The smart #5 on its stand at Auto Zürich 2025, with Cadillac, Honda and Renault stands behind it.
Six of the eight brands new to Auto Zürich’s list this year are Chinese. That is the clearest change in the organiser’s own figures, and it is easy to check.
We set the organiser’s results releases for 2023 to 2025 next to its 2026 pages and its 2026 exhibitor brochure. The brochure reprints the 2025 brand list and key figures. Every figure is the organiser’s, except where we mark a count as ours.
The show runs from 5 to 8 November, with Media Day on 4 November (our guide). The 2026 results are not yet in.
The short version:
- The organiser’s 2026 brand list has 72 entries against 66 names in the 2025 list. Eight brands are new, three are gone, and one of the 72 is an auction house.
- By our count, the Chinese brands listed rise from 12 to 18. SRF counted “about a dozen” for 2025.
- Tickets rose from 62,068 in 2023 to 68,053 in 2025. The organiser has not given a 2026 target.
- The organiser has used “over 80” new products for 2023, 2024 and 2025. For 2026 it gives three figures: “more than 80”, 89 listed and “over 100”.
Eight In, Three Out
The 2026 exhibitor brochure reprints the 2025 brand portfolio: 66 names. The organiser’s 2026 brands page lists 72 entries, including Broad Arrow, its auction partner. Without Broad Arrow that is 71 brands.
| Compared with the 2025 list | Brands |
|---|---|
| New on the 2026 list (8) | BAW, Chery, Farizon, Forthing, Geely, iCaur, Jaguar, Morgan |
| Not on the 2026 list (3) | Microlino, Mobilize, MTM |
| Also new, not a carmaker | Broad Arrow (auction house) |
Jaguar and Morgan are the only non-Chinese arrivals. MTM Automotive still appears on the organiser’s Hot Wheels page, but that page shows the 2025 portfolio, so we cannot say whether MTM exhibits in 2026.
The organiser’s headlines count differently. Its 2025 results release speaks of “70 brand appearances”, against 66 names on its own list, and its 6 October 2026 release says “more than 70 brands”.
The Chinese Contingent Grows From 12 To 18
We count a brand as Chinese if its group is Chinese. On that basis the organiser’s 2025 list held 12 and the 2026 list holds 18.
| Brands | |
|---|---|
| On both lists (12) | BYD, DENZA, Dongfeng, JAC, Leapmotor, Lynk & Co, Maxus, MG, MHERO, Voyah, XPENG, Zeekr |
| New in 2026 (6) | BAW, Chery, Farizon, Forthing, Geely, iCaur |
Polestar, smart, Lotus and Volvo are Chinese-owned but not counted above; including them gives 22 listed in 2026. Our earlier posts say about 20, which sits between the two. SRF’s report from the 2025 show said “a dozen Chinese producers” were present, which matches our 12.
On the organiser’s novelty list, 10 of the 18 Chinese brands have entries, 19 in all. Geely, JAC, Leapmotor and Lynk & Co have three each, XPENG two, and Chery, Farizon, iCAUR, Maxus and Zeekr one each. That is about one entry in five.
One of the newcomers, Geely, only launched in Switzerland in September. Who sells what is in Chinese brands arriving in Switzerland.
The Dongfeng Box at Auto Zürich 2024, with a “Schweizer Premiere” sign on the windscreen and an introductory price of CHF 21,990 on the sign beside it. Dongfeng is on both brand lists.
Three Records In A Row
| Year | Edition (organiser’s count) | Tickets sold | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 36th | 62,068 | n/a |
| 2024 | 37th | 64,619 | +4.1% (our calculation) |
| 2025 | 38th | 68,053 | +5.3% (our calculation) |
| 2026 | 39th | Not yet known | n/a |
Each results release calls the figure a record, and the growth sped up slightly in 2025. The organiser’s 6 October 2026 release says halls have been sold out since June. It adds that exhibitors and brands have increased for the sixth year running.
Our reports from 2024 and 2025 cover those editions. The press figures grew faster still.
Press Numbers Doubled In A Year
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accredited media | 165 | About 200 | About 400 | Accreditation open |
| Product premieres reported | 22 | 24 | 27 (on 26 slots) | Not yet known |
| Brands named on the stage in the pre-show release | 16 | 22 | Not in the documents we read | 18, then Broad Arrow |
Accredited media went from about 200 to about 400 between 2024 and 2025, according to the organiser. In 2023 the organiser announced 16 live presentations and reported 22 premieres afterwards. A pre-show list and a results figure therefore measure different things.
The 2026 stage list is “according to current planning”, and our Media Day guide has the 18 brands.
Five Counts For One Novelty List
| Count | Source |
|---|---|
| 89 entries | The organiser’s novelty list, 15 Oct 2026 (our count of the entries, which come from 46 brand names) |
| More than 80 | The organiser’s home page and press page, 15 Oct 2026 |
| Over 100 “new models and premieres” | The organiser’s Media Day release, 6 Oct 2026 |
| Over 80 new products | The 2025 results release, and the 2024 and 2023 releases |
| 27 premieres | Media Day 2025, results release |
This is the weak spot in the organiser’s numbers. “Over 80” has headlined three editions, so it tells a reader little about any one of them. The organiser has not said what the “over 100” includes, and the list says it will keep growing “week by week”.
The safest figures are the 89 novelties listed on 15 October and the organiser’s more than 100 “new models and premieres”. What those cars cost is in our Swiss price table.
The EV Test-Drive Fleet Has More Than Doubled
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test-drive vehicles | 22 | 31 | 46 | 48 listed on 15 Oct (our count) |
| Test drives | About 1,300 | About 1,650 | Over 2,300 (release); 2,390 (brochure) | Booking open since 1 Oct |
The fleet has grown from 22 cars in 2023 to 48 listed this year. The organiser put the rise in test drives at 30% in 2024 and 40% in 2025. Its brochure says some 2025 slots were fully booked before the public days began.
The 2026 drives are free, accompanied and bookable at ev-experience.ch.
CHF 110 A Square Metre, Almost Unchanged
The 2026 exhibitor brochure gives a basic price of CHF 110 per square metre for the fully built “plug & play” stands, including disposal costs for new vehicles. It says the price has “remained largely stable” since the show began.
In 2025 the organiser’s managing director told SRF that rents had been unchanged for 39 years. The brochure says the format reaches around 97 per cent of exhibitors in the new-car section.
Our take
The organiser’s numbers tell a consistent story of more brands, more visitors and more press each year, led by a fast-growing group of Chinese newcomers. Three things to watch this year: whether tickets pass 68,053, how many of the eight Chinese brands without a novelty entry bring a car, and what the “over 100” turns out to include.
We will compare the 2026 results release with this page. Judging by the last three years, it should arrive on the Monday after the show, 9 November, but that is our inference.
Independent editorial. No manufacturer paid for or reviewed this article.
