The 2013 Shanghai Auto Show is now in full swing, and just about every automaker of significance is on the scene to show off its wares.
Since 2009, China has been the world's largest car market, and now it's more important to the industry than ever.
European auto sales are crumbling and there's no sign they'll bounce back anytime soon. Sales in the U.S. are steadily approaching pre-2008 levels, but
prospects for substantial growth beyond that point are slim.
That leaves China as the key market in the global auto industry, and carmakers know it. To win over Chinese buyers — whose traditional taste for small cars has turned to a love for luxury sedans, supercars and SUVs — the industry's executives have come from all over the world, including China itself, to be in Shanghai this week.
While we got a sneak peek in New York last month, Audi saved the official debut of its A3 and S3 for Shanghai. The sedan body is popular in China, where it will be produced. The S3 will offer a 0 to 60 mph time of just 4.9 seconds.
Buick revealed three new sedans in New York last month, but it saved the shiny hardware for China, where its sales figures are excellent. The plug-in hybrid, concept Riviera is sleek and sporty, and looks like it was made for a sci-fi movie.
Not every car in Shanghai is meant to generate big sales numbers. Icona Design and Engineering's first product is the Vulcano, with a 6.0-liter V12 engine meant to rival the best Ferraris on the road today.
Chery continues its strange naming system with the @Ant, a two-seat electric car designed to find others like it on the road and link up, forming a "road train" to deliver better fuel efficiency.
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