(Yicai) April 21 -- The Beijing International Automotive Exhibition is around the corner. Chinese carmakers will present their new high-end products, trying to steal as much market space from their foreign peers, which will instead focus on expanding their presence in the electric vehicle segment.

Electrification, high-end positioning, and intelligence have become key points of competition in the Chinese market, which has been recently dominated by domestic carmakers that have a clear advantage in the new energy vehicle segment and are now going all out to expand into the high-end market.

Themed ‘Leading the Era, Intelligence for the Future,’ the Beijing Auto Show, also known as Auto China, will run from April 24 to May 3. More than 1,450 vehicles, including 181 debuts and 71 concept cars, will be on display at the 380,000-square-meter venue.

Visitors to the Beijing Auto Show will be able to experience new Chinese high-end EV models priced at over CNY300,000 (USD44,000), such as Li Auto’s L9, Nio’s ES9, Aito’s new M9, BYD’s Tang, Xpeng Group’s GX, and Leapmotor Technology’s D19.

Several domestic carmakers have launched best-selling models priced between CNY200,000 and CNY300,000. They have not only stolen market share from traditional luxury brands, but also gained brand premium capabilities in the high-end market, reshaping the competitive landscape of the high-end vehicle segment.

Meanwhile, overseas carmakers will showcase their new EV models at the Beijing Auto Show, as they mount a counteroffensive to regain ground in the Chinese market. In fact, they have shifted their strategy toward electrification and localized research and development, trying to make up for their shortcomings in intelligent technology.

German luxury carmakers Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz will unveil new models based on their brand-new electric platforms at the Beijing Auto Show. They have specially developed vehicles for the Chinese market and released intelligent driving systems co-created with local chip and autonomous driving enterprises in an attempt to reverse their downfall in the NEV market.

Volkswagen will showcase a number of localized battery EV models at the Beijing Auto Show. Japanese automakers, such as Nissan Motor and Honda Motor, will bring their new EV models targeting the Chinese market, after releasing new strategic plans for China, outlining their paths for electrification transformation.

The competition in intelligent technology will also be a core highlight of the Beijing Auto Show this year. As the capability of smart tech has become a key winning point for car manufacturers, the expo will gather intelligent driving and cabin products and attract chip suppliers, such as Horizon Robotics and Qualcomm, and intelligent driving solution providers.

Automotive-grade chips, the core hardware of intelligence, are also becoming a key point of competition in the industrial chain. Leading suppliers, such as Huawei Technologies, Contemporary Amperex Technology, Bosch, Horizon Robotics, Black Sesame Technologies, and Ecarx, will display their technological achievements at the Beijing Auto Show.

Competition in China’s auto market has evolved from a simple product-based competition to an all-around competition involving products, technology, supply chains, and ecosystems.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione