China’s top automakers are using the Beijing auto show as a high-profile showcase for new models and technologies that officials and analysts view as increasingly competitive on the global stage, even as the industry navigates intensified price wars at home. The biennial show, which opened to media on Friday, is running until May 3 and highlights a push toward electric vehicles, advanced batteries and software-led features.
More than 1,450 vehicles are on display this year, including 181 “global debuts,” according to the show coverage. Analysts said the event illustrates how China’s auto industry is setting the pace for technologies such as electric vehicles and batteries, at a time when many foreign brands previously dominated the global market.
Among the displays, XPeng is presenting its latest GX model, a six-seat SUV with a third row that can lie completely flat. The company’s founder and CEO, He Xiaopeng, drew attention to the system’s driver-assistance capabilities during a presentation, describing how the vehicle’s detection system can pull over automatically and alert emergency services if a driver falls asleep or becomes unwell.
BYD, one of China’s leading electric-vehicle makers, is showcasing its “blade” EV battery technology and new vehicles tied to it. The company said its new generation of the fast charging “blade” battery—first unveiled last month—can achieve a near full charge in nine minutes, and it also demonstrated charging under low-temperature conditions at minus 30 degrees Celsius.
A joint venture called Yijing, between Dongfeng Motor Corp. and Huawei, is showing its X9 flagship six-seat SUV, alongside its technology focus. China’s auto coverage said Yijing’s model includes a new HarmonyOS cockpit and operating system developed by Huawei, and it also described a next-generation Qiankun intelligent driving system.
The show also highlights battery innovation beyond vehicle brands. CATL, a major Chinese battery producer, unveiled on Tuesday a new version of its “Shenxing” battery that can be charged from 10% to 98% in about six-and-a-half minutes, according to the report.
Analysts said the event reflects how quickly Chinese companies are iterating on vehicle technologies as global competition heats up. Tu Le, managing director of consultancy Sino Auto Insights, said the show demonstrates the “speed and aggressiveness of advancement” among Chinese automakers, and Chris Liu, a senior analyst at Omdia, said China has become one of the fastest-moving markets for deploying and iterating new vehicle technologies.
China’s scaling advantage in cars and exports has helped drive that pace, but the industry is also contending with weaker demand pressures in the domestic market. The report said the government has scaled back subsidies that encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, weighing on domestic demand, while passenger car sales in China dropped 23% in the January-March quarter from a year earlier to around 4 million vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
At the same time, exports have been rising. The report said exports jumped 63% to almost 2 million vehicles as Chinese cars made inroads in regions like Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America, and that Omdia forecasts passenger vehicle exports will grow by around 14% year-on-year in 2026. AlixPartners also said hypercompetition in the Chinese market has pulled vehicle prices down by a fifth over the past two years.
Even so, analysts cautioned that regulatory and safety requirements could slow how quickly the newest technologies showcased in Beijing move to overseas markets. Liu said few of the technologies may be exported in the short term, but he added that the demonstrations signal capabilities that can be refined and adapted for global markets over time.
The report also said some foreign automakers are still seeking to regain ground in China. It cited Volkswagen Group’s plans for “agentic” AI in its vehicles for China and its new UNYX 09 electric sedan co-developed with XPeng, while Berylls by AlixPartners said foreign brands may be able to “stabilize” their market share in China but that regaining a significant share they had before is not realistic.
As Chinese automakers look to diversify production and avoid trade friction, the report said they are shifting from exporting cars made in China to building more factories overseas. AlixPartners estimated Chinese carmakers are likely to almost triple their overseas production by 2030 to 3.4 million vehicles from 1.2 million last year.