SHANGHAI–Automakers are cutting costs because of declining sales in North America and Europe, but one place they aren't pulling back is here in China.
Alternating each year with the Beijing auto show, the 13th Shanghai auto show can now be considered one of the world's premier auto shows, mainly due to the growth of the Chinese automotive industry, projected to surpass the U.S. as the world's largest new-car market this year.
The 2009 Shanghai event was a global melting pot of automakers and clearly indicated where the auto industry is heading.
While the home Chinese brands keep flooding the market with copycat designs (like the Lifan 320, a blatant Mini Cooper rip-off), there were several new Sino-only production debuts and concepts that indicate a higher level of design sophistication and creativity, as well as an attempt to show the capability to compete on the gas-electric hybrid front.
Despite its feeble presence only a few weeks ago at the New York auto show, General Motors showed a strong presence here with more than 37 vehicles and concepts. It's pressing to double its Chinese sales to 2 million units within five years.
Here in a city with about two-thirds the population of Canada, Buick-badged Chevrolet Venture/Uplander minivans are as pervasive as Lincoln Town Cars in New York.
Hence Buick's Business MPV concept, a potential executive transportation replacement that appears based on the existing model's chassis. Another Buick we won't see in Canada is the Regal 2.0T, an attractive version of the European Opel Insignia sedan with a 2.0 L direct-injection and turbocharged four-banger.
Mercedes-Benz now sells more S Class luxury sedans in China than in any other market and the German automaker chose this show to unveil the yin and yang of its refreshed 2010 S Class full-size luxury sedan lineup.
Benz says its new S 400 Hybrid, with a fuel consumption of just 7.9 L/100 km, has the lowest CO2 emissions in its segment. Less frugal are the updated S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG factory hot-rod models.
While powerplants are relatively carried over (S 63 gets AMG's 6.2 L V8 with 525 hp and 465 lb.-ft. of torque, while the S 65 AMG receives the 612 hp and 738 lb.-ft. 6.0 L twin-turbo V12), the German automaker says it has been tuned to improve fuel consumption and carbon emissions by about 3 per cent, and there's a new "crosswind compensation system" plus a Torque Vectoring system that apparently brakes the inside rear wheel in a corner to aid handling.
In the same vein of power wagons, Porsche set the world premiere of the 2010 Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo here – the first new model from the German automaker to debut outside of Europe or North America. (See story on page W30.)
Audi, which took the wraps off its new Q5 compact crossover at last year's Beijing show, unveiled its refreshed 2010 Audi Q7 large crossover.
The Canadian Q7 engine lineup is status quo, including the new 3.0-litre TDI diesel.
Subtle exterior updates, though, include new body colour front and rear fascias with LED lighting front and back.
Inside, there's more wood and a third generation of Audi's MMI information interface system that adds a 3D interface to the navigation system and joystick control for destination input.
In the past, some Sino automakers took heat for copycat designs and styling that jibes with westerners' automotive aesthetic sensibilities. But a few debuts at this year's show gave an indication that some Chinese automakers have replaced their Xerox machines with real, live car designers.
Chang'An – Ford's Chinese-market partner and one of the companies interested in purchasing Volvo from the Detroit automaker – showed up with two concepts: the creative E301 crossover and the clean-looking CD101 sedan.
With its huge wheels and gull-wing doors, the E301 is a pure off-roader's fantasy. Equally fantastical is its drivetrain: allegedly a gas-electric powerplant of some kind, suggested buy its "Fun Hybrid Concept" badging.
The Chang'An CD101 mid-size looks closer to production. Acura's designers could take a few cues from its clean-looking front face and creased shoulder line.
SAIC Roewe, which bought out the tooling and technology from the former BMW-owned British brand Rover, unveiled two sedans planned for sale in the U.K. market.
Based on the existing 550 sedan (née the old Rover 75), the new MG6 Turbo is a four-door fastback that will likely be the first Roewe model exported back to England.
Also planned for the U.K. market is the N1 sedan concept. Unlike the MG6 Turbo, the N1 resides on a new chassis.
Looking ready to take on BMW's X6, the aggressively styled Red Flag SUV is the automaker's first foray into the luxury SUV segment. Details were sketchy from the show floor, but the five-passenger SUV apparently has a V12.
To date, only Chinese battery-manufacturer-turned-automaker BYD has gone to mass production of a plug-in hybrid. But rival Chinese automaker Chery unveiled its own alternative fuel-powered vehicles here.
Reportedly powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery, Chery says the S18 could run 120 to 150 km on a single charge and has a maximum speed of 120 km/h.
It could be on sale in the Chinese market by the end of 2010 for less than 100,000 yuan, or about $18,000 Canadian.
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