SAIC Motor, China’s biggest carmaker and the owner of local brands Roewe and MG, launched its first SUV that features a new all-wheel drive system at the Shanghai Auto show. Great Wall Motor Co started selling its new Havel premium H6 Coupe and high-end H8 type to expand its footprint in the SUV market. Sales of domestically-made SUVs in China have surged 108% year-on-year to 728,900 units in the first quarter, compared with a 48.8% growth of all SUVs sold in China for the same period, indicating that domestic car makers are gaining market share in the SUV segment. Lincoln, the luxury brand of Ford, used the show for the China launch of its two new SUVs – the mid-size cross-over Lincoln MKX and full-size Lincoln Navigator. The GLC Coupe by Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz also made its China debut at the show, following its unveiling at the Detroit auto show in January that marked the start of the German brand’s plans to expand into the SUV market. SUVs accounted for more than 25% of China’s passenger vehicle market for the first time in March.

The show, held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), displayed a total of 1,343 vehicles, with 109 of them making their world debut and 44 on their Asian debut. Automakers, with Chinese government backing, are making a renewed push for new-energy vehicles, displaying the latest fully-electric models and hybrids. Volkswagen announced plans to locally produce more than 15 new-energy vehicles in China in the next four years, while General Motors will launch a plug-in hybrid version of its Cadillac brand CT6 sedan. Electric and hybrid vehicle sales in the country reached 26,581 in the first quarter of this year, three times the number in the same period in 2014 but still accounting for less than 1% of total sales. Inconvenience about charging was one of the major reasons stopping people from buying new energy cars, according to a new survey conducted by the Shanghai Statistics Bureau. About half of the surveyed said they were not considering buying new energy vehicles in the near future.

Top 5 must-see vehicles at the Shanghai Auto Show according to the South China Morning Post were the Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce; Bentley Exp 10 Speed 6; BMW X5 xDrive40e; Tesla Model S P85D; and the BYD – Yuan.