The Chinese car market is becoming increasingly significant after overtaking Japan as the world’s second-largest market with some 7.2 million new car registrations last year and 200 local car manufacturers.

The Shanghai Motor Show, which ran from April 22 to 28, showed that there is a clear trend away from simply copying European or American designs and Chinese manufacturers are instead hiring European design studios to develop more individual concepts.

“In contrast to earlier years there is a clear trend away from copycat designs,” a BMW manager said at the show.

Nevertheless, the Shanghai show still featured many a design that looked all too similar to many a well known model such as the Opel/Vauxhall inspired Haima S1. Geely featured a coupe that looked like a crossing between a Subaru and Alfa.

No other car maker seems to imitate so drastically other cars like Great Wall Motors where lookalikes of the Toyota Auris, Nissan Cube and Fiat Panda Cross stand in the spotlight.

In addition come the legally acquired copies of the Rover 75 at Roewe and the rejuvenated MG models.

But here and there the Chinese car makers are demonstrating self- confidence with their own designs. Cherry for instance has assigned the Turino Design studio with a sports car in the compact class segment that could almost compete with an Alfa as a Shooting Sport. Next door is a very European looking A6-CC.

Roewe too has demonstrated with its W2 model that it can build a nice sedan without looking at plans from England.

Possibly the most significant car on show in Shanghai came from Brilliance in the FRV joint venture with BMW. It is the first Chinese producer with a European-wide sales network for the car that will compete with the likes of the VW Golf and Kia Cee’d.

Apart from design, the Chinese are paying more attention to the environment with several frugal diesel and petrol engines on show next to self-developed hybrids, electric cars and fuel cell concepts.

According to the secretary general of the Chinese automobile production association CAAM, Yiang Lei, local car producers are becoming more important with their own design and technology. However, the prestigious market for government vehicles and the luxury segment remains firmly in the hand of the foreign car makers, especially the German producers.

Audi’s CEO, Rupert Stadler, for instance sees the Chinese market becoming almost a second domestic market. Audi’s Cross Coupe Quattro design study revealed in Shanghai has international significance. BMW celebrated a world premiere in Shanghai with board chairman Norbert Reithofer unveiling the new four-door luxury sports coupe Concept CS.

Other car makers such as Volkswagen took a back seat in Shanghai. VW is focusing on the Olympic Games next year, showing a modified version of the Passat that will sell as the Magotan in China. Volkswagen also highlighted its fuel-saving concepts with models such as the Touran EcoFuel running on natural gas or the frugal twin charger petrol engines. Porsche displayed its current models while Mercedes is trying to lure top earners with the Maybach 62S or the AMG version of the S-Class.

The stretched limousine market is an important segment in China with longer versions of the Audi A6, BMW 5 and the Buick from General Motors developed especially for the Chinese market. While the top model Park Avenue has ceased production in the United States it is celebrating a comeback in China along with the design study Riviera.