Beijing motor show 2016 preview

The Beijing motor show, China’s biggest automotive exhibition, is just around the corner. Although majority of the exhibits will be specific to China, that shouldn’t keep carmakers from showing off some new metal. Here are some of the exciting cars you can expect to debut at the show.

Mercedes E-class Long Wheel Base (LWB)

The Chinese love big spacious rear seats, which is clear given the number of long-wheelbased cars that are slated for unveiling at the 2016 Beijing motor show. One of them is the stretched version of the new Mercedes E-class, which will be launched in India sometime in 2017. The sedan is longer between the axles by 140mm over the regular car, resulting in an overall wheelbase of 3079mm. The LWB model will share its powertrains with the standard E-class.

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Audi TT RS

While Audi has so far refused to confirm the arrival date of the hottest TT yet, the chic, and now brawny sports car has been spied testing, which suggests that the car may be nearly ready. This in turn makes its Beijing reveal very likely.

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Both coupé and roadster versions are due, and are likely to be powered by a turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine. Whether or not the TT RS will pack the RS3’s 2.5-litre unit is unclear. However, expect power output to go north of 350hp.

Porsche 718 Cayman

The 718 Boxster is already making all the right noises with its flat-four turbocharged engines, about which you can read in our May 2016 issue. But hard-top purists will not want anything less than the 718 Cayman, a car that is yet to be shown in public. There’s no news about its official reveal, but it is very likely that the car will premiere at the Beijing motor show.

Expect both the Boxster’s 300hp 2.0-litre and the 350hp 2.5-litre turbocharged four to make their way into the Cayman with similar, if not identical outputs.

The big news, however, is that for the first time, the Cayman will slot under the Boxster in Porsche’s line-up, given that hard-tops are traditionally ‘cheaper’ than their drop-top siblings.

Mazda CX-4

Mazda’s new coupe-style SUV is about the size of the Honda CR-V. It has broken cover thanks to a batch of leaked images, but will make its public debut at Beijing.

Design highlights like the sloping coupé roofline and slim glasshouse have been taken from the Koeru crossover coupé concept, which was showcased at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show. Engine options are likely to include turbocharged four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines in front and four-wheel drive formats. Most importantly, the CX-4 is labelled as a China-focused model.

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