click above image to view more model pics from the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show
Whether it's the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris, or the Shanghai Motor Show in China, one thing remains constant: models standing next to cars. We've had a lot of discussions lately about why models are still used at auto shows in this enlightened age, and our best answer is that automakers want the public to feel like they would look this good standing next to a Buick, BMW or Geely automobile. Clearly, this strategy is not lost on the many Chinese automakers at the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show. Our colleague from Autoblog Chinese kept his camera snapping a couple extra frames at each display so he could assemble this Girls of Shanghai Gallery for us, so we hope you enjoy. It's interesting to note the mix of western and Asian models hired for this show, as well.
click above image to view more pics of the Geely Meirenbao II in our gallery
We showed you spy shots of this car earlier in the week, but our man on the floor in Shanghai met up with the Geely Meirenbao II on the show floor today. Apparently the Meirenbao on display today is the second generation of an earlier concept produced by Geely. The new model's front clip has been compared by some to an R34 Nissan Skyline. We've got plenty of live shots showing the car from every angle, so we'll let you be the judge of whether or not the Skyline has influenced Geely's designers. This the first time we've seen the rear of the Meirenbao, and it appears as disconnected from the vehicle's overall design as we guessed. We also noticed it would take a good arm to swing a suitcase or grocery bag up over that extremely high trunk lid.
Like most Chinese automakers, Geely exclaims its intent on entering the North American every chance it gets. We're wondering what kind of reception a design like this would receive cruising down Woodward Ave. Either way, Geely gets an E for effort.
E-Flex vehicle line executive Tony Posawatz with the fuel cell E-Flex
Following up on the plan they laid out when they revealed the Chevy Volt at the Detroit Auto Show, General Motors has unveiled the second major iteration of the E-Flex platform at the Shanghai Motor Show. The whole premise of E-Flex was to have a plug-in electrically driven vehicle that could accommodate different auxiliary power units for extending the range. E-Flex version two replaces the flex-fuel gas/E85 engine with the latest generation of GM's internally developed fuel cell technology. All the details on the new concept are over at AutoblogGreen.
If Great Well weren't building cars for the Chinese market, they would most likely be making Rolexx watches or Hermez bags. Instead, they are showing a lineup of six cars at the Shanghai Motor Show this week including at least two that will be familiar to Autoblog readers. For those of you who preferred the original Scion lineup to the new ones that were rolled at the Chicago Auto Show, it looks like Great Wall has them both along, with a bunch of other cars that look vaguely familiar.
On the eve of the Shanghai Motor Show, Audi will hold a press conference at which Chairman of the Board of Management, Rupert Stadler, will unveil a design study of what the automaker only describes as a "compact performance SUV." Needless to say, our interest is piqued. The reveal is scheduled to occur at 11:15AM GMT Thursday, so we'll make sure we're up bright and early to bring you the details in time for your morning coffee.
Stay tuned. (And no, the image above is not of the Shanghai concept. It's just a file photo.)
Chery has released the first photos of the Shooting Sport Concept it will be unveiling later this week in Shanghai, and it's quite faithful to the sketches the automaker released earlier in the month. An attractive three-door with a particularly Prius-esque look up front, the Shooting Sport appears to be production-ready save for some of the more concept-like elements inside the passenger cabin. For example, the fancy gauges, abundant white leather, green trim, and yellow mood lighting would likely go in favor of more conventional-looking, less costly materials. That said, the basic shapes of the console and IP are not unorthodox and could likely carry over. Power 8-way seats, a normal-looking DVD navigation system, and a 60/40 split back seat are among the other features on the concept that would probably transfer to a future production car. Save for the "inspired by" Toyota face, the rest of the car looks like something that wouldn't be out of place with a European marque's badge on the hood, and that's no bad thing, aesthetically. We'll have more on the Shooting Sport, including, we assume, powertrain info, when the Shanghai Motor Show gets rolling.
