THERE ARE TWO sides to Auto China. On one hand, this ninth event shows that the mainland's economy has come a long way, with every overseas luxury marque going full tilt for a piece of China's elite-spending action. And, judging by the crowds around the Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Porsche and Ferrari stands at Beijing's International Exhibition Centre this week, Hong Kong is no longer the gateway to China's estimated 300,000 millionaires.
On the other hand, the 10-day event (it alternates each year between Beijing and Shanghai) shows that China's cars are beginning to look exportable. Great Wall, Landwind and Tanghua turned heads at the Paris motor show, just as KIA and Hyundai, Daihatsu and Toyota once did at their international debuts many years ago.
Mainland cars undoubtedly stole the show in Beijing. One-third of the 575 displays were China-built, and although some models might have seemed crazy, cheap and nasty to international tastes, others drew the biggest crowds among an estimated 500,000 visitors.
A few of the models would be perfectly at home in cosmopolitan, right-hand-drive Hong Kong. The most eye-catching were the Hongqi (Red Flag) lineup from the Changchun-based First Auto Works, the nation's largest car-maker. Hongqi has long been the patriotic choice for tycoons and recently took aim at international stretches with an HQD limousine that looks like a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Hongqi's latest is the HQ3. Based on the Toyota Crown Majesta, it's powered by a three-litre (499,800 yuan) or 4.3-litre V8 (688,800 yuan) engine that can take a cadre to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds. And there's lots of luxuries inside: electronic speed-sensing; progressive variable ratio steering; automatic guidance systems; night-vision systems that can detect obstacles from 250 metres; a radar pre-collision system; adaptive front lighting and navigation systems, with a backup camera - and plenty more.
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation unveiled its plush Roewe 750 (up to 320,000 yuan) and the sedan's European styling aroused plenty of interest.
Dongfeng Motor exhibited 15 cars, including the marque's debutant 2.4-litre Dongfeng sports saloon, which impressed with independent suspension, hydraulic steering and SRS air bags.
Apart from the Big Three, there was plenty of innovation from the likes of Chery, Chang'an, Brilliance and Great Wall. Wuhu, Anhui-based Chery Automobile had an ambitious presence at the show, with nine concept cars, five engines and one gearbox. Website edmunds.com says the marque 'hopes to begin selling cars in North America as soon as 2008'. It presented the sleek, yellow, 107bhp, 1.6-litre Fulwin II coupe by Torino Design, and the V2, a 1.3-litre eight-seat minivan with three rows of seats, dual airbags, antilock braking system, electric brake force distribution, seat belt pretensioners and a CD player. The marque's sinewy Tiggo5 five-door crossover SUV also took the spotlight with a hunky range of 1.6, 2.0 and 2.4-litre petrol engines.