At the 2022 Chongqing International Auto Exhibition, which kicked off at the Chongqing International Expo Center on Saturday, more than 300 new energy vehicles models from over 40 brands stole the show.

New energy vehicles, or NEVs, have become a highlight of the Chinese vehicle market. As a influential auto exhibition in Southwest China, the event presents not only new vehicle models and technologies, but also new trends in the industry.

2022 Chongqing International Auto Exhibition shows more than 300 NEVs models from over 40 brands. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

On the opening day, various Chinese auto brands launched technology platforms for their NEVs, exhibited in the 20,000-square-meter NEV hall.

China is expected to see continued growth momentum in NEVs this year, with sales likely to exceed 5 million units as this sector has grown from being policy-driven to market-driven, the Beijing-based China Association of Automobile Manufacturers predicted in January.

China has been the world's largest NEV market for seven years in a row, with production increasing from 507,000 units in 2016 to 3.52 million last year. The country also exported 310,000 units, a nearly threefold surge from year to year according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The event, which is set to run though July 3, will showcase over 1,000 models from more than 110 major global brands.

2022 Chongqing International Auto Exhibition shows more than 300 NEVs models from over 40 brands. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Captions1-4: At the 2022 Chongqing International Auto Exhibition, which kicked off at the Chongqing International Expo Center on Saturday, more than 300 NEVs models from over 40 brands stole the show. (Provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

Captions5: The 2022 Chongqing International Auto Exhibition kicked off at Chongqing International Expo Center on Saturday and is set to run through July 3. It will showcase over 1,000 automobile models from more than 110 major global brands. (By Deng Rui/chinadaily.com.cn)