Autoblog Chinese has the early word on Buick's Shanghai Motor Show concept, and it's got another familiar name attached to it: Riviera. Better still, it's a coupe -- no Dodge Charger-style door growth here. The Riviera is being called a "global" concept that showcases Buick's future design DNA. Penned at GM's Pan Asia Technical Center, the Shanghai show is just the first venue at which it'll be shown. According to AB Chinese's report, it will travel to other international auto shows afterward. Hopefully that schedule will include next year's North American exhibitions, where there will likely be no shortage of people interested in seeing the Riviera nameplate on a modern Buick coupe, concept or otherwise.
The Riviera features a traditional coupe profile with short front and rear overhangs and a tall nose that we sure meets pedestrian safety requirements in a number of markets. Not traditional, however, are the car's oversized gullwing doors, which allow for wide entrance into the Riviera's apparent 2+2 interior layout. We should have a lot more on this car next week as the Shanghai show gets rolling.
We're left scratching our heads as to why the US division insists on using silly names like LaCrosse and Lucerne for its cars, while China manages to see the value in leveraging the traditional American monikers with some history behind them, like Regal, Park Ave, and now Riviera.
The new Buick Park Avenue was formally unveiled in Shanghai yesterday, and there's a lot of new media out in support of it. First off, clicking the image above will bring you to a high-res photo gallery of the Chinese-built Park Ave, which is based on Holden's long-wheelbase WM Stateman and Caprice. As the interior photos show, the cabin has been dressed up extensively, with tasteful use of wood on the wheel, dash and rear snack trays. As with the superb-looking Cadillac SLS, the Park Ave is geared toward the backseat passengers. The car's available engines are built at Holden's engine manufacturing facility in Victoria and shipped to China for installation. As you might have expected, Buick has called upon one Tiger Woods to star in the first television commercial for the new Park Ave. You can watch it after the jump, as well as read the latest press release.
GM announced today that the Buick Park Avenue is making a return to the marketplace as a RWD, Zeta-based vehicle. Unfortunately for us, that marketplace is China.
The Park Avenue, like the GM Daewoo L4X introduced last week in Seoul, is a rebadged Holden WM Caprice/Statesman, and as such, it shares the big Aussie sedan's 3,009 mm wheelbase. As we've seen in other upscale GM China products, the new Park Avenue is equipped for maximum luxury, with seat massagers installed for all four passengers, a navigation system, in-car entertainment pumped to LCD displays, and available Bluetooth integration. The only image available at post time is the one you see above, which shows the familiar Holden profile. We expect to see the car's full-tilt introduction take place next week at the Shanghai Motor Show.
Power for the top-of-the-line Park Avenue comes from GM's 250-horsepower 3.6L V6. Complete information can be found in the press release after the jump. UPDATE: High-res photo gallery now added.
There seems to be some confusion over what vehicle Chrysler will choose to sell in North America from the Chery lineup. We recently shared speculation that the renamed A1 would be the most likely Chery to carry a Dodge badge in small car segments around the globe. It seems, however, that nobody actually knows which of six Chery models Chrysler will choose.
The latest twist came on the heels of an announcement by Chery that identified the A1 as being its first collaboration with Chrysler, to be shown at the Shanghai Motor Show in April. But the official Xinhua news reported Chery saying, "The A1 would be the first of at least six small vehicle models to be manufactured by Chery with the cooperation of Chrysler."
Not so fast, says Chrysler. The U.S. automaker insists that it hasn't even decided which model it wants to use, and that there are only intentions to use one model. But Mike Aberlich, a Chysler corporate spokesperson, told just-auto that these issue are still being worked out, going to say, "We know what model it will be but we haven't announced it yet."
Ah, well that clears things up nicely. We'll keep you posted about this potential Fit fighter, whatever it ends up being.
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If Great Well weren't building cars for the Chinese market, they would most likely be making Rolexx watches or Hermez bags. Instead, they are showing a lineup of six cars at the Shanghai Motor Show this week including at least two that will be familiar to Autoblog readers. For those of you who preferred the original Scion lineup to the 
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