Liuzhou hosts China-ASEAN vehicle exhibition

The Ferrari 458 Italia at the expo. Photos Provided to China Daily

The third China-ASEAN (Liuzhou) Automobiles, Construction Equipments, Components and Parts Expo recently closed in Liuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The five-day exhibition from Oct 4 to 8 covered a total area of about 40,000 square meters, and more than half of the space was used to display passenger vehicles.

Among the exhibitors, there were more than 40 mainstream brands from China and abroad, including Volkswagen, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Chery, Great Wall and Geely as well as several supercar marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Aston Martin.

A special zone of the exhibition was used to display the passenger car brands made in Liuzhou, including the Fengxing, made by China's second-largest carmaker Dongfeng Motor Corp, and the Baojun, produced by a three-way joint venture among Shanghai's SAIC Group, General Motors and Liuzhou's Wuling Motors.

Automotive manufacturing is now one of the most important pillar industries in Liuzhou and contributes more than a third of the city's total industrial output.

The exhibition offered a good opportunity for locals to see and experience the latest car models up close, organizers said.

There were also many interactive activities during the auto show, making it a good site for recreation during the weeklong National Day holiday, they said.

Additionally, dealer exhibitors provided many incentives during the event, aiming to promote local car sales as well, they added.

According to statistics from media reports, the number of motor vehicles in the urban area of Liuzhou had surpassed 300,000 units by the end of last year.

A local survey showed that 56 percent of Liuzhou residents who do not have a car plan to buy one in three years, and 15 percent of the existing car owners plan to upgrade their vehicles or buy additional cars in three years.

Designed to be a platform to facilitate trade between China and the ASEAN, the expo also has displays by component makers from China and Southeast Asian nations, like Thailand and Vietnam.

Other exhibitors include major domestic manufacturers of construction machinery.

In addition, an exhibition zone for agricultural machinery was added this year catered specifically to the growing demand in ASEAN countries for these products.