BMW AG Chairman Oliver Zipse said the automaker will debut its first Neue Klasse model designed specifically for China at the Beijing Auto Show, showcasing a new fusion of German engineering and Chinese digital innovation.
Ties between the two sides are in the spotlight this week as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in China on Wednesday for a two-day official visit, his first since taking office last May. Zipse is among senior executives from around 30 leading German companies accompanying the chancellor on the trip.
"It is the most Chinese car we've ever built, tailored specifically to the needs and wishes of our Chinese customers," said Zipse in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Tuesday.
Zipse stressed that the car's innovations stem directly from BMW's deep partnerships with Chinese tech leaders.
"It features many innovations from our partnerships with leading Chinese players as, for example, battery cells come from CATL, autonomous driving stack is jointly developed with Momenta, and the large language model for the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant is the result of our longstanding partnership with Alibaba," he said.
He presented these partnerships as a blueprint for the future of the global auto industry.
"These features are a perfect example of cross-border collaboration, joint pioneering spirit and mutual openness," Zipse said.
The 2026 Beijing Auto Show is scheduled to be held in Beijing from April 24 to May 3.
BMW to unveil China-tailored Neue Klasse at Beijing Auto Show
A dazzling lineup of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies was on display at an immersive tech fair that just concluded on Tuesday in Guangzhou City, south China, captivating visitors with true-to-life and thrilling game experiences.
Held inside the China Import and Export Fair Complex, the three-day World VR/AR/XR/MR Industry and Smart Glasses Exhibition drew exhibitors from around the world to showcase their hottest immersive products, and tech enthusiasts couldn't wait to test the gadgets and gear firsthand.
"I just experienced the VR skydiving. The sense of weightlessness is very strong, and my experience is fantastic. It feels like real skydiving, but you can't stay for too long, as it's so real that you might get a bit dizzy," one visitor said.
A local company presented several products including a dome-screen theater that delivers glasses-free 3D visuals ideal for tourist attractions.
"The highlight is that we have turned the track-based theater into a dome theater. It offers a 3D audio-visual experience with 8K high-definition images. Our exclusive footage is incredibly sharp, and we've added immersive motion effects along with special effects like wind, rain, thunder, snowflakes, and bubbles," said Liu Jiale, sales manager of the exhibiting company.
The company landed an overseas order on the very first day of the expo, and saw a steady stream of curious visitors stopping by to try out the products.
Another overseas company showcased a VR large-space arena that allows multiple visitors to experience it at once. The game has already attracted players from 35 countries and regions.
"We come here every year to introduce new games. We have many clients, both Chinese and international, from countries like Kazakhstan, Spain, France, and many others. We offer seven VR games with new maps, and our games currently support eight foreign languages," said Denis, the company manager.
China is now home to over 35,000 VR firms, and the whole VR industry is forecast to exceed 350 billion yuan (about 50 billion U.S. dollars) by 2026.
Immersive VR games wow crowds at Guangzhou tech expo
