Shanghai - April 21, 2009
1. Close of Toyota plug-in charger in electric car displayed on stage
2. Wide of plug-in electric car displayed in Shanghai Auto Show
3. Close of body of electric car with letters read 'plug in hybrid'
4. Medium of electric cars displayed on stage
5. Close of Citroen electric car RC Hybrid displayed on stage
6. Wide of Peugeot electric car with model posing on stage
7. Wide of GM electric car Volt
8. Close of bottom of Volt with signs
Shanghai - April 19, 2009
9. Wide interior of GM media briefing
10. Medium of engineer in briefing
11. Close of screen showing technical index of electric car
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Ray Bierzynski, Vice President for Engineering in the Asia-Pacific for General Motors Corp.:
'We are moving from the whole notion of vehicle as a mechanical device to more electric device. So again, if you think that way, it is changing the basic core or DNA of the vehicle, that's moving us from gasoline to electric.'
Shanghai - April 21, 2009
13. Medium of BYD plug-in electric car model displayed
14. Close, pull focus of plugs
15. Medium, pan of electric network in car
16. Wide, tilt town of power charging system
17. Close of lights flashing in battery charger
18. Close of green lights showing battery is under charging
19. Close of monitor showing battery charging process
20. Wide of BYD electric car displayed on stage with model posing beside
21. Close of sign of BYD electric car reads 'e6'
22. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin), Li Zhuhuang, General Manager of Auto Export Trade Division of BYD Auto Corp.:
'Compared to the traditional vehicle, the research and development of battery and control system is the essential technology for electric vehicle and some Chinese automakers especially BYD are actually take the lead in the world. We are advanced in technology instead of left behind, so this (electric car) is the new hope of Chinese auto industry and we can start from almost the same line with foreign automakers.'
23. Wide,zoom in of BYD staff showing customers electric car
24. Medium, zoom in of people in car
25. Close of button in car reads 'EV(electric vehicle)'
26. Wide of people in Shanghai auto show
27. Wide high shot interior of auto show
Beijing - April 9, 2009
28. Close of auto expert
29. Wide of auto expert working on computer
30. Close of computer screen showing report on auto industry
31.SOUNDBITE (English),Thomas Schiller, Managing Director for Consultants Arthur D. Little China:
'We see by the investment of the Chinese players that they could be very successful in doing this, because they can immediately implement and launch their models in their home market, gain experience with government support, then transfer this know-how to other markets and export this model to Europe and US. I think that could be definitely a successful model, at least it will be challenging for western companies.'
Shanghai - April 21, 2009
32. Wide of Chery stand in auto show
33. Medium of sign reads 'Chery EV'
34. Close, low angle of Chery plug-in car
35. Wide, pan of Chery electric car displayed
36. Wide of cars in street of Shanghai
37. Medium of cars on road
LEAD IN :
The Shanghai Auto Show, once a venue for the West to show off its cars to a country still relying on bicycles, is now a showcase for China's own industry as it overtakes the U.S. in market size.
From electric vehicles to the biggest gas-guzzling SUVs, China's automakers are manoeuvring to upstage their global rivals in the only major market that is showing resilience during the global financial crisis.
China's up-and-coming automakers unveiled a wide range of new vehicles at Shanghai's auto show, from compacts and electric vehicles to the biggest, brassiest SUVs and luxury sedans.
As ailing global automakers agonise over their survival strategies, China's upstarts are racing them to launch homegrown electric vehicles in the only major market that is still growing.
'Going EV ( Electric Vehicle)' has been one of the main strategies for world automakers to revive in Chinese market this year.
Hundreds of electric vehicles were showcased in Shanghai's biannual auto show that opened on Monday, including plug-in vehicles from world auto giants like Toyota and General Motors.
Ray Bierzynski, Vice President for Engineering in the Asia-Pacific for General Motors Corp, says the whole concept of what powers their vehicles is changing.
'We are moving from the whole notion of vehicle as a mechanical device to more electric device. So again, if you think that way, it is changing the basic core or DNA of the vehicle, that's moving us from gasoline to electric.'
Detroit-based GM is scaling back even in other parts of Asia, but it aims to double sales in China to about 2 million units a year within the next five years.
There was little sense of the gloom prevailing elsewhere in the industry _ and Chinese-made cars seemed to draw the biggest crowds.
Sales in China hit a monthly record 1.1 million in March, exceeding U.S. sales for the third month in a row as tax cuts and other government incentives drew customers back into showrooms after a brief slump late last year.
And the real crowd-drawers Monday seemed to be the Chinese automakers.
They may remain reliant on mostly foreign technology and design and are still nowhere close to meeting finicky U.S., European and Japanese standards, but they are catching up, analysts say.
The new darling of the domestic crowd is battery-maker BYD Auto, whose electric vehicle technology has attracted investment from Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
BYD's F3 compact was China's 10th biggest selling car last year.
BYD introduced only one new model the M6 multipurpose vehicle, but it had plenty of its latest electric and gas-fuelled cars on show, including its plug-in hybrid F3DM.
BYD's F3DM, launched only for fleet sales in December, runs up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) on a single charge before reverting to its conventional engine.
It says the current price of 150,000 yuan ($22,000) may drop to about 110,000 yuan ($16,000) once it ramps up scale.
BYD says it plans to begin exporting vehicles to the United States by 2011.
Li Zhuhuang, General Manager of Auto Export Trade Division of BYD Auto Corp, says research and development in technology is the key, and the Chinese are leading the way in electric vehicle technology.
Chinese consumers, most of them still first-time car buyers, are relatively open to electric vehicles since many already own electric scooters and motorbikes.
Auto analyst Thomas Schiller, Managing Director for Consultants Arthur D. Little China says that the Chinese strategy is likely to be very successful.
'We see by the investment of the Chinese players that they could be very successful in doing this, because they can immediately implement and launch their models in their home market, gain experience with government support, then transfer this know-how to other markets and export this model to Europe and US. I think that could be definitely a successful model, at least it will be challenging for western companies.'
Other domestic competitors are joining the fray.
Chery Automobile Co., the country's biggest homegrown car maker, also showcased its electric vehicle 'Riich M1' during the auto show.
Chery says its new S18 hybrid, equipped with iron-phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries,can run up to 150 kilometers (94 miles) on a single charge.
Auto sales in China hit a monthly record of 1.11 million vehicles in March, exceeding U.S. sales for the third month in a row, as tax cuts and rebates for small car purchases lured buyers back into showrooms.
No purely electric vehicles, apart from a few experimental buses, are on Chinese roads just yet: automakers are still working on developing products with prices and performance that are competitive with conventional cars.
