The Shanghai Auto Show, starting this weekend, is the second big auto show in China in the past five months. China is the world's No. 2 vehicle market, and carmakers there are looking to use the show to impress a global audience. An array of electric and hybrid cars will be on display.

Other articles by Joe Mcdonald:

China call its $586B stimulus package good for the world Olympic pollution controls costly Studio group sues Chinese site, alleging film piracy China steps up scrutiny of food imported from U.S., delaying shipments McDonald's first drive-up in Beijing China's trade surplus target of talks with U.S. Typhoon kills scores in rampage across China China warns of possible inflation Rampant piracy of goods hurts profitability badly in China Beijing cutting Taiwan tariffs to build sentiment for a union

Education
Assessment Technology, Inc
Social Studies Content Writer General
CORT
WAREHOUSE/DRIVER General
CORT
Warehouse Supervisor Health Care
Rio Salado College
PA's/Online Instructors Construction
Komatsu Equipment Co
Mechanic

SHANGHAI, China — Major automakers are pulling out all the stops at the Shanghai Auto Show starting this weekend, highlighting China's rapid evolution from "bicycle kingdom" into the world's second-biggest, fastest-growing vehicle market.

The show, which opens Sunday, comes five months after General Motors, Volkswagen AG, Toyota and other companies showcased new vehicles at a packed Beijing convention center. Their willingness to spend so heavily on two auto shows just months apart clearly signals China's growing importance.

"Automakers are more and more considering the shows in China as A-level shows, alongside New York, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt and Geneva," said Trevor Hale, a spokesman for DaimlerChrysler AG.

Sunday is also Earth Day, and growing public concern about pollution is reflected in automakers' plans to show an array of electric and hybrid models.

But even before the biennial event officially kicks off, there will be dozens of press events Friday and Saturday, when up-and-coming Chinese competitors hope they can grab some of the limelight.

China's Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. says it will display a fuel-cell sedan that can reach a speed of 90 mph.

General Motors Corp., the market leader in China, says it will display the newest version of its Chevrolet Volt, a long-distance electric car, among 40 models at its 45,000-square-foot stand. Ford Motor Co.'s 52 models at the show will include a hybrid sport utility vehicle, the Ford Escape.

DaimlerChrysler plans to show 50 vehicles from its Mercedes, Chrysler and Dodge divisions. Japan's Nissan Motor Co. will showcase a half-dozen models that it manufactures with a Chinese partner, plus its imported 350Z. Reports by the automotive press say Germany's BMW AG will unveil its new Z9 concept sports car.

Chinese automakers trying to ramp up exports hope the show will give them a global audience. They sold 325,000 vehicles abroad last year, mostly low-cost trucks and buses.

"We want to promote our brand in international markets, since our cars have already been exported to Africa, the Middle East and South America," said Zhang Xiaodong of Geely Group Ltd.

Geely will show 14 vehicles in Shanghai, double the number at the 2005 show, said Zhang.

The biggest Chinese producer, Chery Automobile Co., will be spotlighting 30 models ranging from a subcompact to an SUV, up from six in 2005, said company spokesman Zhang Dayong.

Nanjing Automobile Group Ltd. says it will display its Chinese-made MG sports cars. The company bought the iconic British brand in 2005 and began production in March.

Last year, China surged past Japan to become the world's No. 2 vehicle market after the United States. Vehicle sales, including trucks and buses, rose 25.1 percent to 7.2 million units, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says. Passenger-car sales were up 37 percent at 3.8 million.

That was up from 3.3 million vehicles sold in 2002 and just 1.6 million in 1997. U.S. car and truck sales fell slightly last year to 16.5 million units.

China's government-endorsed car craze has radically remade its landscape. Highways crisscross the country, and ancient city centers have been bulldozed to make way for car-friendly avenues.

But the car culture has left major cities choked by smog and rush-hour traffic jams. It has boosted dependence on imported oil, which worried communist leaders see as a strategic weakness.

Strong Chinese sales have brought relief to U.S. automakers, which are seeing weak demand at home. European and Japanese automakers report similar surges. Luxury producers such as Rolls-Royce, owned by BMW, say sales to China's new rich are soaring.