Beijing Motor Show 2024: all the key cars and why they matter
The word’s major car manufacturers wheeled out their latest cars in China this month
The Beijing Motor Show, otherwise known as Auto China, delivered some big new car reveals in 2024. We hadn’t seen a Beijing Motor Show since 2018, with the event having been postponed in 2020 and 2022 due to the COVID pandemic but was back with a bang for 2024. The biennial event did not disappoint with the likes of BMW, Mercedes and even Lamborghini showcasing new cars.
Of course, there were plenty of Chinese brands like BYD and GWM revealing their latest metal, too, and with so many Chinese manufacturers now selling or planning to sell cars on the UK market we took an even keener interest in their output.
Auto China 2024: key brands A to Z
Below are the details of the major brands and cars at the Beijing Motor Show...
BMW
MINI was prominent at Auto China this year with its new Aceman, but its parent company BMW was there, too. We expected to see the Vision Neue Klasse X concept but instead BMW brought along the Vision Neue Klasse sedan, providing “a glimpse of the BMW brand's future model generation”.
BMW also revealed its updated i4 - the brand’s best-selling EV worldwide. Along with some minor exterior tweaks, the i4 gets more range with up to 373 miles available.
BYD
BYD had a strong presence at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and it was the same story in Beijing, but with even more new cars to check out. A a performance-oriented EV hot hatchback, called the Ocean-M concept was on display and you couldn’t miss it with its vibrant orange paint. There’s no word on whether the Ocean-M concept will take on the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX in Europe.
The Chinese automotive giant did announce a car that’s UK-bound, however, in the shape of the Seagull city car. Poised to rival the Dacia Spring, the Seagull comes with a 39kWh battery for a range of up to 252 miles (on the Chinese testing cycle).
Denza
BYD has a lot of subbrands and one of them is called Denza. Revealing the Z9GT at the event, Denza will focus on the more premium end of the market compared to BYD. The brand says it’ll launch the Z9GT in the UK within the next 18 months, taking on the likes of the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo.
GWM
GWM, or ‘Great Wall Motors’, launched the Ora Funky Cat last year to take on the likes of the MINI Electric and MG4 but it’s already been renamed to the much more sensible ORA 03. This time, the Chinese brand set its sights on the Tesla Model 3 with the new ORA 07 - which we drove out in China during the motor show.
Lamborghini
Auto China played host to one of Lamborghini’s most important moments back in 2012 with the reveal of the Urus Concept. It seems fitting that the latest iteration of Lamborghini’s most popular vehicle ever will again be unveiled in Beijing.
A plug-in hybrid version of the Urus SUV has been in development for some time and the Italian firm finally pulled the covers off it in Beijing. Besides a new face, the Urus SE PHEV comes with more power than ever before with 788bhp from a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with plug-in hybrid assistance. In un-Lamborghini fashion there’s 40 miles of electric-only running possible too.
Mazda
The Mazda 6 saloon went off sale here in the UK last year and for a second we thought it would be granted a return in the shape of the new Mazda EZ-6. A sleek saloon similar in size to the Mazda 6, will be offered to the Chinese market with plug-in hybrid power or as a full-EV. Either way, it’s not coming here, but the general design could preview Mazda’s intentions to re-enter the saloon segment.
Mercedes
We’ve seen the new all-electric G-Class testing and even driven it in prototype form and Mercedes unveiled its new off-roader to the world for the first time in Beijing. We say ‘new off-roader’, but the G 580 with EQ Technology - to give it its proper name - crucially retains the retro-inspired exterior design of the internal-combustion engined G-Class models.
The electric G-Class wasn’t the only new Mercedes in Beijing either. There was the debut of the AMG GT 63 S E Performance - a plug-in hybrid which just so happens to be the fast-accelerating AMG of all time with a 0-62mph time of 2.8 seconds.
Being owned by the Chinese firm SAIC Motors, it’s no surprise that MG was in attendance. It paid homage to a land speed record holder from the 1950s with the EXE181 concept. Top speed of this electric hypercar wasn’t announced, but it’ll do an impressive 0-62mph in 1.9 seconds.
MINI
MINI has deep roots in China with the new Cooper Electric being built there. The Aceman will sit above the Cooper and below the Countryman as a small SUV designed to rival the likes of the Volvo EX30 and Jeep Avenger. The Aceman takes on the family face of MINI with round headlights and curved, unassuming surfacing. Up to 252 miles of range will be offered with the all-electric Aceman and pricing will kick off at £31,800 when it goes on sale here in June.
Smart
Smart is reinventing itself as a car maker - moving away from those tiny city cars it became famous for and delving into the all-electric SUV market. We’ve seen the #1 and #3, it was time for the #5 in Beijing. Well, the Smart #5 concept anyway.
This concept is the “most spacious and versatile vehicle to date” according to Smart and features a lot of off-road features with chunky tyres, a rooftop light bar and wires to protect from trees and branches.
Toyota
Perhaps surprisingly, Toyota doesn’t have much of a market share in China, but it showed real intention to make inroads into the country with the bZ3X and bZ3C. Designed to take on the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal, the bZ3C is a compact executive saloon with all-electric power. The bZ3X is a large SUV - larger than the bZ4X we have in the UK. Toyota hasn’t release technical details on either car just yet or a plan to bring them to Europe.
Volkswagen
While Volkswagen was in attendance, it didn’t show off a new car for the European market. Instead it brought along its new ID.Code concept - a large all-electric SUV aimed at a younger audience. The ID.Code previews a production car for the Chinese market, although it could influence future design language for the German firm’s electric SUVs.
Which car was your favourite from the 2024 Beijing Motor Show? Let us know in the comments...
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