China Sees Surge in New-Car Launch Events Ahead of Beijing Auto Show

M6 and All-New M9, Shangjie Z7, and Zhijie V9. Those were among the models Huawei’s smart-driving ecosystem alliance, Hongmeng Zhixing, unveiled at a product event on April 22. That same day also brought debuts or launches of about 10 models, including Avatr’s 06T, Shanghai GM Buick’s Zhijing E7, Cadillac’s VISTIQ and BMW’s iX3 long-wheelbase model.

In the four days leading up to the Beijing Auto Show’s opening on the 24th, from April 20 to 23, there were 30 new-car-related events alone. Chinese market research firm Gasgoo called it “inflation” in new-car launch events.

Reports said more than 100 new-car events were held or scheduled this month, with about three to four news conferences a day. More than 80 such events were held in March. The industry expects more than 170 new models to be launched in China this year — roughly one new model every two days.

As launch cycles shorten, the number of events for a single model has grown. A rollout can now span five to six stages, from technology briefings to exterior and interior reveals, pre-sales promotions, official launches, delivery ceremonies and livestreamed driving tests. Companies are trying to keep a model from being quickly overshadowed by the next debut.

A South Korean industry official said about 180 models will make their world debut at this year’s Beijing Auto Show. “With so many models coming out at once, each brand is trying to draw attention through separate events,” the official said.

The rapid spread of electric vehicles is also cited as a driver. As EV lineups diversify, companies feel more pressure to make each model stand out. As of the end of March, China had 19,977 EV models registered as eligible for purchase-tax reductions, with 391 new models added in March alone.

If the replacement cycle for internal-combustion vehicles was typically five years, the EV era has made one year a new benchmark, the report said. Development cycles have shortened to 12 to 15 months, and companies are trying to keep interest alive even after launch.

Pricing tactics are shifting, too. Amid intense price competition, more automakers are using pre-sales to gauge demand, then adjusting prices and revealing final pricing at the official launch.

Newer EV brands such as Xiaomi, which have yet to fully establish market trust, are also staging events such as long-distance driving tests or livestreamed vehicle teardowns to win over consumers.

Marketing competition has intensified. Automakers are increasingly hiring celebrities as brand ambassadors. Under Hongmeng Zhixing, the Shangjie brand tapped actor Xiao Zhan. Zeekr hired He Rundong, and Chery hired actor Yu Shi. Other brands cited include Zhijie (Liu Yifei), Denza (Daniel Craig), and Li Auto (Yi Yangqianxi).

The pace has fueled criticism of “overheated competition” in China’s EV market, with frequent launches adding to consumer fatigue while raising companies’ marketing burdens.

A single new-car launch event typically costs from 2 million yuan to 10 million yuan (about 2.17 billion won), the report said. Gasgoo said average automaker marketing costs rose 18% a year from 2023 to 2025, while the potential-customer conversion rate fell from 8.2% to 4.7%. The cost to acquire each potential customer jumped from 200 yuan to 580 yuan.

Xiaomi’s auto sales and promotion costs rose 30% to 33.2 billion yuan last year from 25.4 billion yuan in 2024, the report said. Great Wall Motor’s selling expenses also rose 44% last year from the previous year, it said.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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