Modified Car Show

A modified car show is a specialised trade and consumer exhibition centered on car tuning culture, showcasing fully modified vehicles, performance upgrades, aftermarket customisation solutions, and related automotive services. As an integral pillar of the automotive aftermarket, these shows serve as crucial B2B trade platforms for tuning brands to introduce new products and expand dealer networks, as well as vibrant lifestyle hubs for enthusiasts to connect and experience the latest trends. With China's automotive tuning sector shifting from a niche subculture to mass-market customisation, car tuning shows have evolved from fragmented enthusiast meet-ups into massive, internationally accredited, and brand-driven industry events.

Major Exhibitions

China has established several prominent modified car exhibition IPs, each catering to different regions and market segments.

The Shenzhen International Performance and Customised Car Exhibition (CoolCarShow) is China's premier exhibition dedicated to high-performance and customised vehicles, organised by the Automotive Sub-Council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT-Auto). The 4th edition in 2026 was held from 20 to 23 March at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao'an), spanning an expansive 600,000 square metres. It brought together 120 car manufacturers, over 7,000 aftermarket tuning brands and supply chain vendors, and debuted more than 20,000 new aftermarket products. Centered on "Globalisation, Professionalisation, and Scenario-Driven Experiences", the show covered every major aftermarket sector—from body kits and performance upgrades to 4x4 off-road rigs, smart cockpit systems, and new energy vehicle (NEV) tuning packages—while hosting over 70 concurrent industry forums, technical summits, and motorsport culture events. Staged alongside the Kyushu Auto Ecosystem Expo, it forms the world’s first full-supply-chain automotive ecosystem platform spanning both passenger cars and commercial vehicles, integrating new vehicle reveals, automotive technology, OEM and aftermarket parts, custom tuning, and car culture.

The GT Show International Tuning Fashion Show, established in 2017, is one of China's most influential automotive culture exhibitions. The inaugural 2017 event debuted in Shanghai alongside the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, covering 40,000 square metres and drawing 151 exhibitors and 318 brands. Following its relocation to the Suzhou International Expo Centre in 2021, the exhibition expanded rapidly, with its indoor and outdoor grounds exceeding 100,000 square metres. In 2026, running under the theme "Trendy Tuning Without Boundaries, Fueling Passion", GT Show spanned 120,000 square metres, attracting over 450 exhibitors and more than 1,000 brands, with visitor attendance topping 150,000, including over 50,000 trade buyers. It also featured a dedicated 4x4 off-road and outdoor zone of over 50,000 square metres, bringing together more than 200 off-road brands and 1,000 enthusiast clubs spanning extreme off-road rigs, overlanding, and outdoor lifestyle accessories. In 2026, GT Show earned official UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) certification and entered into an in-depth strategic alliance with Germany's renowned Essen Motor Show, facilitating bilateral cross-border industry exchanges.

The APAxpo Tuning Show is a prominent automotive culture event rooted in South China, organised by Shanghai Aiti Exhibition Co., Ltd., and staged at the Tanzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center in Foshan since 2024. Spanning over 100,000 square metres across five mega halls, the event gathers more than 1,000 aftermarket performance brands, lifestyle merchandise vendors, and scale-model makers, featuring over 3,000 modified cars ranging from iconic JDM classics to cutting-edge electrified builds. The 2026 edition is scheduled to run from 16 to 18 October.

The tuning segment held in conjunction with the Kyushu Auto Ecosystem Expo spans 33 major product categories and 7,000 brands. It features over 120 vehicle manufacturers—including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, BYD, Yangwang, Xiaomi, Li Auto, XPeng, Nio, and Zeekr—alongside leading Tier-1 and supply chain giants such as Bosch and CATL.

Key Exhibition Functions

The primary function of modified car shows has transformed from simple static displays into integrated, high-value trade and business platforms. On the B2B business matchmaking front, GT Show has built a robust trade database of over 300,000 verified industry contacts across workshops, performance garages, accessory dealers, and authorised 3S/4S centres. At the 2026 edition, trade visitors exceeded 50,000, with automotive workshops accounting for over 42.7% of attendees, where single bulk orders surpassing RM1,000,000 were routinely closed. Concurrently, the Shenzhen expo hosted high-level industry conferences including the China Performance and Customised Car Summit, the Global Car Audio Technology Summit, the Global Automotive Wheel Innovation Technology Summit, and the NEV Global Expansion Conference, bridging OEMs, tuning labels, and component suppliers.

In terms of car culture and lifestyle promotion, these expos have become holy grails for motoring enthusiasts. The Shenzhen show featured a dedicated "STUDENT DRIVER x CoolCarShow" zone, headlined by international movie stars and petrolheads Daniel Wu and Sung Kang, who engaged directly with fans. Meanwhile, GT Show showcased nearly 1,000 bespoke builds spanning JDM icons, performance supercars, hardcore 4x4s, and classic restomods. Fringe events such as the AEA Car Audio & Tuning Championship, the CoolCarShow Enthusiast Carnival, and the Off-Road Fan Festival seamlessly blend static exhibits with live dynamic demos, driving automotive enthusiast culture from a hardcore circle into the mainstream public eye.

Industry Outlook

Backed by supportive regulatory policies and strong consumer demand, modified car shows are charting three distinct industry trends: Scale and Professionalisation—marquee events have scaled from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of square metres, exhibitor numbers have grown from hundreds to thousands, and venue operations have secured international accreditation; Electrified Tuning Taking Centre Stage—automakers like BYD, Chery, and Fangchengbao are showcasing factory-customised EV and hybrid concepts tailored for camping and off-roading, with smart cockpit enhancements and high-voltage battery safety upgrades drawing heavy industry interest; Cross-Border Global Linkages—strategic pacts like the GT Show-Essen Motor Show alliance and the massive influx of international buyers at the Shenzhen show are providing strong springboards for Chinese aftermarket brands to expand globally. With China's automotive aftermarket tuning industry registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15%, standardisation, professionalisation, and smart electrification have become paramount, steering modified car shows from pure scale expansion towards high-value industry leadership.