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April 16, 2019

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Auto show revs up from Thursday

The Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition begins on Thursday for professional visitors, with the debut of many new technologies and car models.

This year’s event is set to include more than 1,000 exhibitors, including many of the world’s largest car manufacturers, many of whom will be showcasing their latest models as well as innovations in new-energy vehicles and autonomous driving.

Major exhibitors include BMW, Nissan, Volkswagen and Audi, as well as domestic automakers such as SAIC Group, FAW, Dongfeng Motor, Changan Automobile, BAIC Motor and GAC Group. Over 140 new vehicle models will premiere at the weeklong event, including four never-before-seen vehicles from BMW.

There will also be concept and luxury vehicles from Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce.

Leading parts firms such as Bosch, Continental and Schaeffler will also display their latest products. Huawei and iFlytek will join the show for the first time this year too, with the former displaying its latest breakthroughs in 5G technology.

The theme of this year’s show is “Create a Better Life,” focusing on how cars can improve quality of life.

The show will be at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Qingpu District and cover 360,000 square meters.

Despite slowing sales and uncertain macro-economic conditions, China remains one of the world’s most important and dynamic auto markets.

It holds great potential for Rolls-Royce, with some owners under the age of 40, Torsten Muller-Otvos, Rolls-Royce’s CEO, told Shanghai Daily yesterday.

Rolls-Royce also opened a boutique store in downtown Shanghai last month, the first of its kind in China.

Xu Heyi, chairman of BAIC Group, said the boundaries of the auto industry have broadened to merge with sectors such as communication, art and entertainment. This trend has created space for further industry growth.

Domestic and international automakers have also seen strengthened design cooperation, making many new models like BAIC’s Arcfox competitive in the global market, Xu said.

Last month, Chinese passenger car sales totaled 2.02 million units, down 6.9 percent from a year earlier, but moderating from the 13.7 percent decrease recorded in the first quarter as a whole, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Sales fell for the first time in more than two decades last year.

CAAM forecast this year that total sales will remain flat at around 28 million.

New-energy vehicles, sport-utility vehicles and autonomous driving are expected to be highlights of the show.

The technologies behind them will shape the future of the industry and reflect the effort by carmakers to meet changing consumer tastes, analysts say.

Carmakers will display a range of NEVs as well as plans for future clean-emission production. Despite the slack performance in the overall market, NEVs remain the bright spot.

The electric vehicle market will continue to boom in the second quarter of 2019, despite subsidy cuts, Fitch Ratings said recently. In March, NEV car sales jumped 85.4 percent year on year. In the first quarter, they grew 109.7 percent, according to CAAM.

Sport-utility vehicles also remain popular.

Autonomous driving and driverless cars, despite growing pains in some overseas markets, are tipped as another highlight of the show.

Thursday and Friday are professional days. From Saturday to next Thursday, the event will be open to the public.

Nine halls will feature passenger vehicles (1H, 2H, 4.1H, 5.1H, 6.1H, 7.1H, 7.2H, 8.1H, 8.2H); one hall is for commercial vehicles and future mobility (3H); two halls are for parts manufacturers (5.2H, 6.2H). The admission for the public is 50 yuan (US$7.45) on weekdays and 100 yuan on weekends.




 

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