“Hi there! Do you want me to help you check out this car?” Memories of this classic greeting line came flooding back to me at the Chengdu Motor Show, which closed yesterday.

I remember how surprised I was the first time I covered the show as a journalist. Charming sales representatives approached me frequently. It was an experience I might have expected in a dealership but not at one of the four biggest auto shows in China.

The welcome at the show, held in the bustling capital of Sichuan Province in southwestern China, was perhaps even warmer this year than in the past.

At first sight, it was another trade show rolling out industry strategies and new products — a stage for carmakers to tout their virtues and get some public exposure. What set it apart from similar, larger-scale shows hosted in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou was its willingness to also serve as a marketplace where consumers could shop for the best bargains.

The Chengdu show was timed to coincide with the start of the traditional car-buying season in China, known as Golden September and Silver October. This year there was a more urgent sense about the show as carmakers scramble to cope with a serious downturn in the China auto market.

Despite its sometimes tacky sales approaches, I found the Chengdu show rather endearing. It is never coy about its mission of selling cars, even as it has grown from a small, regional event into one with international exposure.

Other major car shows in China are more obsessed with international image than with selling cars. They think the flashy car displays will eventually translate into sales down the line. The Chengdu show cleverly combines both at the same time.

Car sales figures in China have been gloomy reading for automakers, especially foreign ones that have come to rely on the world’s second-largest car market for sales growth.

There’s good reason for them to shift their focus westward to cities like Chengdu, where the sales slowdown isn’t as marked.

Eastern China has hit a saturation point in car sales after leading the market in private car purchases for years. The central government’s focus on boosting growth in underdeveloped western regions is influencing car sales there. Sales may be relatively small when compared to the eastern mega-cities, but growth potential is greater.

 Taking a bite of China’s western car market is like tasting the spicy local cuisine. One can really feel the kick. Sichuan, Gangsu, Qinghai provinces and the Chongqing municipality all posted double-digit increases in car registrations last year, while China’s overall vehicle market had moderated to single-digit growth.

 No wonder I found the 2015 Chengdu Motor Show as hot as the city’s famous cuisine.

The exhibition displayed mass-market vehicles, high-end models with new design concepts and technologies at the cutting edge of carmaking.

Who says auto show visitors cannot have the best of both worlds? Hosting an international auto show, like serving up a two-flavored hotpot, can also provide great local flair while stamping its name on the world map.

Starting with the Shanghai Auto Show in April, the industry has been roiled by a wave of official price reductions aimed at the retail end of the market. Carmakers are no longer content, it seems, to settle for discounts offered by dealerships. That was obvious in the cars displayed in Chengdu.

 JAC S2

The gold rush in the small SUV segment, where domestic carmakers now sit at the frontline to claim territory, seems to be experiencing cannibalism within the same family. The JAC S2, sold for between 58,800 yuan (US$9,225) and 75,800 yuan, is thousands of yuan cheaper than its sibling JAC S3 with the same 1.5L engine. And the younger one is even available with more color options and tech specs, like the reversing camera in the top-range variant.

 2015 Hyundai Tucson

The price war in the mid-sized SUV segment has become a full-blown breakout. This vehicle brings its entry-level model price below 160,000 yuan, which was once a demarcation line between the products of domestic carmakers and Sino-foreign joint ventures. Its 1.6T versions, with a starting price below 170,000 yuan, set a new benchmark for the cost-effectiveness of joint-venture turbo-charged offers.

 Cowin C3/C3R

This young car brand, partly owned by domestic carmaker Chery, really pushes the boundaries of cheapness with the recently launched C3 sedan and C3R hatchback. Based on the Chery E2, they are being hailed as the most affordable automatic transmission cars in China, with prices ranging from 49,800 yuan to 55,800 yuan. The gear-changing system is even as fancy as a spin knob or a paddle shifter.

 Roewe 360

The new compact car harbors the latest NetBlue powertrain of its maker SAIC, which includes a 1.4T engine rated at a maximum output of 115kW and a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox as a top-ranging combination for three variants. Prices for the 1.4T versions start below the 100,000 yuan psychological benchmark, even cheaper than that of its sibling Roewe 350 with the old powertrain.

Less price-sensitive, premium car brands are always the early adopters of new technologies and concepts. Investing when the market is down, they are looking out for value in the long run.

 Jaguar F-Pace

The Chengdu Motor Show offers a preview of the British brand’s first performance crossover, which will be officially launched at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show tomorrow. With its SUV stance and clear sign of sports car lineage, this model is a production version of the C-X17 concept car, based on an intelligent aluminum architecture, the latest achievement in pursuing lighter weight without compromising material strength.

 Infiniti Vision Gran Turismo

The winning model of this brand’s global competition to “design a pure Infiniti GT car” has finally gotten the opportunity to make a debut in its birthplace, China. Designed by a team in Beijing, it is about an ambitious racing language as much as refined technical features, a finely distributed 45:55 front/rear weight balance for the joy of drifting, and a uniquely shaped rear spoiler for improved aerodynamics.

 Mercedes-Benz GLE

This crossover is more than just about giving an SUV a coupe-like roofline. It offers a whole package of utility, style, and performance. It is the first car in China to come equipped with a Mercedes-Benz self-developed 9-speed transmission. One of its AMG versions, the GLE 450 AMG 4MATIC, demonstrated its high performance on a dinosaur hunt in the recent Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic World. It is powered by a 3.0L V6 turbo-charged engine that can deliver a maximum output of 270 kW and torque of 520Nm.