Visitors gather outside an entrance to the 2026 Beijing Auto Show. Credit: CnEVPost
- Following the April 2026 event, the Beijing Auto Show will return in March 2027 as a specialized themed exhibition.
- Full-scale auto shows will continue to alternate each April, with Beijing hosting in even-numbered years and Shanghai in odd-numbered years.
Beijing will host its auto show again in March 2027, less than 1 year after the April 2026 event, but this time as a specialized themed exhibition.
A statement published Monday on the Shanghai Auto Show’s official WeChat account confirmed the arrangement, while clarifying that the cities’ full-scale auto shows will continue to alternate between odd- and even-numbered years.
That means the Beijing Auto Show will take place in 2 consecutive years, while full-scale exhibitions will retain their established schedule: April in Beijing in even-numbered years and April in Shanghai in odd-numbered years.
The Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai and the automotive industry branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) held a coordination meeting on September 3 after several rounds of consultations, according to the statement, which originated from the Shanghai council.
The parties reached a consensus on arrangements and cooperation for the 2 shows, agreeing to preserve the alternating schedule for full-scale exhibitions.
“The Beijing Auto Show to be held in March 2027 will take the form of a specialized themed exhibition,” the statement said.
The CCPIT automotive industry branch also issued a statement with the same content.
The parties said the arrangement would help coordinate industry resources and avoid overlap between the events. The statement did not disclose the specific theme, scale or full schedule of the 2027 Beijing event.
The announcement provides a clearer answer to months of debate: Beijing will indeed hold an auto show in 2027, but that does not mean its full-scale exhibition is becoming an annual event.
As CnEVPost reported on June 25, the speculation began with an exhibition calendar circulating on social media. It listed the 2027 Beijing Auto Show for March 27 to April 5 and labeled it an “annual” event.
Several media outlets subsequently obtained confirmation through exhibition inquiry hotlines that a show would take place in 2027. At the time, however, organizers had yet to formally clarify its format or frequency.
The Shanghai and Beijing auto shows began in 1985 and 1990, respectively. Since 2003, they have followed a staggered schedule, with Shanghai hosting in odd-numbered years and Beijing in even-numbered years.
Changes in the organizers’ partnership had added to speculation about a shift to annual events.
The Shanghai council issued a notice terminating the partnership in August 2024. The automotive industry branch subsequently lost its role as a co-organizer of the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show.
The latest agreement preserves the rotation of full-scale exhibitions while clarifying arrangements for Beijing to hold a specialized themed show in an odd-numbered year.
A shift to annual hosting would put the 2027 Beijing and Shanghai shows on the same stage in the same year for the first time.
