Gasgoo.com (Shanghai April 29) - Shanghai's recently completed fourteenth international automobile exhibition–Auto Shanghai 2011–looks to have been a great success, having drawn around 715,000 attendees (with over 100,000 people fighting to get in on the final day) and over 2,700 media companies. On both counts, the turnout wildly exceeded expectation.
Auto Shanghai 2011 showcased a total of 1,110 vehicles from around 2,000 enterprises from 20 different countries or regions. Of those, 75 made their global debut, a huge increase from Auto Shanghai 2009's 13 debuts.
According to the exhibition staff, the reason this year saw most major European, Japanese and American companies fiercely competing to make a good show is due to China's sustained economic growth and position in the automobile industry. Automobile manufacturers pretty much brought over their top-of-the-line vehicles for the show.
Chinese own brands were not to be outdone, with the big six domestic manufacturers FAW, SAIC, Dongfeng, Changan, GAC and BAIC competing with upstarts Brilliance, Geely, Great Wall, Lifan, Haima, BYD and Jonway to see who has the most advanced technology.
What deserved attention this year is how prominent of a position new energy vehicles took in the show, with hybrids and pure electrics powered with batteries made from everything including traditional lithium to hydrogen gas. With competition in the so-called 'green car market' has grown more and more fierce, every major exhibition stand showed at least some sort of new energy vehicle. Also of notice this year is how green vehicles were not displayed less as concepts and more as viable production models.
With successful results among own brands, new energy vehicles and autopart suppliers, Auto Shanghai 2011 is a fine example of the progress the Chinese automobile industry has made in the past decade.
Auto Shanghai 2011 a great success
