Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know by now the Chinese automotive industry has evolved dramatically because of a government that has directed automakers to take a position heavily in electrification, and a populace that craves increasingly sophisticated technology.
I just got back from Auto China 2026 in Beijing, which was my first time at a Chinese motor show, imagine it or not.
I assumed I used to be prepared for the size, after organisers confirmed Auto China this yr could be held across two Beijing convention centres with 17 halls in total, and could be host to 1451 vehicles and 181 world premieres.
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I packed my comfiest pair of Brooks and, while I didn’t have a smartwatch to count my steps as other journalists did, my phone tells me I did 22,916 steps on Saturday after doing just over 20,000 the day before. I don’t normally count my steps, but that sure appears like quite a bit.
It was overwhelming and overstimulating, and one way or the other two days wasn’t enough – particularly not with press conferences to attend, and content to capture. And while I’m sure there was loads of exciting technology to be present in the halls stuffed with suppliers, particularly those specialising in batteries and ADAS, my focus in my finite period of time needed to be on the automakers.
Being on the go, I feel I only ended up sitting down in possibly a handful of vehicles – a Nissan NX8 conveniently situated next to my group’s waiting point, which had extremely comfortable seats, and a Jetour F700 ute with a properly luxe interior. I could have fallen asleep on those massaging rear seats…
The show was a far cry from the likes of the Seoul and Recent York City shows I attended last yr, which were the dimensions of postage stamps as compared and where I used to be capable of sit in myriad vehicles and still have time to kill.
As this was my first time in China, I had been having fun with carspotting out on the road – oh look, a Li Auto! A Baojun! A Voyah! Considering I actually have an Instagram dedicated to carspotting, I used to be in my element, and pretty satisfied after I only needed to whip out Google Lens a handful of times for some particularly inscrutable logos – curse you, Haima and Weltmeister.
Contained in the halls of the 2 exhibition centres, I used to be as much of a child in a candy store, but there have been still a handful of brands I needed to wrap my head around.
HIMA, or the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, isn’t a brand. Somewhat, it’s an alliance (okay, the clue was there within the name) led by technology giant Huawei, with automakers offering bespoke brands that incorporate technology and expertise from the tech giant. Chery has Luxeed, SAIC Motor has SAIC (confusing name!), BAIC has Stelato, JAC has ritzy Maextro, and Seres has AITO.
This may be like if Apple collaborated with, say, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Honda and Mazda they usually agreed to launch a brand new brand each.
Epicland was a brand that had completely eluded me regardless that I used to be aware of Aistaland, and it further shows just how symbiotic a relationship Huawei has with the auto industry. Each of those Dongfeng brands are one more pair of Huawei collaboration brands, and are literally separate from HIMA.
I used to be well aware of Xiaomi, one other huge tech company well-known for its smartphones, which launched its own eponymous automotive brand – something even Apple bailed from doing, and yet which Xiaomi has done successfully. There was loads of activity on its stand.
The times of outright copycats in China are as dead because the Landwind and Zotye brands, but there are definitely some common themes.
Boxy SUVs are very in vogue straight away, and should you squint hard the likes of the GWM Tank 300, Jetour T1, and others have some similarities to Western vehicles just like the Land Rover Defender and Ford Bronco. But these are much closer to an homage than plagiarism, although the Rox Adamas sure looks like a Defender from a distance…
Then there’s the legion of full-size crossover SUVs, that are less boxy and which nearly all have a ‘9’ somewhere of their name – the Wey V9X, Aito M9, Li Auto L9, Nio ES9, etc. You may definitely see some strong parallels, on this respect, between Chinese and American buyer tastes, though there’s a number of electrification on this space starting from hybrids through to full EVs.
There’s also a clutch of high-performance EVs that bear at the very least a superficial resemblance to the Porsche Taycan, including the Aistaland GT7 and SAIC Z7.
Oh, and almost every brand had at the very least one vehicle on display with recent turquoise lights used to point whether a Navigation on Autopilot (NOA) Level 2+ autonomous driving system is switched on.
Truthfully, it was hard to search out a Chinese brand that didn’t have something interesting on its stand. If I had to choose, I’d say Roewe and Hongqi were looking a bit sleepy.
American, Japanese, Korean and European brands alike – including Hyundai, Nissan, Buick, and Volkswagen – were wanting to exhibit recent models developed for the Chinese market.
This included the chunky Nissan Terrano PHEV concept, the rakish Hyundai Ioniq V, the gorgeous Toyota bZ7, and a spread of latest Volkswagen EVs developed with Xpeng.
Then there’s the case of Audi and AUDI, the latter a collaboration with MG parent SAIC Motor – to tell apart these verbally, the German automaker refers to them as ‘four-ring’ and ‘four-letter’.
