When “Taking Over an Entire Exhibition Hall” Becomes Standard Practice for Automakers

On August 21, the annual Chengdu Motor Show opened with great fanfare. A total of 120 automotive brands and 1,600 vehicles gathered across the sprawling 220,000-square-meter exhibition area, attracting the attention of countless media professionals, automotive reviewers, and visitors.

Among the many participating brands, Chery and BYD Group drew the most attention, once again making a striking appearance by taking over entire exhibition halls. BYD occupied Hall 9 exclusively, filling the entire hall with BYD, Denza, Fangchengbao, Yangwang, and its latest innovative technologies. Chery followed a similar strategy, bringing its Chery, Exeed, Jetour, iCAR, and other sub-brands together to occupy the entire Hall 5.

In recent years, “taking over an entire exhibition hall” has increasingly become standard practice for automakers. Looking at several recent auto shows, this trend is particularly evident. At the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, the event expanded for the first time to include both Phase I and Phase II of the China International Exhibition Center, with BYD taking over Hall E3 in Phase I. At the 2025 Guangzhou Auto Show, local automaker GAC Group and BYD each took over Halls 2.1 and 2.2, respectively. Meanwhile, at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, SAIC Motor, as the home-field automaker, exclusively occupied Hall 3, making it the only automaker to take over an entire hall at the show.

As more and more automakers choose to participate by taking over entire exhibition halls, it signals a shift in what they want to showcase at auto shows—from simply “showcasing products” to “showcasing their entire systems.” Automakers are no longer satisfied with simply lining up their vehicle models or unveiling a couple of non-production concept cars to generate buzz. Instead, they increasingly want to communicate the deeper strengths behind their product portfolios and technology ecosystems to visitors.

When automotive media outlet Blue Whale News interviewed representatives from automakers, one industry insider offered the following perspective: when the penetration rate of new energy vehicles was only 10% or 20%, the vehicles themselves could serve as a selling point. But now that the penetration rate has surpassed 50%, automakers need to find ways to differentiate themselves in order to attract consumers.

By taking over entire exhibition halls, BYD and Chery bring all of their brands under a unified group narrative, allowing them to showcase the overall competitiveness of the group more effectively. At the same time, the larger exhibition space gives automakers more room to highlight their brand strengths. Features such as fast-charging technology, battery safety systems, energy efficiency, and the maturity of intelligent driving can all be presented to visitors through visual and interactive experiences. This provides a direct way for automakers to establish brand differentiation.

Presenting all of this information requires not only more exhibition space, but also a more carefully designed visitor flow to ensure that the various technologies and brand messages can be experienced effectively. In this sense, a large-scale exhibition booth is naturally a better choice for automakers.

Beyond the need to showcase brand and technological strengths, the visual impact created by taking over an entire exhibition hall is also one of the most direct ways for automakers to demonstrate their strength at an auto show. The sheer scale of seeing “an entire exhibition hall belonging to one automaker” creates an unmistakable impression that visitors can immediately understand, without needing any explanation.

In this sense, the fact that “taking over entire exhibition halls” has become a regular practice among leading automakers demonstrates that industry trade shows continue to offer tremendous value. Their role as an ideal setting where users can physically interact with products and experience technologies firsthand remains irreplaceable. When leading companies are increasingly adopting the strategy of “using larger exhibition spaces to attract greater attention,” other exhibitors may need to consider how they can capture visitors’ attention more effectively and stand out in an increasingly competitive exhibition environment.