WHILE athletes from home and abroad are busy preparing for the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing this August, the Chinese capital city is also on track to hold another competition - this one targeting the nation's rapidly developing automotive industry and its enormous market potential.
More than 2,100 car makers and auto parts manufactures worldwide will get together at the Auto China 2008, or the 10th Beijing International Automotive Exhibition from April 22 to April 28.
The six-day, biennial auto event is being presented under the theme of "Dream, Harmony and New Vision".
Car makers will be ringing the bell for future mobility with breathtaking designs and revolutionary technologies while eco-friendly and fuel-economy models remain the hottest topic.
The rocketing growth of the Chinese auto market has aroused attention from multinational auto giants, who have injected great enthusiasm and investment into the world's second largest auto market - particularly those western giants seeing slower sales in their home market.
By introducing new models, they aim to continue their domination on the Chinese market and showcase their stronger research and development capacity.
General Motors Corp, along with its Chinese joint ventures, will display 42 production and concept vehicles at the Auto China 2008 on their combined 4,700-square-meter booth.
Making its global debut at this year's auto show will be the Buick Invicta. The luxurious concept car represents the evolution of Buick's global design direction and reflects the way GM utilizes its design and engineering talent to execute a premium vehicle. It will join other unique products including the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Flextreme, and the Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid.
One of Ford Motor Company's highlights will be its new affordable engine technology that will improve fuel consumption by 20-30 percent and significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
Ford will also display a six-speed gearbox that changes gear by itself.
Toyota Motor Corp, the pioneer in developing low-emission and fuel-economy models, has been also taking advantage of its concept cars to share its latest technological solutions.
Toyota and its luxury car nameplate Lexus will exhibit a record high of seven concept models including the i-Real, Concept car IQ, FT-HS and two Chinese debuts of Lexus-branded concept cars.
The i-Real is an improved version of its previous concepts PM, i-Unit and i-Swing. It can drive on two wheels on pedestrians road to use less space and on three wheels, with improved handling ability, on other roads with.
Local Demand
One of the highlights of the Auto China 2008 will be the launch of more and more joint-ventures's domestically built models to cater to local demand with accumulated engineering strength gained from Sino-foreign cooperation over the past few years.
Volkswagen's two Chinese ventures, Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW Volkswagen, will show off their first self-branded models.
Shanghai VW will unveil its new mid-class sedan, Lavida, which means life and hope in Spanish. The model is specially designed for the Chinese market under VW's global product strategy and will be a prototype for its next-generation model in the economy car sector. FAW VW will launch a new A-class sedan under the code name Model X.
Guangzhou Honda will also showcase its self-owned models, developed after the firm's investment of more than two billion yuan (US$280 million) in an R&D facility. It will also display a revamped Fit and a new Accord sedan.
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp will present the world premiere of its Roewe 550 sedan. It is the first opportunity for SAIC to surprise its global rivals with the fruits of its own R&D capability.
Chery Automobile Co Ltd plans to bring a total of 29 models to Beijing, including a new model of Faira named after Fuwa, the mascot of China's Beijing Olympics.
Great Wall Motor has plans to exhibit more than 16 new models including the Kulla electric car, which will be able to travel 140 kilometers at 65 kilometers per hour on one charge.
Other new attractions will include a super-spacious Fine crossover, a lithium battery-powered Peri compact and a mini SUV. Chang'an Auto Group is expected to launch its self-developed sports car, powered by hydrogen, in addition to its HEV hybrid model.