The importance of the Chinese market has also shaped the design of world models. Sit in a brand new Lexus ES, which dominated the Japanese premium brand’s stand this yr, and tell me it doesn’t look awfully Chinese inside with its huge screen and absence of buttons.
Thankfully, some Chinese design trends which have caught on in recent times – like annoying electronic door handles – will disappear because of recent Chinese government regulations. And I’d put good money on Chinese regulations and buyer tastes continuing to shape how cars look in other markets, even those from non-Chinese brands.
Bespoke vehicles for the Chinese market aren’t recent phenomena. Return 10 years and also you’ll find models just like the Volkswagen Phideon and Hyundai Mistra. But the size of those efforts from non-Chinese brands in 2026, and the best way lots of these vehicles incorporate technology and mechanicals from their Chinese three way partnership partners, is critical.
It really looks like non-Chinese brands for probably the most part are bringing their A (or at the very least B) game to tackle the domestic automakers, but they’re fighting an uphill battle as younger buyers in China help drive a shift to domestic brands.
In spite of everything, when even a lowly BYD Seagull can offer God’s Eye semi-autonomous driving technology, and an Avatr, Zeekr or Denza can offer performance and battery technology to match or surpass that of established luxury brands, rooting for the house team is a wholly logical option for Chinese buyers.
As a customer in China, do you purchase a vehicle from Mazda, or do you purchase a vehicle from considered one of its joint-venture partner Changan’s suite of brands? How much is that familiar foreign badge price to you?
Some non-Chinese brands didn’t show up. Jeep has one foot out of the door of this market, though fellow Stellantis brand Peugeot is doubling down. Chevrolet is fading rapidly here, and GM is properly maintaining its give attention to Buick and Cadillac which enjoy stronger reputations in China. And Genesis wasn’t on the show, as Korean brands have struggled here in recent times largely because of political aspects.
Tesla also didn’t show up, but nevertheless it likes to do things otherwise, doesn’t it?
One brand that did show up – but, to be frank, probably shouldn’t have – was Infiniti. It had three products on display, considered one of which, the QX50, is now around a decade old and showing it. But I feel bad picking on poor Infiniti given its parent’s financial issues, and here’s hoping it might probably tap Dongfeng for some fresh product.
And that’s where we’re at now, where it’s becoming increasingly appealing for non-Chinese brands to tap their joint-venture partners for brand spanking new models. How lots of us Aussies are excited for brand spanking new products like, say, the Nissan Frontier Pro and Mazda 6e?
What’s also clear is non-Chinese brands are keen to emphasize their history whilst they appear to the long run with their technology. Honda had a first-generation Accord on its stand, BMW had a 2002, and Mercedes-Benz actually had multiple classic vehicles on display.
That’s heritage the Chinese brands can’t match, even though it’s unclear how much buyers there truly care about this – we’ve seen loads of non-Chinese brands slide backwards within the viciously competitive market there.
If you happen to’re after good old-fashioned V8s, manual transmissions and convertibles, and all those other things which can be like catnip to most enthusiasts, you’ll find them briefly supply at Auto China.
That doesn’t mean you won’t find anything to intrigue even the largest Luddite among the many enthusiast community. Rugged off-roaders with live front and rear axles may be found on the 212 brand’s stand. Denza had the slinky Z Convertible. Fangchengbao and Lynk & Co had gorgeous concepts.
GWM showed off an updated Tank 700, which is about to get a brand new V8 engine but for now offers the selection of turbo V6 and four-cylinder plug-in hybrid power. And the Chinese automaker can be working on a supercar, though it wasn’t on the stand this yr. Possibly next?
At this point, it’s possible you’ll be in considered one of two camps: either I’ve mentioned so many obscure (to an Australian) names that this text might as well be gibberish, otherwise you’re so clued into the Chinese industry that my observations seem superficial.
To actually cover the scope of the Chinese automotive industry in 2026, the headwinds foreign brands face available in the market, and the technological advancements being made yearly particularly in battery technology, I’d need a much larger article through which to do it. Scratch that, I’d need an encyclopedia (do they still print those?).
If you happen to’re clued in in regards to the Chinese industry, good for you. At CarExpert, we attempt to help keep you informed about it given what number of brands from the world’s largest auto market are already here, and what number of more are coming.
Sooner or later, though, we only have so many staff and so many hours within the day so we will’t cover every Xiaomi product announcement and wish to give attention to the brands, Chinese or otherwise, which can be already here. And that variety of brands continues to grow.
Chinese automakers aren’t done with our market – not by a protracted shot. Because the Chinese market becomes increasingly competitive, with more recent brands and shrinking profit margins, ever more automakers are going to look to markets like ours for exports.
So while Dongfeng or Avatr or Rox might sound alien to you, they may soon be in your street… or in your driveway.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
