The 2010 (11th) Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China 2010) was held in two venues (TianZhu New Venue and JingAnZhuang Old Venue) of the China International Exhibition Center and total floor space was approximately 200,000 square meters. About 2,100 companies participated from 16 countries/regions. With 89 world premieres (75 from Chinese makers and 14 from overseas makers), 41 Asia premieres (6 domestic and 35 foreign vehicles), and a total of 990 vehicle exhibits overall, this was the largest show ever.

In 2008, eight exhibition halls totaling 100,000 square meters were completed in the TianZhu New Venue. Hall E5 was added to the north side of Hall E4 as a new pavilion for the VW group. Hall E5 floor space occupies 9,326 square meters, which was the largest at this show for an exhibitor group. It was reported that Hall E5 would remain as a permanent installation after the show.

The passenger car and commercial vehicle categories were exhibited in the TianZhu New Venue, with Chinese domestic makers positioned near the main gate. As presumed, this seems to be based on the policy of giving priority to domestic companies. Booths for joint ventures with Chinese local manufacturers came next. Makers that don’t manufacture locally were concentrated in the location furthest from the main gate. This policy was simple and clear, but booth structures in Halls W4 and E4 with many high-end import vehicles permitted entrance only to certain visitors. This resulted in chronic crowding of the common aisles and congested visitor circulation in the halls. Further, people who wanted to see the VW group (Hall E5) had to walk through the packed Hall E4, compounding the congestion. This issue needs to be improved.

Many electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and hybrid vehicles were displayed, for a show that was very conscious of ecology in line with its theme. However, it seemed interest among the general public was not yet high.

The parts category was exhibited in the JingAnZhuang old venue, 10 kilometers away from the TianZhu New Venue. With approximately 2,000 parts makers being exhibited, it was intended to be a business-to-business show. Many booths lined their products on the wall and had tables and chairs. None of the exhibitors had showy presentations that were conscious of general public visitors.

The final visitor count for the ten days of the show came to 785,600 (680,000 at previous show), and the number of press visitors was 12,500 (10,120 at previous show). This turnout attested that this show was attracting much attention, with the ongoing growth of China’s automobile market.