The inaugural A-class auto exhibition of the year's latter half unveils shifts within the automotive sector.

On August 21, the Chengdu Auto Show—the premier A-class auto exhibition for the second half of the year—will commence.

As the first A-class auto show in the latter half of this year, the Chengdu Auto Show aligns with the peak period of the auto market's 'golden September and silver October.' It acts as both the primary arena for automakers to unveil new models and a crucial indicator for observing auto market trends in the year's second half.

Which high-profile new models will this auto show introduce? What new signals will the industry emit? Today, Dianche Tong (ID: dianchetong233) will guide you through the major highlights of the 2026 Chengdu Auto Show in advance.

(Image source: Chengdu Auto Show)

Smart electric vehicles take center stage, with advanced intelligent driving becoming a key selling point for Chinese brands.

According to official data from the Chengdu Auto Show, this year's exhibition spans an area of 220,000 square meters, gathering nearly 120 mainstream automotive brands from both domestic and international markets, showcasing around 1,600 vehicles.

Based on the exhibition information released by the official organizers and participating brands, new energy vehicles will continue to dominate at this year's show, with fuel-powered vehicles (internal combustion engine vehicles) being further marginalized.

However, unlike last year's Chengdu Auto Show, with the widespread adoption of advanced intelligent driving assistance technology, numerous traditional and joint venture brands are also introducing models equipped with advanced driving assistance systems this year.

Under this trend, the number and proportion of models featuring advanced intelligent driving assistance at this year's Chengdu Auto Show will significantly rise. It is anticipated that some Chinese and joint venture brands will highlight advanced driving assistance as a key selling point.

Among the emerging force brands, the Xiaomi Pengcheng N90Max and N70Max will make their debut at the Chengdu Auto Show, with the N90 Max already on display at select stores and the N70 Max making its first appearance. The Xpeng G9L will also make its auto show debut.

(Image source: Xiaomi Auto)

Regarding traditional Chinese brands, the BYD Group has secured the entire Hall 9 and will showcase several new models for their debut or full reveal. The Dynasty Network's Dahan and third-generation Tang will make their official debut; the Haishi 08 will officially unveil its interior; the Fangchengbao Titan 9/Shark pickup will debut, along with the complete reveal of the Fangcheng S series; the Tengshi Z hardtop version will make its domestic debut. It can be said that Hall 9, rented by the BYD Group, will be one of the most thrilling exhibition halls.

(Image source: BYD)

Another brand renting an entire exhibition hall is Chery, located in Hall 5, which will also showcase several new models. For example, the globally debuted Exeed EX6, as well as the first appearances of the QQ3 Retro Edition, Fengyun A9L Sport Edition, and Jetour Globe-Trotter models.

Additionally, Great Wall Motors' Ora brand will debut the Ora 7, Geely Galaxy will showcase the Galaxy Warship 700 and Galaxy TT models, Changan will debut the Deepal S05, and GAC will showcase the Trumpchi Yue7 and Aion Ray7 models...

It is noteworthy that brands adopting Huawei's ADS solutions, such as Yijing, Qijing, Huajing, and Avita, as well as Dongfeng Mengshi, will all have independent exhibition stands, rather than adopting a combined format of a separate Huawei ADS exhibition stand and individual brand stands, as seen at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Auto Show earlier this year.

This indicates that a significant number of Chinese brands will select the Chengdu Auto Show as a pivotal milestone to debut new models, with many brands also initiating pre-sales or official sales activities for new models prior to the show.

Dianche Tong (ID: dianchetong233) speculates that some new models debuting at the Chengdu Auto Show may commence pre-sales or official sales a few months later, around the time of the Guangzhou Auto Show, which will once again become a crucial node for new model dissemination.

Joint venture brands accelerate localization efforts, showcasing several new models with a 'Chinese touch'.

If the primary theme for joint venture brands at domestic auto shows in previous years was electrification transformation, demonstrating 'we can also build new energy vehicles,' the recent primary theme has shifted to localization transformation, with joint venture automakers beginning to prove 'we can build new energy vehicles that cater to the needs of Chinese users.'

This trend actually commenced with Chang'an Mazda launching models like the EZ-6 and EZ-60, followed by brands like Toyota, Nissan, and SAIC Audi joining the bandwagon. At this year's Chengdu Auto Show, several joint venture brands will showcase new energy models developed by Chinese teams based on localized demands.

Among them, the most noteworthy is Volkswagen. SAIC Volkswagen will debut the extended-range flagship SUV ID.ERA 8X and the compact all-electric SUV ID.ERA 5X, while the plug-in hybrid sedan ID.ERA 5S will also go on sale at the Chengdu Auto Show. FAW-Volkswagen's Jetta brand will also debut its first all-electric sedan, the Jetta M6.

