SHOTLIST

London - November 27, 2008

1. Mid sign reading Japan Car - Designs For The Crowded Globe

2. Wide sign reading Japan Car - Designs For The Crowded Globe and people walking in front

3. Wide Nissan Pivo 2 revolving

4. Mid Nissan Pivo 2 revolving

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eva Ng Kon Tia, Communications Associate, Nissan:

"Pivo2 is a concept car and it has been developed by Nissan based on market research that showed a lot of people have experienced difficulty with parallel parking, parking in general. So this car is revolutionary because the cabin rotates 360 degrees, so it allows you just to rotate the cabin, the wheels rotate as well and you just go straight through the parking. It's also an electric vehicle, so Pivo2 has been developed to have independence of 120 kilometres, so you can be health conscious and you know, saving the environment conscious."

6. Close Nissan Pivo 2 revolving

7. Pull out Nissan Pivo 2 revolving

8. Close Nissan Pivo 2 revolving

9. Wide Honda Insight

10. Set up shot Shigeru Ban, Architect

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Shigeru Ban, Architect:

"In Europe especially the car is a purely transportation means to go from one place to one place as quickly as possible. But the Japanese design is not simply the transportation means but also that it is the extension of your house or your room because our living space is a lot smaller so young people try to escape from parents so they use the car as an extension of your house or room. So that is also very different and also some of the cars that you see here it's like a Japanese traditional house. If you open up all the sliding doors you connect the inside and outside. Very flexible - that is a very particular design of the Japanese car."

12. Wide Toyota Plug in HV (Hybrid Vehicle)

13. Various plug in to recharge car battery

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Nahum, Principle Curator of Technology and Engineering, Science Museum:

"This is the Honda Insight, one of the environmentally responsive cars in the exhibition. Like the Toyota Prius, that everyone has heard of, it uses a petrol engine to or gasoline engine to drive a dynamo, and also charge a battery. And the car can switch intelligently from running on battery power or on petrol engine power if you like, depending on circumstance. The great advantage of the system is it mean that the engine is running at peak efficiency all the time whenever it's on."

15. Pan Honda Insight

16. Pull focus Honda Insight light

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Nahum, Principle Curator of Technology and Engineering:

"The cars in the exhibition are pointing to a future where the overt styling cues that suggest power, speed and in a way it can be seen as an incitement to aggression disappear in favour of more cubic cars where - if you like - are designed from the inside out. What's important in those cars is that the living space that you inhabit not, if you like, the impression it gives to the neighbours. So they are looking to a future which is much more collaborative, more gentle and where cars have to co-operate more in order for you to get around and get your journey done on time."

18. Pan Daihatsu Tanto to Toyota IQ

19. Wide Toyota bB

20. Tilt up Toyota bB

21. Pan Toyota bB rear light

22. Wide Toyota i-REAL

23. Mid Toyota i-REAL

24. Tilt up Toyota i-REAL

25. Tilt down interior entrance area Science Museum

26. Wide exterior Science Museum

LEAD IN:

It's a question that many economists and designers are asking themselves at the moment: "what will the future of the car industry look like?".

And for some at London's Science Museum the answer could lie in Japan.

STORYLINE:

Is this the vision of the future?

Nissan think so. This environmentally friendly electric car embodies - they say - cutting edge technologies and user-friendly innovations to create an unique car-driver relationship.

The centre piece of Pivo 2's design is its revolving three-person cabin which rotates 360 degrees.

It also also has unique facial and voice-recognition software in the form of a small robot that detects the mood of the driver which could have an impact on driver behaviour like road rage and sleepiness.

Eva Ng Kon Tia is a representative from Nissan.

She says that the Pivo 2 was designed based on market research which revealed that many people have trouble parallel parking.

In addition, she adds that being an electric car it is environmentally friendly.

The Japan Car exhibition also focuses on compact and environmentally friendly cars, showing how Japanese car design reflects the spirit of Japanese culture.

Shigeru Ban is a Japanese architect and one of the organisers of the exhibition.

He says that Japanese car design is more than just about transportation.

