Auto Shanghai 2005 Aims for New Record Next Spring

SHANGHAI, China, Oct. 25, 2004 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd. (SIEC) announces that "The 11th International Automobile and Manufacturing Technology Exhibition, Shanghai" (''Auto Shanghai 2005'') will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from April 22 to 28, 2005, under the theme of "A Better Auto, A Better Life."

Auto Shanghai 2005 will be organized by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the CCPIT Shanghai Sub-Council, the CCPIT Sub-Council of the Automotive Industry, and co-organized by SIEC, Messe Munich International and IMAG -- Internationaler Ausstellungs -- und Messedienst GmbH. The China Machinery Industry Association will give special support, while the Society of Automotive Engineers of China (SAE-China) will provide general assistance.

All seven indoor exhibition halls, two temporary exhibition halls and the full outdoor exhibition space of the Shanghai New International Expo Center are rented to exhibitors, amounting to an area of 120,000 square meters. This provides 50% more space than the previous show in 2003.

To provide journalists with as much information as possible and to accommodate requirements from different attendees, the organizers have decided to establish April 21 as Press Day -- meaning the exhibition is only open to international and domestic media. April 22 and 23 will be Professional Visitor Days and on April 24 to 28 the exhibition will be open to the public.

Exhibit & Exhibitors

The exhibition will showcase sedans, sports cars, passenger cars, commercial vehicles, commercial vehicle as well as vehicle parts and accessories, stereos, testing and maintenance facilities as well as other auto products. The exhibits will reflect the latest achievements of the international auto industry and the advanced technologies and products of China's domestic automakers.

World-renowned car manufactures will participate in the grand event, allied with their respective brands. Ford Motors, including Volvo, Mazda, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln and Aston-Martin, will be present at the show, with one of the larger exhibition areas. This will also be the first time Ford Motors attends the exhibition in Shanghai. Auto Shanghai has now achieved an international level A standard -- the highest international ranking for an auto exhibition.

General Motors, including all its relevant GM brands, Shanghai GM and the GM car models launched with its strategic partners, will show their glamour at the world's first brand participation at Auto Shanghai 2005. As one of the top three auto makers in China's domestic auto industry, Shanghai GM will appear in Shanghai next year signaling its ambition to become the leader of China's auto industry.

Daimler Chrysler, including Mercedes-Benz sedans, Benz trucks, Beijing Jeep, Mitsubishi and Chrysler, will take part in the show on a gigantic exhibition scale. Maybach will also debut in the Benz exhibition booth, having close contact with Auto Shanghai 2005.

Volkswagen Group, including Volkswagen AG, Shanghai VW, FAW-VW, Audi, FAW- Audi, Bugatti, Bentley and Skoda, will participate in the form of the whole group for the first time in China, and is expected to be the fleet with the most number of brands at the exhibition. Luxury brand, Bugatti, will debut in China at the show. Each of these four auto giants have applied for nearly 10,000 square meters of exhibition space and look to confirm Auto Shanghai 2005 as an international level A exhibition.

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG has also confirmed their attendance. BMW, to be accompanied by BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, MINI and Rolls Royce, will present numerous high-end models with an exhibition space that is expected to dwarf many. The scale of the multinational auto giants will escalate the event to a new high, and help set the scene for Auto Shanghai 2005 to be the best auto exhibition in Asia.

Other top auto makers from Europe will appear at the show on a large scale: Peugeot, Dongfeng Peugeot, Citroen, Dongfeng Citroen, Nanjing Automobile NAW-Fiat and luxury brand from Japan -- Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Guangzhou Honda, Dongfeng Honda, Suzuki, and Orichi; as well as South Korean Hyundai Kia and their joint ventures.

Overseas commercial vehicle manufacturers that have confirmed their participation include heavy-duty trucks from Volvo, Benz, Renault and Auman.

CEOs and major officials of the multinational auto giants will visit China during the show, making Auto Shanghai an important meeting ground and grand event for international automakers. Global magnates will gather together in Shanghai, prompting communication and cooperation between domestic and international auto companies.

China's domestic carmakers will compete with their foreign counterparts in the same venue. First Automotive Works will show its grandness, with its annual production exceeding one million, thanks to a 5,000 square meter exhibition space. As one of the World's Top 500 Companies, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp will appear at the show to be held at ''Home'' on an extremely large scale. Chang'an Motor Corp. will attend the exhibition in the form of the whole group, accompanied by its Chang'an Motor Co., Ltd., Chang'an Ford and Chang'an Suzuki, which shows the confidence of domestic carmakers in growing stronger and bigger. In addition, Chery, Southeast, Geely, Jianghuai, Southern Auto, Huatai, Great Wall, Hafei and BYD have also signed up.

Exhibition Services

During the exhibition, various activities, such as an interactive online car exhibition ( http://www.autoshanghai.com.cn/ ), a high-level forum, united activities connecting Formula 1, and a selection of other activities will be launched.

The organizers for Auto Shanghai 2005 have been aiming to improve the services available to exhibitors, media and visitors. Auto Shanghai 2005 will further provide two new press centers, with a total space of 1,000 square meters. In addition to providing advanced facilities, free of charge for journalists, courier services will be available. The comfortableness of facilities and services in the relaxation area. It is expected that the show will witness nearly 5,000 journalists from both home and abroad. Visitors will also be able to use the free shuttle services, using brand new buses. To facilitate the elderly and children, free sightseeing buses between different exhibition halls will be available. Shanghai Mobile and Shanghai Unicom will provide engineering vehicles to expand the network coverage of mobile handsets, thus helping to reduce any lack of network coverage. In addition, more relaxation areas will be available to exhibitors and visitors, thus further improving service quality.

About Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd. (SIEC)

Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd. (SIEC) is jointly invested by Shanghai World Expo (Group) Co., Ltd. and the Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Shanghai. The SIEC was founded on July 1st, 1984 with the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation and the People's Government of Shanghai Municipality. The SIEC is a full member of Union des Foires Internationales (UFI). With the total exhibition space of 3 million square meters, the SIEC has held 500 international exhibitions of various themes and sizes. It also has successfully held a number of solo exhibitions at national level.

  For more information, please contact:

   Mr. Gu Chunting, Show Director of SIEC
   Tel:   +86-21-6279-2828 x225
   Fax:   +86-21-6545-5124
   Email: guchunting@siec-ccpit.com