Hundreds of thousands of people have visited Shanghai's auto show since it opened on April 18. It is expected that the total number will exceed 1 million by the time the event wraps up on April 27.

"It is a good chance for carmakers to receive direct feedback from end consumers, which is what companies really care about," said Xu Haidong, deputy chief engineer of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

The strong momentum of China's automotive industry has been on display at the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, said Xu, who toured the event at the city's National Exhibition and Convention Center after it opened to trade representatives on April 18.

"The overall capacity of China's auto industry is on the rise, producing competitive products and services," said Xu, who was excited to spot various new models at the exhibition.

The exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2023, is the first A-class international auto show to be held in China since the country adjusted its COVID-19 response. Carmakers from across the world are presenting their products, technological innovations and services at the show.

According to the organizer, about 1,000 enterprises from 20 countries and regions are participating, and around 1,500 vehicles are on display.

"As the spending power of Chinese consumers increases, Chinese brands have introduced luxury models," Xu noted.

Xu said he was impressed by Chinese brands' technological innovations, including carmaker BYD's smart vehicle control system Yunnian and a condensed battery made by Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL).

BYD said the Yunnian system can improve vehicles' stability when drivers brake at high speeds, go around bends or across bumpy roads. With an energy density of up to 500 watt hours per kilogram, CATL's new battery is said to be able to achieve both high energy density and a high level of safety.

"The entire automobile industry in China is pushing technological advancement of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which are designed to save energy, reduce emissions, and help the country achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals," said Xu.

Statistics from CAAM show that growth in sales of NEVs in China has been the highest in the world for eight consecutive years. In 2022, the number of sales reached over 6.88 million, up 93 percent year on year. From January to March this year, NEVs' sales volume in China surpassed 1.58 million, with year-on-year growth of 26 percent.

China's NEVs have been sold in overseas markets as well. Chinese auto companies exported 248,000 NEVs in the first quarter of this year, up 1.1 times year on year, according to CAAM.

Mu Feng, president of Great Wall Motor, told China Media Group (CMG) in a recent interview that Chinese carmakers need to compete both in domestic and international markets, as China's NEVs become the name card of the Chinese automobile industry.

At the forum Key Tech 2023 during the auto show, Shen Haoming, deputy general manager of the technical management department of SAIC Motor, said brand strategy based on consumers' diversified needs and technological innovation focused on consumer experience are currently indispensable elements of NEVs' development in China.

"The NEV industry has become a key part of high-end, green and intelligent manufacturing industry in China to achieve high-quality development," said Shen.

Auto and component companies also displayed new products and technologies at the show related to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which are known for high efficiency, zero emissions and long driving range.

China has seen rapid development of hydrogen energy in recent years and has attracted foreign enterprises to build hydrogen energy research centers, and produce hydrogen fuel cells and other core components in the country.

At the beginning of 2023, a high-capacity membrane electrode assembly (MEA) production line operated by Germany's Bosch was launched in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province. MEA is the core portion of converting hydrogen into electricity.

In Chongqing, a city in southwest China, the country's first national hydrogen power quality supervision and inspection center was put into operation earlier this year.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are now used in Shanghai's online ride-hailing services. Hydrogen fuel cells are also used in commercial vehicles and heavy trucks in China.