He explains that the car is seen as another form of living space because Japan is so crowded.

Environmental concerns are high on the list of Japanese car design.

Climate conscious hybrids are part of the exhibition and have been designed to reduce carbon and other emissions.

Andrew Nahum is Principle Curator of Technology and Engineering at the Science Museum.

He explains that the Honda Insight uses a petrol engine and is also able to charge a battery without affecting efficiency.

Nahum goes on to explain that that the cars in the exhibition reveal a possible future where cars are designed from the inside out.

He says that the emphasis is on the space inside the car acting as a living area rather than as a means to impress others.

Other vehicles featured in the exhibition include the Daihatsu Tanto which maximises inside space, the Toyota IQ which combines compactness and style, the Toyota bB and the futuristic Toyota i-REAL - a personal mobility vehicle.

Japan Car - Designs for the Crowded Globe runs at the Science Museum in London from 29th November 2008 until 19th April 2009. Tickets are �8 (US $12.40).

LEADIN :

Car designers are unveiling some unusual and futuristic designs at the Paris Motor Show in a bid to test market reaction.

Among them is a vehicle that has airless tyres.

STORYLINE:

Once every two years, car manufacturers roll into the Paris Motor Show ready to launch their latest four-wheeled designs on the world stage.

From luxurious motors to sporty hatchbacks and concept cars, manufacturers are displaying their vision of the future of motoring.

This beachy looking buggy is called America, a buggy cross over made by Venturi Automobiles, and a 100% electrical vehicle.

Small SUVs, also known as crossovers, are the fastest-growing segment of the market in the U.S. while in Europe sales are expected to grow 40 percent this year after doubling in 2014 according to IHS Automotive.

Nicolas Mauduit, Chief Technical Officer at Venturi Automobiles says they were searching for a unique design.

"We try to propose always new things. We try to achieve niche markets with exclusive customers, so that is (why) we are looking for something different, we think different and propose something we think could be cool to use."

For some 370,000 euros (463,770 US Dollar) (without VAT) wealthy customers with style can purchase 407 HP electric car to take out for a drive on sunny days and stay in a range of 250km provided by the 53kWh Lithium ion battery.

Mauduit says the vehicle is both eco-friendly and boasts good acceleration.

"It is 100% electric vehicle, so it's a battery (equipped) vehicle with two motors at the back linked to the gearbox with two speeds. Two speeds are made to make a very good acceleration. 0 to 100 km/h in less than 4.5 seconds and 0 - 200 km/h in 14 seconds, which is not so bad."

Another concept vehicle testing the water at the Paris Motor Show is MINI's new Superleggera Vision.

It's a collaborative venture between MINI and Italian design and body manufacturing specialists Touring Superleggera.

It's a compact roadster which - according to the manufacturers - focuses on the essentials, those being driving fun and aesthetic appeal.

The Superleggera is said to be a modern interpretation of a class open-top two-seater, combining British style and Italian flair with LED lights, chromed bars, smooth lines and colours.

Sam Livingstone, an automotive design specialist, says it is an interesting combination.

"I mean it's a fascinating car� this mash-up of being an Italian design house crashing into a sort of a very rationalist British brand. It's all about functionality, a very egalitarian brand with handmade Italian thing so the way those two things fuses� kind of a make this strange bastard (illegitimate) child. I think it works, it's a very lovely thing and it's one of the statements of Mini, it shows the boundary of the envelope of what they can do."

There are also several wacky looking personal mobility vehicles on show.

Toyota presented its improved version of i-Road, an ultra compact three wheels vehicle with a look of half car, half scooter.

The Japanese car manufacturer will by the end of the year start a three year test of integration of its electrical vehicle to public transportation in Grenoble, a mid-sized town in south-eastern France.

The vehicle that offers a range of 50km with a speed of 45 km/h, before you have to spend another three-hours recharging it.

"What we are doing in Grenoble is experimenting these very small personal mobility electric vehicles in connection with public transport system. We call it multi-modality transport and we think this is a future of cities in the world," says Jean-Yves Jault, a General Manager of Corporate Communication at Toyota.

