5 Prestigious International Car Shows Where Automakers Reveal New Models

Changing industry dynamics and the rise of livestreaming have led many physical conventions and events to either go away entirely (most notably the Geneva Motor Show and the E3 video game expo) or shift to digital formats (Apple's major product keynotes). Thankfully, a lot of traditional car shows have stuck around globally and remain among the most important entries on the calendar for automakers.

Setting up a pavilion at an auto show, especially a reputable and longstanding one, can be expensive, but it gives automakers a global platform to unveil brand-new production cars, showcase wild concepts and designs, and introduce new technologies to journalists, industry executives, and prospective buyers. It's also always fun to walk through the pavilions at a motor show and check out new cars up close and in the flesh.

While hundreds of automotive exhibitions and trade shows are held across the world every year, there's an upper echelon of car shows for which automakers save their best reveals. These include long-running motor shows like IAA Mobility, exhibitions of growing significance like Auto China and Auto Shanghai, and Monterey Car Week, which isn't a convention but a week-long series of prestigious automotive events.

The Paris Motor Show, also known as Mondial de l'Auto, is one of the world's oldest automotive conventions, dating all the way back to 1898. Held biennially in the French capital, the Paris Motor Show has historically been a major platform for the country's top domestic automakers — Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, and the like — to reveal their latest and greatest to the world.

These include the Peugeot 402 in 1935 (one of the first European cars to feature a curvy, streamlined design), the Renault 4CV in 1946 and Citroen 2CV in 1948 (both instrumental in bringing personal mobility to a post-World War II, cash-strapped France), the Renault 5 Turbo in 1978 (a raucous 160-hp mid-engined supermini), and more. Landmark introductions from non-French automakers include the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento in 2010 and the Ferrari 250 Europa GT in 1954, along with the Porsche Carrera GT concept and Koenigsegg CC8S in 2000.

The 2026 iteration of the Paris Motor Show was held in October, and prominently featured concept cars like an all-electric revival of the Citroen 2CV, the striking Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso, the Peugeot E-T16 and RCZ Vision, the Alpine A310 Vision, the Renault E-Space, and the Fiat Multiplay.

Germany's International Motor Show or Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, now branded IAA Mobility, beats the Paris Motor Show by just one year to claim the title of the oldest surviving car show in the world. Throughout its 129-year history, the biennial event has been held in various German cities, including Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne, and Munich. In a similar vein to the Paris Motor Show, IAA Mobility serves as a major showcase for Germany's big automakers, like BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Porsche.

Notable debuts at the IAA throughout history include the BMW 1500 in 1961 (it introduced the brand-saving Neue Klasse lineup), a concept version of the Volkswagen Golf GTI in 1975 (widely considered the forefather of hot hatchbacks), the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 in 1983 (the record-breaking pioneer of sporty compact luxury sedans), the Audi RS6 Avant in 2007 (a super-cool V10-powered wagon), the Porsche 918 Spyder in 2013 (part of the holy trinity of hybrid hypercars), and many more. 

The IAA Mobility held in 2025featured the motor-show debuts of the BMW iX3, the electric Mercedes-Benz GLC and Concept AMG GT XX, the Audi Concept C, the Porsche 911 Turbo S (992.2), and a near-production version of the all-electric Volkswagen ID. Polo supermini.

Held since 1954 and currently a biennial event, the Japan Mobility Show (formerly the Tokyo Motor Show) has cemented itself as a major venue for, you guessed it, Japanese automakers to showcase new cars, concepts, and experimental technologies. Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Nissan particularly have been prominent participants at the Japan Mobility Show throughout its history.

The Japan Mobility Show has played host to the reveals of iconic cars like the Mazda Cosmo Sport in 1963 (the world's first mass-produced sports car to be powered by a two-rotor rotary engine), the Toyota 2000GT in 1965 (one of Japan's strongest rivals to European performance cars), the Nissan Skyline GT-R in 1968 (we're all familiar with this one, aren't we?), a concept version of the Toyota Prius in 1995 (the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger car), and the Lexus LFA in 2009 (arguably the most sensational supercar from Japan). 

At the 202 Japan Mobility Show we saw the reveal of the rakish-looking next-gen Toyota Corolla concept, along with other concept cars and prototypes like the Century Coupe, the Honda 0 Alpha, the wild six-wheeled Lexus LS luxury van, and more.

China holds not one, but two major global motor shows: Auto Shanghai and the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (also known as Auto China or the Beijing Motor Show). These events are held in alternating years (Beijing in even-numbered years, Shanghai in odd-numbered years), which means there's a big car show in China on an annual basis. Since China is the world's largest automotive market by a huge margin, and a wellspring of innovation for new-energy vehicles (EVs and plug-in hybrids), Auto Shanghai and Beijing Motor Show are highly important platforms for Chinese and global automakers alike.

Chinese automakers like BYD, Dongfeng, and Hongqi have debuted some pretty wild stuff at Auto Shanghai and the Beijing Motor Show. Specifically, BYD showcased the Yangwang U8 (a full-size luxury off-roader that can perform a 360-degree tank turn and float on water for up to 30 minutes) and the Yangwang U9 (a 1,200-plus hp electric supercar that can jump short distances and drive on three wheels) in 2023. Hongqi debuted the Guoya limousine in 2025 as China's answer to established full-size European luxury sedans, while Dongfeng debuted the MHERO M-Hunter concept in 2024 — a bonkers-looking electric off-roader with a full carbon-fiber body and over 14,750 lb-ft of wheel-side torque.

As for the global carmakers that we're more familiar with, Mercedes-Benz pulled the covers off the electric G-Class at the Beijing Motor Show in 2024. At the same event, Lamborghini unveiled the Urus SE as the Italian marque's first hybrid SUV, and Mini revealed the Aceman as its first electric-only offering.

Unlike the conventional motor shows discussed above, California's Monterey Car Week is a series of automotive events centered on luxury, performance, and collector cars — both modern and old-school. Held across the Monterey Peninsula every August and tracing its roots to the first Pebble Beach Concours in 1950, Monterey Car Week is a must-attend event for any gearhead in the U.S., thanks to renowned and prestigious attractions like The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering; Exotics on Broadway; and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Automakers show up to Monterey Car Week to reveal exciting production cars, limited-run specials, and concepts. Bugatti has debuted one-offs and few-offs like the Destrier, Centodieci, and Brouillard during Monterey Car Week. American hypercar maker Hennessey showcased the Venom F5 Roadster in 2022 and the Blackbird in 2026, while McLaren also unveiled the McL 6GT concept this year to preview a forthcoming new model from the British brand.

In addition to exhibiting exotic machines, Monterey Car Week hosts auctions from houses like RM Sotheby's, and some of these are very high-profile — to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. The most expensive car sold at this year's Monterey Car Week was a 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, which went for the princely sum of $42.9 million. Also, a "Tailor Made" Ferrari Luce fetched a handsome $40 million, with the proceeds funneled entirely to charity. On the other end of the price spectrum, great cars often sell for under $10,000 every year at Monterey Car Week.