Beijing Auto Show under cloud again as Covid cases jump in China

The 2022 Beijing Auto Show is under a cloud of doubt once again in the wake of rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country in recent weeks. China has reported more positive Covid-19 cases this year so far than it had in all of 2021. While many cities in the country have seen restrictions being brought back, there is a question mark over the Beijing Auto Show which is scheduled to be held from April 21.

The Beijing Auto Show is one of the biggest automotive events anywhere in the world with manufacturers once again gearing up to showcase some of their latest models and technologies. The event is closely followed by automotive enthusiasts and officials across the world, also because China is the world's largest automotive markets. For this year's event as well, many manufacturers had already confirmed models lined up for an unveil or debut - Mercedes EQS, Audi third Sphere concept, latest BMW 7-Series, for instance, but the precarious pandemic-related situation may throw all plans off gear.

Chinese media reports state that organizers of the Beijing Auto Show are planning to push back the dates of the event to some time in June. The biannual event was previously held in the month of September of 2020.

The on-ground situation in China is a matter of grave concern with thousands of positive cases being reported. The country has an extremely strict response to the pandemic and Chinese President Xi Jinping had previously highlighted Beijing in particular will stick to its ‘zero Covid-19’ policy. The cities worst hit though include Jilin, Hebei, Guangdong, and Shanghai.

While rising cases are also reportedly taking a toll of automotive manufacturing and once again threatening to affect supply lines, brands are looking at phasing out production and remain confident of catching up to previously set targets.