The Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, commonly referred to simply as Auto Shanghai, was inaugurated in 1985. It was intended to become a kind of platform for cooperation between local automobile companies, which began to develop actively in the 1980s, and foreign automobile brands.
The rapidly growing presence of foreign brands at the exhibition has made Auto Shanghai one of the world’s leading international auto shows, along with those those in Detroit, Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo. It was also the first auto show in China to become a member of the Union des Foires Internationales (UFI, Global Association of the Exhibition Industry).
Auto Shanghai is organized by the Shanghai Council for the Promotion of International Trade, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Shanghai International Exhibition (Group) Co., Ltd., Auto Shanghai Management Co., Ltd., and Messe München GmbH, with special support from China Machinery Industry Federation and China Society of Automotive Engineers (China-SAE).
Auto Shanghai is usually held in April at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai. It is currently the world’s largest exhibition complex with 1,470,000 square meters of total floor space and 500,000 meters of exhibition hall space. The show typically runs for ten days: the first two days are media and VIP days, the next two are trade days, and the last six days are open to both trade visitors and the general public.
At Auto Shanghai, exhibitors showcase to the media, trade visitors and the general public an impressive range of products and services from all sectors of the automotive industry: vehicles (passenger, commercial, new energy, special purpose), new concept products, intelligent connectivity tech and products, new energy tech and products, automotive parts and components, electronics and systems, safety and vehicle security systems, maintenance and repair equipment and products, automotive supplies (additives, lubricants, paints), automotive financial services, and more. Car manufacturers hold press events during the expo to showcase their new vehicles and concept designs.
Each year, Auto Shanghai attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from across China and abroad. For example, the 2023 edition featured more than 1,000 exhibitors from 17 countries and attracted 906,000 visitors, including about 10,000 members of the Chinese and international press. In 2025, exhibitors from 26 countries and regions participated in the show.
