Gallery: Highlights from the 2026 Chengdu motor show

It might not quite have the scale, status or emerging prestige of the annual automotive extravaganzas held in Beijing and Shanghai, but the 'smaller' Chengdu motor show is still a fairly gargantuan affair, particularly as more Chinese car manufacturers begin to push the envelope.

Kicking off late last week and continuing over nine days, the 29th annual Chengdu motor show features 12 exhibition halls, more than 120 auto brands, and around 1600 new models.

With just over an hour available while trying to cut through a chaotic crowd, we were able to ogle around half of the cars on display and accumulate a collection of show highlights.

Fresh from a recent press stunt in which a driver was able to complete a 360-degree corkscrew loop in a tunnel, the Voyah Passion S made a good case for being the show's best-looking performance car.

The slick crossover SUV's 800-volt platform supports advanced 5C charging, and is claimed to allow the Passion S to be charged from 20-80 per cent in as little as 10 minutes.

The Passion S is offered in China in either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive form, with the latter featuring dual motors for a total system output of 475kW of power and a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds.

JAC was present with the two very different sides of its commercial coin sitting side by side.

An updated T9 plug-in hybrid ute was on site, sporting a new interior that's considerably more plush and refined than what we're used to from the Chinese brand.

The current T9 PHEV has a real-world electric range of around 85km and a pretty rapid claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.0 seconds.

Right next to the JAC display was opulent luxury brand Maextro. A joint venture between JAC and Huawei, Maextro is a direct rival to the likes of Rolls-Royce.

The swish-looking S800 has proved quite successful, and is currently the best-selling nameplate in China's ultra-luxury sedan segment.

Its feature list is vast, and includes kit like an 896-line LiDAR system paired to Huawei's latest self-driving technology, three screens up front, a retractable screen, and zero-gravity seats in the rear.

There's also a 43-speaker sound system, and the option of either an electric or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.

Ford was present with a mix of domestic and global models. Various US-market Broncos were on site, but the model that attracted the most attention from attendees was the locally developed and built Bronco New Energy.

The electrified Bronco is widely tipped to be heading to showrooms in Australia and New Zealand next year.

Getting less attention on the Ford stand but still interesting was the brand's Edge L large crossover SUV.

With the expectation that more of Ford's Chinese models are set to go global, and with the brand no longer offering medium or large crossover SUVs in Australia apart from the electric Mustang Mach-E, could the petrol/hybrid Edge find a home in markets such as ours?

BYD had an entire show hall to itself to display its various brands, including its premium Yangwang and Denza marques. In particular, the stunning Denza Z electric sports car drew a huge crowd.

It sits on the Denza e3 platform with its tri-motor electric setup churning out 1180kW of power and 1240Nm of torque, which is enough for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of just 2.25 seconds.

For something a little more humble, we liked the look of the BYD Seal 06 GT electric hot hatch. It's not especially new, having first debuted back in 2024, but it still appears fresh.

With China's electric performance hatch segment heating up and contenders like the Leapmotor B05 Ultra confirmed for global markets, we could imagine the 06 GT in local showrooms. However, it has yet to be confirmed.

Chery also had a whole hall to itself, where it showcased brands like iCar and Jetour.

The latter fielded one of the only other utes at the event, the Jetour Zongheng F700. It's a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder PHEV dual-cab with a claimed combined range of 1300km.

This particular F700 was loaded with additional fruit, including forged 20-inch wheels, BFGoodrich off-road rubber, adjustable shocks, and a roof tent.

Next to it on the Jetour Zongheng display was its SUV sibling, the G700, and both models are expected to eventually be sold in Australia.

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