Longstanding auto show in south China drives latest carmaking trends

More than 1,000 vehicle models are on display at the 28th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Auto Show, which opened Saturday to showcase the latest from Chinese and global automakers.

Vehicles from 100 brands are on display, stretching out across 200,000 square meters of space at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center for the nine-day event.

Many Chinese car makers return year after year to the time-tested event.

"This is the fifth consecutive year that we've participated in this auto show, and we've brought several of our models to show the charm of domestic new energy and intelligent vehicles," said Li Cong, senior marketing manager of Chinese car-maker GAC Aion.

"We brought several new cars, the RF8 Harmony Edition, De-Fine concept car, and a pickup truck with a right-side steering wheel, which is listed overseas," said Sheng Xiaojie, a digital marketing specialist for Chinese car-maker JAC Group.

The first edition of the expo, then called the "Shenzhen Auto Show", dates back to 1991. At the time, the dominant transport option was the bicycle.

Official data showed in 2023, over 30 million cars were produced and sold in China, with output value reaching 11 trillion yuan (around 1.55 trillion U.S. dollars), accounting for nearly 10 percent of the country's GDP.

"Nowadays, young people like to travel, and this kind of SUV suits me very well," said a potential buyer.

Expanding outdoors for the first time, the event this year brings an exciting show by Stadium SUPER Truck driver Robby Gordon.

Attendees are even offered a glimpse into the near future, with air taxis on display that are already being mass-produced in China, alongside discussions of power batteries, intelligent driving, and more of the hottest trends.

Making headway into this trend, Chinese tech firm Xiaomi announced in March its first self-developed new energy vehicle model, the SU7.

"We have guaranteed the delivery of 100,000 SU7 EVs this year, an aim to achieve a target of 120,000. It is a record goal for the industry to deliver 120,000 cars in nine months," said Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi.

Last year's event has achieved a total of 9.5 billion yuan (around 13.37 billion U.S. dollars) potential sales. With strong promotional activities, industry insiders are expecting to see a new record this year.

Longstanding auto show in south China drives latest carmaking trends

The 2025 Arabian Travel Market opened on Monday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the China Pavilion showcasing the country's strong inbound tourism potential.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism leads the country's participation at the Arabian Travel Market, the largest professional tourism exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa. 

The China Pavilion brings together cultural and tourism departments from 13 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, and 26 tourism-related enterprises, presenting a comprehensive view of China's travel landscape under the theme "Nihao (hello)! China". 

Focusing on business matchmaking between Chinese and international travel operators, the Chinese exhibitors are keen to attract more international visitors by demonstrating their latest upgraded tourism services, cultural experiences, and streamlined visa procedures. The emphasis is placed on three core concepts, "Tourism + Culture," "Tourism + Aviation," and "Tourism + Technology."   

Currently, China grants unilateral visa-free access to citizens of 38 countries and has extended its visa-free transit policy for 54 countries to up to 240 hours. As China's "visa-free circle of friends" continues to expand, inbound tourism is experiencing steady growth.   

"In the past few years, China has optimized a series of visa policies, making it more convenient for foreigners to travel to and do business in the country. I have personally visited China multiple times for business negotiations and have deeply felt the positive changes," said Jasem, a tourism company representative. 

"I think by allowing more and more tourists to come and visit China more freely, it's certainly going to improve the amount of tourists that you end up getting. Myself, I started going to China a few years ago, and I'm trying to get there once or twice a year.  Once you get over a slight language barrier and you get to see all the amazing ancient artifacts that are there, the touristic sites, it's definitely a place that people will come to time and time again," said another tourism company representative James.

China pavilion promotes inbound tourism, visa facilitation at Arabian Travel Market