Shanghai Show: The Oddities

A quick tour of the automotive curios from the Shanghai show

By Riggers / Wednesday, 20 April 2011 / Loading comments

The Chinese car market might be running full-pelt towards maturity, but that doesn't mean it isn't still building deeply weird (though possibly not wonderful) cars.

Predictions are that it'll consume between 22 million and 26 million brand new cars per year by the end of the end of the decade and more than 11 million cars were built in China last year, but despite the automotive industry becoming a serious business in China, there's still more than enough room for oddities. Here a just a few from the Shanghai show...

This is the Geely Gleagle GS. Apparently it's 'super-cool looking with firely passion of youth of post 80s'. What's more astonishing is that it is fitted with a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission...	Ah, the Geely Engrand. This used to look like a Rolls-Royce. Then Rolls got upset and now it looks like a Buick that got fat
This, meanwhile, is a car...	...that gives birth to a scooter on demand
This is the Brilliance FRV Cross. Featuring a three-spoke wood-rimmed metal steering wheel. We kid you not	But it isn't all laughable. This is MG's latest Focus-sized concept, which looks quite serious. Although the model looks funny...
The Europeans were getting in on the madness too - Scania showed this 999hp tractor unit. Brilliant	The Chinese are still doing the 'new life for old metal' thing, too. There's the rebranded, like this Hummer...
...the re-nosed, like this Jeep...	...and the ripped off. Like the Landwind X9, which looks like a Vauxhall Frontera/ Isuzu, but isn't