China’s auto shows: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu
China has been the world’s biggest car market since 2009, and four motor shows are where its carmakers – and the foreign ones that sell there – show what comes next. They are counted as international “A-class” shows: Beijing and Shanghai, which take turns every spring, and Chengdu and Guangzhou, which are held every year. Here is when and where each one is held, where the label comes from, and how the four differ.
China’s four big auto shows on a map
Tap a city for its dates, venue and size; the strip under the map shows which shows run in which year.
Which year?
Map of China with the four A-class motor shows: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu · 2026
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Beijing24 Apr – 3 May
ShanghaiNo show this year
Guangzhou27 Nov – 6 Dec
Chengdu21–30 Aug
Map of China with the four A-class motor shows: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu · 2027
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
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N
D
BeijingNo show this year
Shanghai23 Apr – 2 May
GuangzhouNovember · not announced yet
Chengdulate August · not announced yet
Held
19th, 2026: 24 April 2026 – 3 May 2026
Venue
China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi) and Capital International Convention and Exhibition Center
Size
380,000 m² and 1,451 vehicles in 2026, 181 of them debuts. The next full show is in 2028; in 2027 Beijing holds a smaller specialist show instead.
Our own map: province borders from Amap/DataV via GeoMapData_CN; the dots mark the exhibition grounds – green for the next shows, dark for those already held this year. The 2027 Chengdu and Guangzhou dates were not announced on 24 October 2026.
What an “A-class” auto show is – and why these four
There is no certificate behind it. No government body or international association grades motor shows in China as “A” or “B”; the label is industry and press usage. The clearest account is from November 2006. When the 9th Beijing show opened – 120,000 m², 1,500 exhibitors, ten world premieres – the press reported that eight multinational carmakers (DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, GM and PSA Peugeot Citroën) had “promoted” it to an A-class show.
A commentator in China Youth Daily pointed out at the time what such a grade is: each carmaker’s own assessment of how much a show matters to its business, which decides how many cars, premieres and people it sends. “A-class” means a show to which the big carmakers commit their global resources, not just their local sales teams.
Chinese writers on motor shows add rough markers – indoor space of more than 100,000 m², world premieres and concept cars rather than only China premieres, more than 700,000 visitors – but these are rules of thumb, not a standard. The list is not fixed either: some older lists name the Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Macao show instead of Chengdu. Do not confuse it with real certifications: Shanghai, in 2004, was the first Chinese motor show certified by UFI, the exhibition industry’s global association.
Why these four cities
Shanghai
China’s oldest international motor show, from 1985, in the home of Shanghai Volkswagen – the joint venture’s first car, the Santana, was the star of the first show.
Beijing
The capital, and a huge market of its own: in 2006 Beijing bought a tenth of all cars sold in China, which is why carmakers wanted to be seen there.
Guangzhou
One of China’s three big car-making centres, in the Pearl River Delta. Its show is the last big one of each year.
Chengdu
The hub of western China. It started as a dealers’ fair on 400 m² and grew into the largest show in the west – a sales fair at heart, which publishes the orders taken on site.
History of the Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou auto shows
Shanghai is the oldest, from 1985, and Guangzhou the youngest, from 2003. Every dot is one edition: Beijing and Shanghai every other year, Chengdu and Guangzhou every year. Hollow dots are the next edition.
Editions as numbered by the organisers: Shanghai 21 shows to 2025, Beijing 19 to 2026, Chengdu 29 to 2026, Guangzhou 23 to 2025 (its 2022 show ran into January 2023). The dashed circle is Beijing’s forerunner, China’s first vehicle show in 1983.
Since 1985 · 上海国际汽车工业展览会
Shanghai
Auto Shanghai (Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition)
1985The first Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition opens on 3 July 1985 in the Shanghai Industrial Exhibition Hall (today the Shanghai Exhibition Centre), on about 15,000 m². The star is the Santana, the first car of the new Shanghai Volkswagen joint venture. Every two years since, in odd years; Beijing takes the even years.
2004The first Chinese motor show certified by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.
2015Moves to the new National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hongqiao, next to the airport.
2025The 21st show: over 360,000 m², 1,366 vehicles, 163 world premieres and about 1,010,000 visitors, 63,000 of them from abroad.
Since 1990 · 北京国际汽车展览会
Beijing
Auto China (Beijing International Automotive Exhibition)
1983A forerunner: China’s first vehicle show, at the Beijing Agricultural Exhibition Hall – 389 vehicles from 163 factories.
1990The first Beijing International Auto Show opens at the China International Exhibition Center: about 400 exhibitors on some 20,000 m². Every two years since, in even years.
2002More than 450,000 visitors; the 80,000 m² hall is full and over 100 late exhibitors are turned away.
2006The 9th show – 120,000 m², 1,500 exhibitors – is hailed in the press as “promoted” to an A-class show.
2010Spreads over the old and the new China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi): nearly 200,000 m².
2026The 19th show over two venues: 380,000 m², 1,451 vehicles, 181 debuts and 1.28 million visitors, 65,000 of them from abroad – both records.
