocal about the car’s DNA, emphasizing it as the first project with deep involvement… https://t.co/k3UBEc11aQ pic.twitter.com/XXaxeAhCla

— ChinaEV Home (@CNEVhome) April 24, 2026

The Auto China exhibition, hosted at two side-by-side venues in the capital, will span 380,000 square metres (four million square feet), according to organisers -- sprawling more than 50 football pitches.

More than 1,400 vehicles from hundreds of foreign and domestic companies will be on show from Friday, when the show opens to industry professionals and the media, and later to the public from April 28 until May 3.

European-Asian partnerships

Domestic brands are expected to fight to out-wow competition with upgrades in autonomous driving, battery charging and futuristic transportation.

Hyundai Ionic Venus concept EV spotted on Shanghai streets in advance of Beijing Auto Show debut next week. pic.twitter.com/AVUG5d6AQT

— Gary Mark⚡️Blue Sky Kites  (@blueskykites) April 14, 2026

Xpeng — founded just over a decade ago — said it plans to showcase "the latest progress in robotics and flying cars", as well as a new smart driving system.

Foreign automakers, meanwhile, are increasingly collaborating with local companies to keep pace with technological advances.

BMW has partnered with Chinese battery maker CATL, while Audi is using Huawei's driving assistance systems and Volkswagen is developing EVs together with Guangzhou-based Xpeng.

Real-car shots of BYD Sea Lion 08 revealed, set to make its official debut at Beijing Auto Show!
With a length over 5 meters and a 3010mm wheelbase, it is equipped with 2nd-gen Blade Battery and BYD Flash Charging technology.#BYD #SeaLion08 #BeijingAutoShow https://t.co/5x3zGbhJGC pic.twitter.com/89v0iSqbRw

— ThinkerCar (@thinkercar) April 21, 2026

Price war

This year, companies will also jostle to sell space, analysts say, with roomy SUVs' new growth area targeting customers prioritising seating and comfort.

China "has become a customer retention and replacement/upgrade-driven market, and these big SUVs address that need," independent analyst Lei Xing wrote in a blog this week.

Firms have flooded the domestic market in recent years with trade-in schemes, offering huge discounts to customers to give up their old auto for a new one.

The fierce price war led Chinese officials last year to call for tighter price monitoring and improving long-term regulation of competition.

The interior of the new #BYD Yuan Plus has been exposed, with the model expected to launch in May and be showcased at the Beijing Auto Show.
According to reports, it will offer two battery options: 57kWh and 68kWh, supporting a CLTC range of 540km and 630km respectively, and is… pic.twitter.com/UldVyMyUa0

— ThinkerCar (@thinkercar) April 18, 2026

Newcomers

But newcomers appear unfazed, Lei wrote, naming at least eight EV brands from Chinese automakers that have cropped up over the last two years.

Electric cars, which China dominates, are also getting a boost as spiralling oil prices from the Middle East war nudge drivers away from fossil-fuel powered models.

Companies are vying to outlast the competition on range.

Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun recently completed a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) road trip from Beijing to Shanghai in the new SU7 Pro electric sedan -- stopping just once to charge during the 15-hour drive.