Shanghai Motor Show 2013: Latest news & pictures

The Shanghai Motor Show 2013 shaped up to be one of the most relevant Chinese shows for UK car buyers.

It is the home show for Chinese car makers such as Brilliance, BYD, Chery, Dongfeng and Great Wall, however many global car brands chose to launch new cars in Shanghai, reflecting the growing importance of the Chinese car market.

The BMW X4 Concept made its world debut at Shanghai. Forget the Concept part of the X4's name. It's a virtually ready production model and the SUV will of course sit between the X3 and X5, when it comes on sale early next year.

The X4 isn't only new SUV launched at the show. The Citroen DSX Wild Rubis concept car previews a new Audi Q5 rival for the Citroen DS family. At the moment, the production car will only go on sale in China.

The Mercedes GLA is an SUV based on the A-Class and had its debut at Shanghai. It's a small SUV aimed to take on the likes of the Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque, though it is longer, wider and lower than those cars.

Another SUV at the show was the MG CS concept car. The CS previews a compact off-roader that is due on sale in 2015.

It wasn't the only MG on show, however - the MG3 made its debut at Shanghai. The MG3 is a rival for the Ford Fiesta or VW Polo. It will be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. It will be assembled in the UK alongside the MG6 and go on sale in the autumn.

See also

• Shanghai Motor Show 2013: top 10

• Shanghai Motor Show 2013: ugly cars

Ford grabbed the headlines by bringing back the iconic name, the Ford Escort. True, it is a model only for the Chinese market. Of more significance for UK buyers is the Escort's new 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine which we'll get in the new Mondeo when it arrives in September 2014.

Audi has given its new A3 saloon its public debut, while VW has revealed the CrossBlue Coupe and the iBeetle. There's the facelifted Skoda Superb on show too. 

An updated Porsche Panamera has been revealed, and the range will now include a new plug-in hybrid version that can go from 0-62mph in just 5.5 seconds yet still has an official fuel economy of 91mpg. It has an electric-only range of between 11 and 22 miles.

Maserati has unveiled the Ghibli, a BMW 5 Series rival designed to help boost its sales massively. Controversially, the Ghibli will be the first Maserati to have a diesel engine. 

Lexus aims to muscle in on 5 Series territory, too and at Shanghai it has revealed the Lexus GS 300h.

Kia hasn't just revealed a new car at the show, but a whole new brand. It has signed a joint venture with Chinese car maker Dongfeng to sell cars under a new brand called Horki.

Sister company Hyundai, meanwhile, revealed the China-only Hyundai Mistra.

There's plenty of exotic cars at the Shanghai motor show, too. Lamborghini is promising to spring a surprise with its 50th birthday Aventador LP720-4; the 220mph Icona Vulcano supercar will be launched at the show, and Bugatti revealed its Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse convertible.

The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is officially the world's fastest open-top car, having reached a maximum speed of 254.04mph on a run at the Volkswagen Group’s Ehra-Lessien proving grounds at the hands of Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu.

Bugatti is also using the Shanghai motor show to produce a limited run of eight “World Record Car” editions of the Grand Sport Vitesse, with each car costing around £1.7m before taxes.

If you prefer something even more luxurious, there will be a long-wheel-base version of the Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Future technology will be previewed in a clutch of concept cars. The Nissan Friend-Me will have a unique centre console designed to share information equally among the cabin's occupants. Nissan calls this 'Four Seat, One Mind Connectivity'.

The Suzuki Authentics concept car is a four-door saloon that may give clues to how production Suzuki cars will look in the future.

The Detroit Electric SP:01 looks uncannily like the Tesla Roadster, which itself it derived from the Lotus Elise. A former Lotus exec, Albert Lam, is behind the Detroit and it will be on show in Shanghai.