(Image source: Jetta)

This demonstrates that Volkswagen, one of the renowned joint venture brands in the era of internal combustion engine vehicles, is now well-prepared to construct new energy models that meet the demands of the Chinese market.

Buick will introduce the newly launched Zhi Jing L7 all-electric version to the Chengdu Auto Show. Currently, SAIC-GM has also initiated the 'Zhi Jing Mode' of building new energy models that cater to the needs of the Chinese market. The previously launched Zhi Jing E7 has also achieved decent sales, and even its flagship MPV model has introduced new energy versions like the GL8 PHEV and Zhi Jing Shijia.

Cadillac, also under SAIC-GM, will commence pre-sales of the XT5 PHEV at the Chengdu Auto Show. This model is Cadillac's first plug-in hybrid in China and will be equipped with LiDAR and Momenta R7 world model advanced driving assistance to better compete with other domestically produced new energy luxury SUVs.

Mazda, mentioned earlier, will also bring the EZ-60 Laser Edition to the Chengdu Auto Show and commence pre-sales.

Of course, joint venture brands launching global models in China still exist. For example, BMW will commence pre-sales of the all-new generation iX3 based on the Neue Klasse architecture at the Chengdu Auto Show, and Beijing Hyundai will commence pre-sales of the Ioniq V based on the global all-electric platform.

However, it is disappointing that Dongfeng Nissan, which has always positioned itself as a 'joint venture new force,' is absent from this year's Chengdu Auto Show. It is worth noting that Dongfeng Nissan has developed three new energy models—the N7, N6, and NX8—based on Chinese user demands, and the NX7 has just been officially announced. It is somewhat surprising that such a brand, which has made rapid progress in localization transformation, is absent from the Chengdu Auto Show.

Overall, from the models showcased by joint venture brands at this year's Chengdu Auto Show, it is evident that many joint venture brands are no longer promoting their electrification progress with global new energy models but are showcasing several models developed based on Chinese local demands, especially in terms of intelligence levels, where some brands have kept pace with Chinese brands.

However, the competition in China's new energy market remains fierce. Even if joint venture automakers build models that cater to the needs of Chinese users, competing with new energy vehicles from mainstream Chinese brands will not be an easy task.

Therefore, how joint venture automakers can enhance the competitiveness of their localized new energy vehicles to achieve sales growth is an important trend worth observing in the future.

In the era of online marketing, are auto shows still significant?

Over the past few years, people's perceptions of auto shows have been subtly shifting. As an industry practitioner, Dianche Tong (ID: dianchetong233) has also sensed a change in public attitudes towards auto shows from attending several A-class auto shows in recent years.

On one hand, automakers now place greater emphasis on online marketing. Many automotive brands, especially leading ones, have continuously increased their promotional efforts online. Whether it's the mass debut of new models or the public opinion clashes between brands, they are all consuming users' attention. When users have already obtained sufficient information online, the sense of surprise from viewing cars offline is diminishing, which is one reason why many users feel that auto shows are becoming less engaging.

On the other hand, the gradual withdrawal of ultra-luxury brands from auto shows has also affected some users' enthusiasm for attending. Some users believe that previously, they went to auto shows to see brands like Porsche, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce, but now they can only see brands like Xiaomi and Li Auto. When rarely seen models are no longer available at auto shows, many viewers also find it uninteresting. Therefore, in the eyes of many users, auto shows seem to have been reduced to a fixed routine of viewing models, collecting gifts, and seeking deals...

So, are auto shows still significant nowadays? Is it meaningful to hold so many A-class auto shows every year?

Dianche Tong (ID: dianchetong233) believes that large-scale auto shows still hold significant importance that cannot be overlooked.

Firstly, they serve as a centralized platform for showcasing industry technology and trends, similar to exhibitions like CES, IFA, and MWC in the consumer electronics industry. Automakers still need a platform to showcase new technologies, and the industry also relies on such exhibitions to monitor trends.

Secondly, they provide consumers with a centralized opportunity to compare models and facilitate car purchases. In recent years, the sales attribute of A-class auto shows has been increasing, which is actually a more favorable change for consumers. Consumers can use auto shows to more conveniently experience new models from various brands and intuitively feel a brand's technology and style, which is more convenient than visiting 4S dealerships one by one.

Therefore, although the positioning of auto shows has gradually changed in recent years, they still hold significant importance as key exhibitions for both the industry and consumers. The large number of new models at this year's Chengdu Auto Show also proves this point.

As for what auto shows will look like in the future, that remains to be seen.

Chengdu Auto Show, BYD, Xiaomi, Xpeng

Source: Leikeji

Images in this article are from the 123RF Authentic Library (123RF Royalty-Free Image Library)       Source: Leikeji