Recently, the 9-day 2026 Chongqing International Automobile Exhibition came to an end. This year's auto show focuses on the latest achievements in the intelligent, electric, and networked automotive industry, with a total scale of 160000 square meters, attracting 118 brands to participate, showcasing 1050 car models, and releasing a total of 96 new cars. The biggest highlight of this auto show is that AI has reshaped the automotive industry from a comprehensive concept to an accessible product experience.
The penetration rate of new assisted driving vehicles in China has exceeded 60%, and L3 level autonomous driving models have been implemented. Many countries have also gradually opened up advanced autonomous driving on the road, and unified international regulations have become a necessity in the industry. Recently, the world's first unified technical regulation covering the entire lifecycle of autonomous driving, jointly led by China, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other parties, has been approved and released, filling the gap of the lack of unified standards for accelerating the industrialization of autonomous driving worldwide.
The 'AI Technology Exhibition' is full of cutting-edge technologies
At this year's Chongqing Auto Show, top domestic enterprises and international brands competed to showcase their latest technologies. BYD has gathered its "Five Networks and Four Brands" under its umbrella. In addition to showcasing the second-generation blade battery flash charging technology, it has also set up a 3000 square meter experience area in the field to dynamically demonstrate its assisted driving and chassis technology. Hongmeng Zhixing, together with five major brands including Wenjie and Zhijie, showcased five core technology platforms covering intelligent driving, cockpit, and chassis. In addition, Xiaomi's high-performance car model SU7 GT made its regional debut here.
The reporter saw on site that the list of participating companies in the "AI Technology Exhibition" covers the complete chain from power batteries to intelligent cockpits, from map data to vehicle road cloud collaboration. In the field of power and energy technology, industry leaders such as CATL, Xinwangda Power, and EVE Energy gather together; In the exhibition area of intelligent driving decision-making system, companies such as Yuanrong Qixing, Zhuoyu, Zhijia Xincheng, Youjia Innovation, etc. all appeared; Leading operators such as Xiaoma Zhixing and Wenyuan Zhixing have arrived in the field of autonomous driving and future travel.
With the acceleration of domestic AI models, car interaction is bidding farewell to the traditional mode of mechanical execution of single instructions and moving towards a more humane and efficient new stage. Vehicles are gradually acquiring the ability of "emotional perception".
The era of physical AI has arrived, and the true intelligence of vehicles cannot only stay at the level of car screens and surface algorithms, but must sink to the level of chassis motion control. ”At a car forum held at the same time as the auto show, Yu Peng, Vice President of Xiaopeng Group, said that the industry has entered a low profit stage, and only by achieving intergenerational breakthroughs in underlying core technologies and regaining the initiative in global pricing of products can we.
Generate a new trend of green travel
According to data from the National Energy Administration, as of the end of June 2026, the total number of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in China exceeded 22 million. From urban core areas to remote rural areas, 'as convenient as charging and refueling' is gradually becoming a reality.
Mr. Peng, a resident of Chongqing, recently switched from a gasoline powered car to an electric one. He calculated to reporters that the monthly commuting fuel cost for driving a gasoline powered car exceeded 1200 yuan, but after switching to a new energy vehicle, the electricity cost was less than 200 yuan. This alone can save 12000 yuan in a year.
In March 2026, Tesla completed the construction and operation of 55 V4 supercharging stations in Chongqing, located in 55 core service areas of 10 national highways including G65 Baomao and G50 Shanghai Chongqing.
The reporter learned from Tesla Chongqing that after 8 years of operation in Chongqing, the company's complete energy replenishment system has reached full performance, with a charging pile availability rate of up to 99.95% and a peak power of 250KW. It only takes a bowl of time to complete the energy replenishment in the high-speed service area. At the same time, Tesla's supercharging stations are fully open to the public, and other brands of new energy vehicle owners can easily check the station and scan the code for charging through the WeChat mini program, with simple and convenient operation.
Professor Mo Yuanming from Chongqing Technology and Business University admitted that high oil prices have forced consumers to shift their focus, and comprehensive technological upgrades have resolved range and charging anxiety. Moreover, as young people become the main force in car purchases, their acceptance of smart electric vehicles has significantly increased. The combination of high cost-effectiveness, trendy design, and low-carbon concepts has given rise to a new trend in green travel.
Car companies launch 'value war'
On June 28th, when the reporter walked into the Chongqing Auto Expo Center store of Shenlan Automobile, the store manager Gao Lei was busy receiving customers. This store sold over 220 new energy vehicles in May, with a month on month increase of over 10%. Consumers' focus has shifted from power parameters to intelligent experience, and the Deep Blue S07 is equipped with Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving, which has a clear cost-effectiveness advantage in the same level of market. ”Gao Lei said.
Watching it make my palms sweat, that's the real kung fu. "During the auto show, Mr. Li, a citizen, and his family stopped in front of the big screen of the Deep Blue booth. On the screen, extreme test videos are played in a loop: the vehicle suddenly had a tire blowout while driving at a high speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Without any human intervention, the underlying control algorithm corrects the vehicle's posture within milliseconds and brakes smoothly.
At the auto show forum, Zhang Xinghai, Chairman of Serys Group, proposed that non safety is not intelligent, non safety is not electric, and non safety is not luxurious. He told reporters that the assisted driving safety performance of the Sylphy Wanjie series models exceeds the industry average by 8 times.
Not only Chongqing car companies, but also executives from domestic car companies such as GAC Group and Jianghuai Automobile have spoken out, calling on the industry to establish a full process error prevention system that benchmarks the aviation industry. This reveals a clear industry consensus: in the stage of deep industry reshuffle, the core that supports enterprises to overcome cycles will always be respect for the objective laws of engineering and respect for consumer safety.
The most touching thing about this year's Chongqing Auto Show is that 'technology is not just about winning parameters, but about winning daily life'. For consumers, the ultimate concern is the steering wheel, brake pedal, and the question of 'will it suddenly give you trouble?'.