![Two days before the Beijing Auto Show opens on the 24th, Huawei’s HIMA unveiled five new models at a product event on the 22nd. [Photo: Weibo]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/04/23/20260423113600397350.jpg)
Huawei’s smart-driving ecosystem alliance, HIMA (Hongmeng Zhixing), used a product event on the 22nd to unveil five vehicles: the M6, the all-new M9, the Xiangjie Z7 and the Zhijie V9, among others. The same day also saw debuts or launches of about 10 models, including the Avatr 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 (April 20-23), about 30 new-car-related events were held. Chinese auto market research firm Gasgoo described the trend as “inflation” in new-car launch events.
Reports said more than 100 new-car events were held this month or are scheduled, making three to four press events a day increasingly common. 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 product cycles shorten, the number of events built around a single model has grown. Companies now often stage five to six separate activities — from technology briefings to exterior and interior reveals, pre-sale promotions, official launches, delivery ceremonies and livestreamed road tests — to keep a model from being quickly overshadowed by the next debut.
A South Korean industry official said “about 180 models will be unveiled globally for the first time” at this year’s Beijing Auto Show, adding that brands are holding separate events to draw attention as too many models hit the market at once.
The rapid expansion of electric vehicles is also cited as a driver. As EV lineups diversify, companies face greater pressure to make each model stand out. As of the end of March, 19,977 EV models in China were registered as eligible for purchase-tax reductions, and 391 new models were added in March alone.
If replacement cycles for internal-combustion vehicles were typically about five years, the EV era is pushing a new benchmark of about one year, the report said. Development cycles have shortened to 12 to 15 months, and companies are trying to keep attention on models even after launch.
Pricing tactics are shifting as well. Amid intense price competition, more brands are using pre-sales to gauge demand, then adjusting prices and announcing final figures at official launch events.
Newer EV brands such as Xiaomi, which have yet to build broad market trust, are also turning to attention-grabbing events such as long-distance driving tests or livestreamed vehicle teardowns to reassure consumers, the report said.
Marketing competition has intensified, with automakers recruiting celebrities as brand ambassadors. Under HIMA, 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).
Critics say the surge reflects overheated competition in China’s EV market, raising consumer fatigue while increasing companies’ marketing burdens.
A single new-car launch event typically costs from 2 million yuan to 10 million yuan, the report said. Gasgoo said automakers’ average marketing spending rose 18% a year from 2023 to 2025, while the conversion rate for potential customers fell from 8.2% to 4.7%. The cost to acquire one potential customer jumped from 200 yuan to 580 yuan.
Xiaomi’s auto sales and promotion expenses rose 30%, from 25.4 billion yuan in 2024 to 33.2 billion yuan last year, the report said. Great Wall Motor’s selling expenses last year were also tallied as up 44% from a year earlier.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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