Gasgoo.com (Shanghai November 30) - The ninth annual Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition, Auto Guangzhou 2011, came to a close earlier this week. The show was a major success, with a record high of around 500,000 people in attendance, Xinhua reported from the floor of the closing ceremony. The warm reception is no doubt a factor in the planning committee's decision to extend next year's show from one week to ten days.

Auto Guangzhou 2011 was held in 16 halls at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, with total used space measuring 180,000 square meters, 12.5 percent larger than last year's hall. 130,000 meters of that space was dedicated to displayed automobiles, while 30,000 meters was used for auto parts and other displays.

90 automobile manufacturers and 618 auto part enterprises attended this year's show, far more than previous shows. A total of seven vehicles made their worldwide debut at the show, while 13 made their Asian debut, setting another record for Auto Guangzhou.

Next year's show is scheduled to be held next November 23 to December 2.