Motor Show Wrap-Up: Auto China 2006

Motoring Channel Staff - 23/Nov/2006

Beijing, China — As one of China's largest auto shows, Auto China is the place where all aspiring Chinese car brands - and many international marques alike - display their new vehicles.

And it's an important event (sometimes called the Beijing Motor Show), due largely because the Chinese auto market is one of the fastest growing car markets in the world, so that along with the local car makers (like DongFeng, Great Wall, ChangAn, and China Brilliance), globally renowned companies like Volkswagen and General Motors have also used the event to show off their upcoming vehicles and strategies for the Chinese market, as they aim to increase their share of what could become the largest car market on the planet in by 2020.

The Auto China 2006 event is an automotive trade fair held in Beijing at the China International Exhibition Center (CIEC) and the National Agricultural Exhibition Center (NAEC), and began on November the 19th and runs until the 27th this year.

As well as giving the Chinese public a chance to look at what they can expect to be driving in the next few years, the entirely modern event in mainland China is also a key to unlocking international trade between the Chinese automotive industry and global markets, which could eventually include Australia. 

If the idea of driving a Chinese-built vehicle seems preposterous, consider that the Chinese have been driving Holden Statesman's (badged Buicks) for some time now. Car companies such as ChangAn may not yet register in most people's automotive lexicons, but give it another 10 years, and they may well be competing with Holden and Ford.

Though the quality of Chinese cars don't yet match the rest of the world's established automakers, standards are increasing, and it's only a matter of time before the Chinese auto market becomes a dominant player. 

Here are some of the more interesting cars that were shown at the Auto China 2006 event:

Volkswagen

Marking it's world premiere, Volkswagen showed off the Neeza concept at Auto China 2006, which is a crossover of a coupé and a station wagon, says the German company. However, this is no German car, and was designed for Chinese market in China. 

Volkswagen explains that the Neeza concept pays its respects to the off-road and sports car world, and has features suitable for everyday use. It adds that the concept opens the window to the future of new models from Shanghai Volkswagen, where the culture, individual taste and the desires of Chinese customers will become an integral component of car development. 

The name Neeza was derived from "Ne-zha". Ne-zha is a celebrated figure from Chinese history, a small boy with magic weapons who fought against evil spirits. According to VW, his unequalled will, youthful and foresighted spirit and courage reflect the idea hidden behind the character and the name of the concept.

In another world premiere on the Volkswagen stand was Magotan, which is primarily a Passat, and VW believes that it will become one of China's most prestigious models.

Jinbei Automotive

Jinbei Auto, which is part of the China Brilliance car company, unveiled one of the better looking locally-made cars at the 2006 Beijing Motor Show. The Zhonghua M3 concept is a sleek 2-seater coupe, which sits on stylish 18-inch alloy wheels and is powered by a 1.8-litre engine that is capable of taking the M3 concept to a v-max of 220km/h. 

Toyota

At the 2006 Beijing Motor Show, Toyota displayed a whopping 28 vehicles, some concepts, and some production models (and some Lexus). And if that doesn't tell you that the Japanese company is hell bent on global domination, we're not sure what will. Even Toyota admits that the display "would be the largest Toyota/Lexus display ever at the Beijing event".

One of the biggest launches for Toyota at the Auto China 2006 event was the first-ever exhibit of the new Corolla outside Japan, and as the photos suggest, it's a very attractive small car, which will ensure it's place as one of the world's most popular cars.Toyota explains that the show will also mark a change in the Chinese rendering of the name Corolla from the previous literal translation, "Hua Guan", to the new trans-literation, "Ka Luo La".

Other vehicles on show from the big 'T' included the Lexus RX400h (known as the Harrier Hybrid in Japan) and the bizarro 'i-swing' personal mobility concept, which has been shown at various other motor shows across the globe. The Fine-T also made an appearance, offering the environmental performance of a fuel cell hybrid system and ease of movement through four-wheel independent drive control. 

DongFeng

Along with ChangAn, DongFeng is looking to be one of the major players in the domestic Chinese auto industry, and at the Auto China 2006 event it unveiled its D120 sports car, alongside it's strategic goals, which include a three-year development schedule whose goal is to expand the DongFeng name into other Asian regions, and to produce 1.2 vehicles by 2008. It displayed 15 vehicles on it's stand, many of which were vehicles borne of the joint ventures it has with Japanese and French car companies (Nissan, Honda, Citroën).

The D120 sports car, which was built in-house it's Chinese facilities, looked very much like it borrowed many elements from Hyundai's old Tiburon coupe from the late 1990s, and features triple-element side indicator blisters located fore of the front wheels, which will attract the interest of Western car designers. The sports car concept was powered by a 2.4-litre (Euro II) engine and featured an LCD screen in the cockpit.

ChangAn

As China's largest automaker, ChangAn revealed a very sexy concept car at the Auto China 2006 exhibition, which featured impressive design elements and very European proportions. Called the Xingqing (which we believe is translatable to 'clear sky'), the concept vehicle is a small car with an angular style that flies in the face of the usual curvy style that many Chinese designers favour.