Toyota's Coms concept car also appeared at Bridgestone's stand sporting the latest technology tyres, free air tyres that are designed to reduce CO2 emissions and all hassles linked to tyre maintenance.

"It is a tyre made of three parts, it's two circles which are stick to each other, the interior is (made) of plastic resin and on the top of the circle (wheel) comes a kind of a tyre patron in rubber. So in other words, there is no air in the tyre." explains Gert Meylemans, Executive Manager of Corporate Communication at Bridgestone.

" What we see today, one of the biggest problems is that the people just forget to take care of their cars, to check tyre pressure and check tyre trap depth. So that, in the future� one day it won't be necessary anymore with this kind of concept," he adds.

4H, an exclusively electric car manufacturer from Eastern France, are presenting what is perhaps the quirkiest concept car on show.

Based on Suzuki Jimmny platform, 4H is testing the market trying to see if a mix of two seater in a row - buggy - 4X4 - retro - style car would win plaudits.

"For the moment, we are just testing the reaction of the public and we don't want to go as far as designing a fully electric vehicle but if reactions are really positive we may consider making a small production run and, of course, using electric engines," says Thomas Maitre, R&D engineer at 4H Automobiles.

Car shows are the perfect place for manfacturer's to test market reaction to their most futuristic designs says Jason Stein, editor of Automotive news, a US based auto news magazine.

"Autoshows are always great proofing ground, a bit of an incubation lab for car companies to flow out the ideas that could possibly be the next best thing. And let's face it, the car companies are working five to ten years out with cool gadgets, cool gizmos that they can then apply to some of their technology of mainstream vehicles. So it's a testing ground, it's a bit of a litmus test for the public to see if there is some attraction to some of those quirky things. But on the whole, this is a breathing ground for innovation; this is where the industry really comes together to innovate and create some new and exciting products".

One concept that will soon transfer to the road is MINI's new five door version which debuted at the Paris Motor Show.

The sporty feel and identity of the popular little car has been retained, but with a little more space this design is more suitable for families.

A third rear seat means more leg room, and also increased headroom are some advantages that MINI will use to attract new clients.

Starting at 18,300 euros (22,907 US Dollars) , the new 5 door MINI and dozens of other new designs can be seen at Paris Motor Show until October 19th.

AP TELEVISION

Paris, October 3rd 2014

1. Vide of America, buggy cross over made by Venturi Automobiles, 100% electrical vehicle, 400hp

2. Wide tilt up of America, by Venturi Automobiles

3. Mid of America, front side

4. Wide rear view of America, by Venturi Automobiles

5. Wide tracking setup shot of Nicolas Mauduit, Chief Technical Officer at Venturi Automobiles

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Mauduit, Chief Technical Officer at Venturi Automobiles :

"We try to propose always new things. We try to achieve niche markets, with exclusive customers, so that's what we are looking for ,something different, we think different and propose something we think could be cool to use."

7. Min of America's dashboard

8. Close up left pan of vehicle commands

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicolas Mauduit, Chief Technical Officer at Venturi Automobiles :

"It is 100% electric vehicle, so it's a battery vehicle with two motors at the back linked to the gearbox with two speeds. The two speeds are made to make a very good acceleration. 0 to 100 km/h in less than 4.5 seconds and 0 - 200 km/h power in 14 seconds, which is not so bad."

10. Wide undershot of America, by Venturi Automobiles

11. Wide tilt up from America, by Venturi Automobiles to woman

12. Wide of Mini's electrical concept car 'Superleggera'

13. Wide front view of Mini Superleggera

14. Close up of Mini Superleggera front grill

15. Mid rear view of Mini Superleggera

16. Wide rear view of Mini Superleggera

17. Close up of rear stop light

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Livingstone, automotive design specialist, commenting Mini Superleggera concept car :

"I mean it's a fascinating car� this mash-up of being an Italian design house crashing into a sort of a very rationalist British brand. It's all about functionality, a very egalitarian brand with handmade Italian thing so the way those two things fuses� kind of a make this strange bastard (illegitimate) child. I think it works, it's a very lovely thing and it's one of the statements of Mini, it shows the boundary of the envelope of what they can do."

