A record number of show cars, including 75 international debuts, and an ever-expanding exhibition area have combined to make the 14th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition now under way the biggest of its kind in the world so far this year.

The Auto Shanghai 2011, themed "Innovation for Tomorrow," will feature more than 2,000 passenger cars, commercial vehicles and car-components manufacturers from more than 20 countries, according to the organizer.

The area of the exhibitors center, at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Pudong, has increased 35 percent from the 2009 show to cover 230,000 square meters.

Auto buffs will be able to enjoy a feast of fancy cars including an Aston Martin one-77 super car valued at an estimated 37 million yuan (US$5.66 million) to the first four-wheel drive Ferrari FF sports car.

Want a model that is a step closer to common people's daily life, visitors will be dazzled with the global debut of VW's 21st Century Beetle as well as new Chevrolet Malibu that will hit the market soon.

As the green mobility has become a global trend, Auto Shanghai 2011 has been a place for car makers to showcase energy saving, emission reductions and technology innovations.

More than 1,100 vehicles will be on display this year, an increase of 110 from the Beijing auto show last year. Of the 75 global debuts, 19 models will come from international auto giants, and 86 will be new energy-efficient cars.

Although car sales growth is slowing in China, the world's largest auto market, enthusiasm about the biennial Shanghai auto show is at fever pitch as automakers from around the world elbow one another to compete for a bigger market share.

Demand for vehicles cooled this year after the expiration of government subsidies on smaller vehicles as well as restrictions on motor vehicle registration in mega cities like Beijing to tackle the growing problem of urban gridlock and emissions smog

The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which has affected car and parts production, and rising global oil prices are also contributing to a slower growth outlook for the auto industry.

For the first quarter of this year, car makers sold 4.98 million vehicles, an increase of 8.1 percent from a year earlier. That compared with 71.8 percent growth in the first quarter of 2010, according to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

For March, China car sales gained 5.4 percent, rebounding from a 4.6 percent pace in February.

The manufacturers' association has warned that car sales for this year may fall short of its earlier growth forecasts of 10 to 15 percent.

"Even though growth is slowing, the Chinese market won't be shaken all that much, and its potential is still considerable," said John Zeng, director of Asian Forecasting at J.D. Power Commercial Consulting in Shanghai

The firm is forecasting that China's light vehicle market is expected to account for 40 percent of the global growth this year. In the next five years, the growth in China will account for 70 percent of the Asia-Pacific region.

The focus of growth in the China car market is shifting.

Rao Da, secretary general of China Passenger Car Association, said the registration restrictions in cities like Beijing will slow sales growth in first and second-tier cities, but the market in smaller third and fourth tier cities is likely to accelerate.

He estimated that auto exports would grow more than 50 percent this year, helping to offset slower domestic demand.

"The export boom will be the result of a recovering global economy as well as domestic car makers itching to expand overseas," he added.

The passenger car association forecasts that the year-on-year sales growth for small cars and mid-to-high class sedans will be moderate this year in China.

The SUV market is expected to remain the fastest growth segment in the passenger category, and the multi-purpose vehicle sector will see fast development with car makers expanding product offerings, it added.

China's car market, while already the largest in the world, still has huge untapped potential. Only one in 19 people in China owns a car, compared with a global average of one in eight.

About 700,000 people are expected to visit the show, which runs from April 21-28 the organizer said.

Participating major car makers

Volkswagen Group will exhibit models from its Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti lines. Seat and Bugatti will be making their debut in China, and VW will also introduce the new version of the classic Beetle.

Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart will be highlighting new models, including the newest design of the Mercedes-Benz CLS and the SLK roadster.

US auto giants GM, Ford and Chrysler will be gathered together at the exhibition site again. GM and its joint ventures will display more than 25 production and concept vehicles, including the global premiere of a new Chevrolet Malibu and Buick Envision SUV concept.

Ford will display its advanced energy-saving technologies and will introduce the Asian debut of three electric car models and a concept car.

Despite the natural disasters at home, Japanese car makers such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan will maintain a high profile at the event.

FAW Toyota, GAC Toyota and Lexus from the Toyota Group will display over 60 models.

Honda will display models from GAC Honda, DFM Honda and Acura. DFM Nissan and Infiniti will be among the offerings from Nissan Group, along with an electric concept car.

Chinese domestic automakers aren't about to be upstaged.

Top six local automobile groups - FAW, SAIC, DFM, Changan, GAC and BAW - will be displaying an array of new models.

SAIC, China's biggest auto group, will team up with its eight joint ventures to display 110 vehicles, with more than 10 models to be released for the first time.

After acquiring the passenger car section of Volvo, Geely will bring 36 new car models to the show.

Chery and Great Wall automakers will also be displaying cars.

Several new brands, such as the DS - the result of joint efforts with Changan and PSA - and the joint brand of DFM and Yulon, will be making their first appearance in public.

Commercial vehicles and auto components makers also will be participating in Auto Shanghai 2011.

The largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, Daimler Group, will exhibit its Benz trucks, and Volvo, the second-largest manufacturer, will display commercial vehicles as its Sunwin Bus, the latest in electric buses.

Paccar Inc. from the United States and Scania from Sweden also will participate.

In the components segment, giants such as Bosch, Delphi, Visteon and Honeywell will be displaying some of their latest technologies.

Auto Shanghai 2011 has also attracted world-class design companies such as Pininifarina for the first time. Its clients include Icona, which will make its debut in China by introducing two electronic cars for the first time.