Beijing auto show expected to be postponed amid new virus outbreak

The biennual Beijing auto show, which is scheduled to begin on April 21 in the Chinese capital, is expected to be postponed due to surging coronavirus infections in multiple cities across China.

Internal discussions are ongoing to reschedule the show, with no official information ready for public disclosure, a source with one of the event’s organizers told Automotive News China. Some press reports indicate the show will be rescheduled for June.

Since the beginning of March, China has faced a new wave of the coronavirus, the worst since early 2020 when the pandemic took root. The latest outbreaks have forced some automakers and suppliers to idle Chinese plants in response to lockdown and quarantine measures imposed by local and regional authorities.

The Beijing and Shanghai auto shows, the country’s biggest, rotate annually. The 2020 Beijing auto show, originally scheduled for April 2020, took place in September 2020.

Mercedes-Benz is expected to use the Beijing event to showcase the EQS SUV, the brand’s latest EV. Audi plans to show the third Sphere concept that hints at the brand’s future styling, interior packaging and infotainment.

Last week, BMW Group disclosed it would reveal the next-generation BMW flagship 7 Series, including the i7 EV, at the Beijing show, while Volkswagen brand said it would display the ID Aero15 concept, the latest model in its growing family of ID ful-electric vehicles.

VW brand CEO Ralf Brandstaetter, in an address on March 16 at the company’s annual press conference, said the ID Aero15 will have a super-aerodynamic design, a range of around 700 kilometers (435 miles), unprecedented space and a premium interior. The first vehicles will be delivered to customers in China in the second half of 2023, he said.

Earlier this month, Li Auto, a Chinese EV startup, disclosed plans to introduce its second product, the L9 SUV, at the event.