19. Wide left pan, side view of Mini Superleggera

20. Close up of Mini Superleggera's steering wheel

21. Close up of Mini Superleggera's GPS system

22. Wide right pan of Toyota's i-Road urban electrical car, driving on display

23. Mid tracking shot of i-Road

24. Close up of i-Road's front light

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Yves Jault, General Manager of Corporate Communications at Toyota

"What we are doing in Grenoble is experimenting these very small personal mobility electric vehicles in connection with public transport system. We call it multi-modality of transport and we think this is a future of cities in the world."

26. Wide side view of i-Road by Toyota

27. Mid of man sitting in i-Road

28. Mid of i-Road interior

29. Close up of i-Road's front wheel

30. Wide right pan from exhibit hall alley to Toyota's Coms concept car on Bridgestone's stand

31. Mid undershot of Bridgestone tyres on Toyota's Coms concept car

32. Mid pull focus of Bridgestone free-air tyres

33. Mid setup shot of Gert Meylemans, Executive Manager of Corporate Communication at Bridgestone

34. SOUNDBITE (English) Gert Meylemans, Executive Manager of Corporate Communication at Bridgestone :

"So basically it is a tyre made of three parts, it has two circles which are stick to each other, the interior is plastic resin and on the top of the circle (wheel) comes a kind of a tyre patron in rubber. So in other words, there is no air in the tyre."

35. Close up pull focus of Bridgestone's air-free tyres

36. Wide undershot of Toyota's concept car with new Bridgestone tyres

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Gert Meylemans, Executive Manager of Corporate Communication at Bridgestone :

"What we see today, one of the biggest problems is that the people just forget to take care of their cars, to check tyre pressure and check tyre trap depth. So that, in the future� one day it won't be necessary anymore with this kind of concept."

38. Wide of 4H Automobiles stand

39. Mid tilt up of 4H Concept car, based on Suzuki Jimmny platform

40. Wide side view of 4H Automobiles Concept car

41. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Maitre, R&D engineer at 4H Automobiles :

"For the moment, we are just testing the reaction of the public and we don't want to go as far as designing a fully electric vehicle but if reactions are really positive we may consider making a small production run and, of course, using electric engines."

42. Mid of 4H Automobiles employee getting in 4H concept car

43. Wide front view of 4H Concept car

44. Wide rear view of 4H Concept car

45. Close up of stop light of 4H Concept car

46. Wide side view of Volkswagen XL Sport concept car

47. Wide undershot of Volkswagen XL Sport concept car

48. Wide undershot of Volkswagen XL Sport concept car, turning on display, rear view

49. Wide undershot of Volkswagen XL Sport concept car, turning on display, front view

50. Wide left pan of Exhibit hall

51. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Stein, editor Automotive news, US based auto news magazine :

"Autoshows are always great proofing ground, a bit of an incubation lab for car companies to flow out the ideas that could possibly be the next best thing. And let's face it, the car companies are working five to ten years out with cool gadgets, cool gizmos that they can then apply to some of their technology of mainstream vehicles. So it's a testing ground, it's a bit of a litmus test for the public to see if there is some attraction to some of those quirky things. But on the whole, this is a breathing ground for innovation; this is where the industry really comes together to innovate and create some new and exciting products."

Paris, France - October 2, 2014

52. Various of five door Mini

LEADIN:

Automakers are showcasing their latest concept cars at Auto Shanghai, with more luxury, more room and more automation being the theme.

But most prominently, it's all-electric vehicles that are taking centre-stage.

STORYLINE:

Chinese electric vehicle startup Aiways unveiled its new U7 Ion concept at Auto Shanghai.

It's a four-door EV with a foldable table, multiple touchscreens and an indoor robot that glides across the interior roof.

The all-electric concept car was designed to offer space and comfort. It's also being unveiled at its place of origin - Shanghai.

China is rapidly catching up with Europe and the United States when it comes to technological innovation, claims Aiways' Alexander Carsten Klose.