Since 1998 · 成都国际汽车展览会
Chengdu
Chengdu International Auto Show (Chengdu Motor Show)
1998The first Chengdu motor show, at the Shawan exhibition centre: 400 m² and some twenty car dealers – a project that nearly did not happen.
2018By now counted among China’s four A-class shows, and the largest and highest-ranking motor show in western China.
2020The 23rd show, in July at the Western China International Expo City, is the first A-class show in China after the start of the pandemic.
2026The 29th show: 220,000 m², about 120 brands and 1,600 vehicles, 927,800 visitors and 32,994 cars ordered for 5.58 billion CNY.
Since 2003 · 广州国际汽车展览会
Guangzhou
Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition (Auto Guangzhou)
2003The first Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition; every year since, in November.
2014A separate 10,000 m² electric-car show inside the motor show – a first in the industry, says the organiser.
2020The only international A-class show in the world held on its planned dates – and again in 2021.
2022/23Postponed by the pandemic and held across New Year, so the series keeps its unbroken run.
2025The 23rd show: 220,000 m², 1,085 vehicles – more than half of them new-energy for the first time – 93 debuts, 855,000 visitors.
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu: how they compare
The last edition of each that has closed: Beijing and Chengdu in 2026, Shanghai and Guangzhou in 2025. Pick a measure.
Compare by
Floor space
Beijing2026380,000 m²
Shanghai2025> 360,000 m²
Chengdu2026220,000 m²
Guangzhou2025220,000 m²
Exhibition space of the last edition that has closed, in m². Shanghai 2025: “over 360,000 m²”.
China’s four A-class motor shows compared: their last editions
Show
Floor space
Visitors
Vehicles on show
Debuts
Shanghai 2025
> 360,000 m²
1,010,000
1,366
163
Beijing 2026
380,000 m²
1,280,000
1,451
181
Chengdu 2026
220,000 m²
927,800
≈ 1,600
—
Guangzhou 2025
220,000 m²
855,000
1,085
93
What sets each one apart
Shanghai
Beijing
Chengdu
Guangzhou
Since
1985
1990
1998
2003
How often
Every two years, in odd years, late April
Every two years, in even years, late April
Every year, late August
Every year, late November – the last big show of the year
Venue
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), Hongqiao
China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi) and Capital International Convention and Exhibition Center
Western China International Expo City, Tianfu New Area
Canton Fair Complex, Pazhou
Next
23 Apr – 2 May 2027
2028, dates not yet announced
2027, dates not yet announced
27 Nov – 6 Dec 2026
Character
The oldest of the four and the most international: co-organised with Messe München, the first Chinese motor show certified by the exhibition industry body UFI, and the one where carmakers present to the world in odd years.
The biggest by floor space and visitors: the capital’s show, in even years, with the most debuts of the four. From 2027 Beijing adds a smaller specialist show in the odd years.
The show of western China and a sales fair at heart: it publishes how many cars were ordered on site. Held every year at the end of summer.
The last big show of each year, in Guangzhou – one of China’s three car-making centres – which the organisers call the “weathervane of the Chinese car market”. Trucks and the supply chain have zones of their own.
Beijing 2028: the organisers keep full shows in even years; Chengdu and Guangzhou 2027 follow their yearly rhythm, but the dates were not announced on 24 October 2026.
FAQ
What are China’s big auto shows?
Four are counted as international “A-class” shows: Auto Shanghai (since 1985), Auto China in Beijing (since 1990), the Chengdu Motor Show (since 1998) and the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition (since 2003). Beijing and Shanghai alternate every spring and are the biggest; Chengdu and Guangzhou are held every year.
What does “A-class” mean for a motor show?
It is not an official grade: no authority certifies motor shows as A or B in China. The label is industry and press usage for shows to which the big carmakers send their full international resources – world premieres, concept cars, top management. Writers on motor shows usually add rough markers such as more than 100,000 m² of indoor space and more than 700,000 visitors.
Is the Beijing or the Shanghai auto show held every year?
No. Beijing holds its full show in even years and Shanghai in odd years, both in late April. 2026 was Beijing’s year (24 April – 3 May); 2027 is Shanghai’s (23 April – 2 May). In 2027 Beijing holds only a smaller specialist show.
What is the next big auto show in China?
Guangzhou: 27 November 2026 – 6 December 2026; Shanghai: 23 April 2027 – 2 May 2027. Chengdu follows in late August 2027; its dates were not announced on 24 October 2026.
Which show is the biggest?
Beijing in 2026: 380,000 m² over two venues and 1,280,000 visitors. Shanghai had over 360,000 m² and about 1,010,000 visitors in 2025 and has announced about 400,000 m² for 2027. Guangzhou and Chengdu each fill about 220,000 m².
Which is the oldest?
Shanghai: the first Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition opened on 3 July 1985. Beijing followed in 1990, Chengdu in 1998 and Guangzhou in 2003.
Can foreign visitors go?
Yes: all four have public days after their media and trade days, with tickets in the visitor’s own name. Rules for foreign passports differ by show and year; our guide to each show says what is known.
