Segment Y visited the Auto China 2026 motor show which started on the 24th of April. It covers 70% more space than the previous edition in 2024, to accommodate 90 brands displaying 1400 vehicles, twice the size of the defunct Frankfurt motorshow, and much better laid out - there is no greater car show on earth!

Memories of plasticky interiors quickly fade when confronted with the latest models: for showroom appeal, the Chinese brands beat the Europeans and the Japanese hands down. Instrument panels are lit up, showing off the features with sophisticated graphics in bright interiors, with funky upholstery colours to match.

Segments

Striking is the number of large SUVs - where a few years ago manufacturers concentrated on offering C-segment sedans and SUVs, the bulk of new introductions are now D- and E-segment sedans and SUVs.

While families generally still have only one child, outings with the grandparents require more seats, giving rise to superbly comfortable 7-seater MPVs and imposing SUVs, rivalling the Mercedes GLS and Rolls-Royce Cullinan for size and features, obviously at a fraction of cost. A large MPV with reclining captain chairs for a mid-size SUV price.

SUVs and cross-overs now account for nearly 60% of the market and estates for less than 0.1%, but that is not stopping manufacturers from launching sporty wagons, no doubt inspired by the Porsche Taycan Turismo and the Denza Z9 GT.

New estates include the Aistaland GT7, Avatr 06T, Chery Fulwin A9 Wagon and A9L GT, Exeed Exlantix ES7 GT, Leapmotor Lafa 5 Ultra, Nio ET5T, SAIC Z9 (a.k.a. as HIMA, a joint venture with Huawei), and the Stelato S9T, which has been on sale since September 2025.

Sports cars are the next frontier, where driving pleasure and prestige trump practicality, and where Chinese brands still lag. New models from Dreame, BYD's Fanchengbao Concept X, Xiaomi's Vision Gran Turismo and the Lynk & Co GT Concept are clear, and handsome, statements of intent. It will take years before the above are mentioned in the same breath as their gilt-edged rivals from Europe and Japan, but we would not bet against it.

Autonomous driving and ADAS

A large number of vehicles displayed green accent lights, at the front, in the mirror housings and in the rear light clusters, to indicate when the vehicle is in autonomous mode. The general level is advanced L2+, as level L3 is fraught with legal and practical issues, such as access to detailed maps. A number of vehicles also demonstrated laser-projection systems to communicate messages to the outside world to alert other road users.

While many manufacturers are developing the software stack in-house, several independent software providers were also present at the show, potentially offering a lifeline to European companies who stopped in-house development autonomous driving.

Outdoor types

Increasing incomes and a growing road network are driving demand for self-contained leisure vehicles with sleeping quarters or roof tents for weekend outings and longer trips. Some of these pickups appear to be combat-ready, even if they would only encounter a stray dog at most.

Style

While you could argue that cars are bought based on how they look from the front, what people eventually see most is the rear, in traffic. And that is where the Chinese manufacturers are becoming more adventurous. While electric cars generally lack a grille as a design feature, resulting in bland, fish-like faces, the rear lights are increasingly distinctive, providing some much-needed character.

Talk about character, it is left to FAW and Luxeed to really imbue their cars with some character - witness the interior of the Hongqi door and instrument panel, and the Luxeed rims.

Cooperation

Saddled with high development costs in Japan and Europe, the quick way for car manufacturers to gain competitiveness is to co-develop new models with Chinese partners, such as the Mazda EV-6 in a J-V with Changan and the Toyota bZ3 with BYD. Honda developed the e:NS2 with Dongfeng and the e:NP2 with GAC.

The Europeans are similarly leveraging their Chinese relationships, with VW co-developing models with Xpeng and Audi's new AUDI brand with longtime partner SAIC for the E7X. The Smart #6 is the direct result of the 50/50 joint venture between Mercedes and Geely, while BMW and Great Wall work together on the electric versions of the MINI Cooper and the electric-only Aceman. Stellantis is already producing models in Europe that were developed by Leapmotor. It feels inevitable that R&D and production will continue to shift from Japana and Europe to China - the costs are lower, the speed is higher, the technology has caught up and the pace of improvement is of a different magnitude.