"It's just not going to be the way it was in the past, that innovations only came from one area of the world, now they will come from everywhere," he says.

Klose says he's confident the European market is now ready for Chinese-branded and Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles.

One reason is they're more affordable than many other EVs currently on the market.

BMW's iNEXT concept car is also fully-electric and boasts autonomous driving features.

The interior features wooden floors, couch-like seats and almost minimalist design on the dashboard.

iNEXT's production model is slated to be built at the company's plant in Dingolfing, Germany, starting in 2021.

Meanwhile, Nissan's iMQ concept features an all-electric motor drive, delivering 250 kilowatts of output and 700 Nm of torque.

According to Nissan, with its geometric design, the iMQ blends "Japanese heritage with state-of-the-art, human-centric technology".

Toyota is presenting its full-EV concept Rhombus, a compact design with just one forward seat for the driver and couch-like seats in the back.

As automakers race for new energy technologies as well as intelligent transport systems, Cui Dongshu, the secretary-general of China's Passenger Car Association, says manufacturers are being laden with increasing development costs.

"We think the development of the technology is too fast, so for the enterprises, what they are facing now is a huge technology investment and exploration to the development," he says.

Auto Shanghai runs through 25 April at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

1. Wide of Aiways concept vehicle U7 Ion on display

2. Pan left of U7 Ion interior

3. Tracking shot from door to car interior

4. Mid of folding table opening

5. Pan right of screens behind car seats

6. Mid of car interior

7. Wide of U7 Ion on show floor

8. Setup shot of Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways, speaking

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"China is moving very fast these days. I think we also see some new concepts coming out of the U.S. or of Europe, it's just not going to be the way it was in the past, that innovations only came from one area of the world, now they will come from everywhere."

10. Various of Aiways booth and cars on display

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"In China, the one big advantage we have as a startup is that people here are more used to using battery-electric vehicles. And we have more data and more feedback already, what works and what doesn't work, so we have more experience in that field. That's what we think is our biggest advantage. At the same time, we have a lot of people in our company (who) are from traditional carmakers, so we know how to make a car to the highest quality standards."

12. Various of battery robot recharging Aiways vehicle

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"European consumers would actually accept a Chinese brand in something where the whole of Europe now recognise that China might have an advantage in development because it's an EV (electric vehicle). If it would have been a traditional combustion-engined car, maybe that question would be more relevant, but for an EV, we know there's much more experience over here in China, because China has been used to EVs for a much longer time."

14. Various of Nissan IMQ concept car

15. Various of Toyota Rhombus concept car

16. Wide of BMW booth

17. Various of BMW iNEXT concept car

Shanghai, China – 16 April 2019

18. Setup shot of Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, speaking

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG:

"China is really playing a leading role here. It is a very important element for automated driving. So, we are investing as a BMW group a lot in automated driving, you see here on the stand our BMW iNEXT, which is what I call the incubator of everything that BMW has to offer in terms of innovation. Of course, it's fully-electric with a range of 600 kilometres, but also offers a very high-level of automated driving capabilities and 5G is important to that. So, BMW Group is, as far as I know, the first international manufacturer that obtained a licence for automated road tests here in Shanghai. So, we are also cooperating very closely with our Chinese colleagues here."

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

20. Various of auto show floor

21. Various of Tesla booth

Shanghai, China – 16 April 2019

22. Setup shot of Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of China Passenger Car Association, speaking

23. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of China Passenger Car Association:

"We think the development of the technology is too fast, so for the enterprises, what they are facing now is a huge technology investment and exploration to the development."

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

24. Various of Chinese EV startup Enovate's car on display

LEADIN:

Automakers are showcasing their latest concept cars at Auto Shanghai, with more luxury, more room and more automation being the theme.

But most prominently, it's all-electric vehicles that are taking centre-stage.

STORYLINE:

Chinese electric vehicle startup Aiways unveiled its new U7 Ion concept at Auto Shanghai.

It's a four-door EV with a foldable table, multiple touchscreens and an indoor robot that glides across the interior roof.

The all-electric concept car was designed to offer space and comfort. It's also being unveiled at its place of origin - Shanghai.

