The 2014 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition kicks off Sunday and will last until April 29. A record of 118 new models will make their global debut at this year's Beijing auto show, according to a statement on the auto show's official website.

The Beijing auto show, started in 1990, has drawn over 2,000 companies from 14 countries and regions to attend this year's event and 1,134 units of vehicles will be exhibited, said the statement.

Major international automakers such as Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota and PSA are all attending the event, presenting new models to Chinese audiences, and ultra-luxury brands like Lincoln and McLaren are attending the auto show for the first time.

New energy vehicles will be a highlight for this year's event, with 79 units to be exhibited. Some of the models exhibited will be hybrids, which some analysts say represents a transition to an electric era.

Volkswagen, BYD, Toyota and Volvo - even luxury brand Bentley - will present hybrid models at the Beijing auto show.

Volkswagen

German carmaker Volkswagen Group, together with its two Chinese partners, will bring five new models to the show, including the company's SUV model the New Touareg and T-ROC. In total, the company will show a line-up of 37 models, it said.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Volkswagen's Golf model. The German group will launch a Golf R series concept at the Beijing auto show.

FAW-Volkswagen, one Chinese partner of Volkswagen, will launch a 40th anniversary Golf edition and the model is designed especially for Chinese consumers.

Volkswagen will also bring two plug-in hybrid models to the Beijing auto show - the Golf GTE and the XL1, which features a fuel consumption of 0.9L/100km. The two models can also be driven for up to 50 kilometers in pure electric mode.

Media reports said some of the companies' hybrid models are expected to be produced at its plant in Foshan, South China's Guangdong Province.

Volkswagen XL1 Photo: Courtesy of Volkswagen

FAW Group

The FAW Group will premiere a new self-developed luxury model, the Hongqi L5, at the auto show, and the model will be officially put on sale at the event.

Weighing nearly 3.2 tons, the Hongqi L5 is powered by a 6.0L V12 engine, which is shared by all of the three models in FAW's L series, and burns around 20 liters of gasoline per 100km, reports said.

The Hongqi L5 already made its debut in April last year when it served as the ride of French President Francois Hollande during his visit to China. Priced at around 1 million yuan ($160,723), the Hongqi L5 is designed to rival Mercedes-Benz S class and Audi A8.

Hongqi cars were the first domestically produced Chinese passenger vehicles and were mainly for high-ranking officials.

But experts have been bearish on the car's prospect, as the price is too high for private consumers, who could choose from foreign brands at the same price.

The company's Hongqi H7 only reported sales of around 3,000 units since it hit the market in May 2013.

Hongqi L5 Photo: CFP

BYD

China's electric car producer BYD is about to launch its new Tang hybrid SUV at the Beijing auto show, which boasts a 4.9-second 0-100km/h sprint. The BYD Tang is based on the upcoming BYD S7 SUV, media said.

The Tang SUV is powered by a dual mode hybrid-drive system mating a gasoline engine to an electric motor.

"There are not many hybrid SUV models available in the market. If the problem of power supply is properly solved, Tang will get accepted by the market, as Chinese consumers like SUVs," said Wu Shuocheng, editor-in-chief at industry portal auto.gasgoo.com.

Zhang Yu, managing director at consultancy Automotive Foresight (Shanghai) Co, also noted that the Tang SUV model is worth attention, as BYD represents nearly the highest technological level in terms of new energy cars among domestic firms.

In March, BYD sold 877 units of its Qin hybrid sedans in China, ranking NO.1 among all new energy vehicles in China.

BYD's Qin hybrid sedan hit the market in December.

PSA Peugeot Citroën

The premium lineup under French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroën will bring its new SUV model to the Beijing auto show. The new SUV is based on the company's Wild Rubis SUV displayed at last year's Shanghai auto show, media said.

The new SUV model, to be named as DS 6WR, will be the DS brand's third model to be produced in China, after the DS5 and DS 5LS. The SUV will be produced in a joint venture plant with its Chinese partner ChangAn Automobile in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

The new DS 6WR model is only targeting China and there is still no timetable for its market plan in the Europe, media said.

On Monday, PSA said that DS will be developed into a stand-alone premium brand.The premium lineup under French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroën will bring its new SUV model to the Beijing auto show. The new SUV is based on the company's Wild Rubis SUV displayed at last year's Shanghai auto show, media said.

The new SUV model, to be named as DS 6WR, will be the DS brand's third model to be produced in China, after the DS5 and DS 5LS. The SUV will be produced in a joint venture plant with its Chinese partner ChangAn Automobile in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

The new DS 6WR model is only targeting China and there is still no timetable for its market plan in the Europe, media said.

On Monday, PSA said that DS will be developed into a stand-alone premium brand.