ChangAn says that the vehicle is a multi-purpose car for younger buyers and professionals and can seat five people.

ChangAn is also has a strategic alliance with Suzuki, which will introduce the new Tianyu SX4, which is a sedan version of the SX4. Tianyu can be translated as meaning 'space'.

Jianghuai

As the local partner of Hyundai in mainland China, Anhui Jianghuai is in a very favourable position to benefit from the South Korean car makers know-how in automaking. Evidently, it was no real surprise to see Jianghuai unveil a range of new vehicles, one of which - the Vision2 - was one of the most impressive showings at Auto China 2006.

The front end design of the Vision2 is a bit 'Citroën' from some angles, but overall the sports car has good proportions and not too many irksome styling cues. Finished in a lurid green colour, it makes a strong impression, and features xenon headlights, LED wing-mirror indicator lights and large alloy wheel rims.

Jianghuai also showed off the Rein (or Auspicious Eagle). This SUV model was built in conjunction with Bosch (Germany), Aisin (Japan), Siemens (Austria) and several companies from South Korea. The car maker says that it is the first 100% Chinese SUV and measures 4.5 metres long, has 207mm ground clearance and is powered by a 2.4-litre DOHC that passes Euro III emissions standards.

Changhe-Suzuki

This cute little minivan - the kind of which are all the rage in Japan - is called the Landy, and is a small people mover made by Suzuki's Chinese alliance partner, and measures a less than four metres long. It doesn't look very appealing, but it is small, and it's a frugal car, powered by a 1.4-litre engine with DOHC, that passes Euro IV emission targets, and is paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Changhe-Suzuki will build the new vehicle from February 2007.

FAW Group

In addition to the Hongqi HQ3, a high-end Chinese luxury car that looks very similar to the superseded Lexus LS430 featuring a HUD interior display with night vision, speed sensitive steering, parking sensors, DVD satellite navigation, adaptive front lighting and a 206kW 4.3-litre engine, the FAW Group showed off a very sassy concept sports car, which shows that Chinese designers can keep company with the rest of the world's ink men.

Called the Haima S1, the vehicle was conceived at the FAW Group's Shanghai R&D centre and according to the company, it is a pretty creation that is more suited to Western car tastes. The 2+2 sports coupe is aimed at the European and American markets, and if nothing else, this is one very attractive vehicle. 

FAW stands for 'First Automobile Works' and is China's first home-grown car maker, which started operating in 1953, and is akin to local auto groups such as DongFeng and ChangAn in terms of it's size and power in the Chinese market. It's mainstream partners currently include Toyota,Mazda, Audi and Volkswagen.

Great Wall

The impressively named Great Wall car company showed off three cars, all of which look like they've 'borrowed' the designs of other vehicles already in existence, and though this has been 'the done thing' for some time in China, legal battles concerning copyright infringements on car design are now a matter of when, rather than if, as China's economy booms. Until now, the Great Wall automaker only sold light commercial vehicles, but it's since moved into passenger car design, with vehicles like the Cool Bear. This boxy minivan is a direct copy of a Scion vehicle, which is sold in the USA, and is powered by a 1.5-litre engine.

The other two vehicles, the GW-Peri and Florid, are powered by 1.3-litre engines and are likewise copies of other cars, the Fiat Panda and another Toyota model.

Daihatsu

The Daihatsu Motor Company exhibited the D-01 prototype, which is scheduled to go on sale in mid-2007, at the Beijing Motor Show. And after formalising a technology licensing agreement with the FAW Group, Daihatsu will start production of a new compact multi-purpose passenger car in Jilin City, part of the Jilin Province, in mid-2007. Daihatsu said that the full-scale sale of the new vehicle will be conducted in partnership with the FAW Group under the Daihatsu brand name.

In addition to the D-01 prototype vehicle, vehicles including the Be-go SUV, the Copen roadster and the HVS hybrid sports car were also on display at the Daihatsu exhibit at the Auto China 2006 Motor Show.

Chery

Chery is another of China's more dominant domestic automakers, and it unveiled an attractive sports coupe called the Fulwin Coupe at the Auto China 2006 exhibition. Featuring some very inspired styling, the vehicle is easily one of the top '3' hottest looking vehicles from the Beijing Motor Show, with a strong angular shoulder line combining well with some gentler curves. It's powered by a 1.6-litre engine and in translated, the Fulwin name means 'Wind Cloud'

Chery had a range of other vehicles at the Chinese event, including the V2, which is a production ready 8-seater minivan with three rows of seats and is powered by a small 1.3-liter engine. Standard features for the V2 include dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, and a CD stereo. The Tiggo5 also made an appearance - a crossover concept vehicle - as did the A5 ISG, which is Chery's first ever hybrid model, equipped with a 1.3-liter petrol/electric powertrain. Better still, the petrol engine is said to engage only at speeds above 40 km/h, which if proved true would be mightily impressive.

Related articles:

- 2006 Paris Motor Show
- 2006 Geneva Motor Show
- 2006 Australian International Motor Show