China is rapidly catching up with Europe and the United States when it comes to technological innovation, claims Aiways' Alexander Carsten Klose.

"It's just not going to be the way it was in the past, that innovations only came from one area of the world, now they will come from everywhere," he says.

Klose says he's confident the European market is now ready for Chinese-branded and Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles.

One reason is they're more affordable than many other EVs currently on the market.

BMW's iNEXT concept car is also fully-electric and boasts autonomous driving features.

The interior features wooden floors, couch-like seats and almost minimalist design on the dashboard.

iNEXT's production model is slated to be built at the company's plant in Dingolfing, Germany, starting in 2021.

Meanwhile, Nissan's iMQ concept features an all-electric motor drive, delivering 250 kilowatts of output and 700 Nm of torque.

According to Nissan, with its geometric design, the iMQ blends "Japanese heritage with state-of-the-art, human-centric technology".

Toyota is presenting its full-EV concept Rhombus, a compact design with just one forward seat for the driver and couch-like seats in the back.

As automakers race for new energy technologies as well as intelligent transport systems, Cui Dongshu, the secretary-general of China's Passenger Car Association, says manufacturers are being laden with increasing development costs.

"We think the development of the technology is too fast, so for the enterprises, what they are facing now is a huge technology investment and exploration to the development," he says.

Auto Shanghai runs through 25 April at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

1. Wide of Aiways concept vehicle U7 Ion on display

2. Pan left of U7 Ion interior

3. Tracking shot from door to car interior

4. Mid of folding table opening

5. Pan right of screens behind car seats

6. Mid of car interior

7. Wide of U7 Ion on show floor

8. Setup shot of Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways, speaking

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"China is moving very fast these days. I think we also see some new concepts coming out of the U.S. or of Europe, it's just not going to be the way it was in the past, that innovations only came from one area of the world, now they will come from everywhere."

10. Various of Aiways booth and cars on display

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"In China, the one big advantage we have as a startup is that people here are more used to using battery-electric vehicles. And we have more data and more feedback already, what works and what doesn't work, so we have more experience in that field. That's what we think is our biggest advantage. At the same time, we have a lot of people in our company (who) are from traditional carmakers, so we know how to make a car to the highest quality standards."

12. Various of battery robot recharging Aiways vehicle

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"European consumers would actually accept a Chinese brand in something where the whole of Europe now recognise that China might have an advantage in development because it's an EV (electric vehicle). If it would have been a traditional combustion-engined car, maybe that question would be more relevant, but for an EV, we know there's much more experience over here in China, because China has been used to EVs for a much longer time."

14. Various of Nissan IMQ concept car

15. Various of Toyota Rhombus concept car

16. Wide of BMW booth

17. Various of BMW iNEXT concept car

Shanghai, China – 16 April 2019

18. Setup shot of Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, speaking

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG:

"China is really playing a leading role here. It is a very important element for automated driving. So, we are investing as a BMW group a lot in automated driving, you see here on the stand our BMW iNEXT, which is what I call the incubator of everything that BMW has to offer in terms of innovation. Of course, it's fully-electric with a range of 600 kilometres, but also offers a very high-level of automated driving capabilities and 5G is important to that. So, BMW Group is, as far as I know, the first international manufacturer that obtained a licence for automated road tests here in Shanghai. So, we are also cooperating very closely with our Chinese colleagues here."

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

20. Various of auto show floor

21. Various of Tesla booth

Shanghai, China – 16 April 2019

22. Setup shot of Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of China Passenger Car Association, speaking

23. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of China Passenger Car Association:

"We think the development of the technology is too fast, so for the enterprises, what they are facing now is a huge technology investment and exploration to the development."

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

24. Various of Chinese EV startup Enovate's car on display

LEADIN:

Automakers are showcasing their latest concept cars at Auto Shanghai, with more luxury, more room and more automation being the theme.

But most prominently, it's all-electric vehicles that are taking centre-stage.

STORYLINE:

Chinese electric vehicle startup Aiways unveiled its new U7 Ion concept at Auto Shanghai.

