Busan goes electric: BIMOS 2026 opens with a new Hyundai Avante and BYD's Korean debut

© A. Krivonosov

The Busan International Mobility Show 2026, one of Asia's key motor shows, opens in the South Korean city of Busan. It is being held at the BEXCO complex and runs through July 5. This year BIMOS is about more than just new cars: the focus is on the future of mobility — EVs, software-defined vehicles, hydrogen transport, robotics, artificial intelligence and urban services.

The headline premiere is the new Hyundai Avante, known on some markets as the Elantra. The company is showing it for the first time anywhere in Busan, and for Hyundai this is a key model in the mass-market segment: the new Avante is meant to show how the compact sedan is changing in the era of electrification and software-defined vehicles. Kia is bringing the PV5 along with its EV lineup, Genesis is presenting concepts and the brand's performance direction, and BMW is showing projects from its Neue Klasse family.

BYD is a separate story. The Chinese brand is appearing at BIMOS for the first time and will introduce South Korean audiences to its electrified technologies, including the DM-i hybrid system. Ineos Grenadier and Ram are also on the exhibitor list — rare guests in Busan and a clear expansion of the show's traditional Korean focus.

BIMOS 2026 has long stopped looking like a conventional show of new bodywork. It is a stage where Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, BMW, BYD and other participants present their vision of the car for the years ahead: more digital, more electrified, software-defined and tied into urban infrastructure.