It's a four-door EV with a foldable table, multiple touchscreens and an indoor robot that glides across the interior roof.

The all-electric concept car was designed to offer space and comfort. It's also being unveiled at its place of origin - Shanghai.

China is rapidly catching up with Europe and the United States when it comes to technological innovation, claims Aiways' Alexander Carsten Klose.

"It's just not going to be the way it was in the past, that innovations only came from one area of the world, now they will come from everywhere," he says.

Klose says he's confident the European market is now ready for Chinese-branded and Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles.

One reason is they're more affordable than many other EVs currently on the market.

BMW's iNEXT concept car is also fully-electric and boasts autonomous driving features.

The interior features wooden floors, couch-like seats and almost minimalist design on the dashboard.

iNEXT's production model is slated to be built at the company's plant in Dingolfing, Germany, starting in 2021.

Meanwhile, Nissan's iMQ concept features an all-electric motor drive, delivering 250 kilowatts of output and 700 Nm of torque.

According to Nissan, with its geometric design, the iMQ blends "Japanese heritage with state-of-the-art, human-centric technology".

Toyota is presenting its full-EV concept Rhombus, a compact design with just one forward seat for the driver and couch-like seats in the back.

As automakers race for new energy technologies as well as intelligent transport systems, Cui Dongshu, the secretary-general of China's Passenger Car Association, says manufacturers are being laden with increasing development costs.

"We think the development of the technology is too fast, so for the enterprises, what they are facing now is a huge technology investment and exploration to the development," he says.

Auto Shanghai runs through 25 April at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

1. Wide of Aiways concept vehicle U7 Ion on display

2. Pan left of U7 Ion interior

3. Tracking shot from door to car interior

4. Mid of folding table opening

5. Pan right of screens behind car seats

6. Mid of car interior

7. Wide of U7 Ion on show floor

8. Setup shot of Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways, speaking

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"China is moving very fast these days. I think we also see some new concepts coming out of the U.S. or of Europe, it's just not going to be the way it was in the past, that innovations only came from one area of the world, now they will come from everywhere."

10. Various of Aiways booth and cars on display

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"In China, the one big advantage we have as a startup is that people here are more used to using battery-electric vehicles. And we have more data and more feedback already, what works and what doesn't work, so we have more experience in that field. That's what we think is our biggest advantage. At the same time, we have a lot of people in our company (who) are from traditional carmakers, so we know how to make a car to the highest quality standards."

12. Various of battery robot recharging Aiways vehicle

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexander Carsten Klose, Executive Vice President for Overseas Operations and Product Strategy at Aiways:

"European consumers would actually accept a Chinese brand in something where the whole of Europe now recognise that China might have an advantage in development because it's an EV (electric vehicle). If it would have been a traditional combustion-engined car, maybe that question would be more relevant, but for an EV, we know there's much more experience over here in China, because China has been used to EVs for a much longer time."

14. Various of Nissan IMQ concept car

15. Various of Toyota Rhombus concept car

16. Wide of BMW booth

17. Various of BMW iNEXT concept car

Shanghai, China – 16 April 2019

18. Setup shot of Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, speaking

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG:

"China is really playing a leading role here. It is a very important element for automated driving. So, we are investing as a BMW group a lot in automated driving, you see here on the stand our BMW iNEXT, which is what I call the incubator of everything that BMW has to offer in terms of innovation. Of course, it's fully-electric with a range of 600 kilometres, but also offers a very high-level of automated driving capabilities and 5G is important to that. So, BMW Group is, as far as I know, the first international manufacturer that obtained a licence for automated road tests here in Shanghai. So, we are also cooperating very closely with our Chinese colleagues here."

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

20. Various of auto show floor

21. Various of Tesla booth

Shanghai, China – 16 April 2019

22. Setup shot of Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of China Passenger Car Association, speaking

23. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of China Passenger Car Association:

"We think the development of the technology is too fast, so for the enterprises, what they are facing now is a huge technology investment and exploration to the development."

Shanghai, China – 17 April 2019

24. Various of Chinese EV startup Enovate's car on display