Construction workers are setting up booths at the automobile exhibition hall of the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. Nearly 60 companies from 16 countries and regions will display vehicles and other products in the area during the upcoming China International Import Expo. Photo: Xie Jun/GT

The upcoming second China International Import Expo (CIIE) will become a rendezvous of cutting-edge automobile technologies including new concept cars like hydrogen-powered vehicles, electric cars and "flying cars", as well as a display of international car giants' transformation efforts by rolling out products like small planes and motorcycles, a representative of CIIE's automobile exhibition area said on Monday. 

Nearly 60 companies from 16 countries and regions will display their products in the automobile exhibition hall of the second CIIE to be held from November 5-10. Among those companies, many are industry leaders including Volkswagen (VW), Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and automobile parts giant Bosch, Tong Minqi, who is in charge of the CIIE's automobile section, said at a press conference on Monday. 

According to Tong, a highlight of this year's CIIE automobile exhibition will be the concept of "future" car industry, with about 70 new products and technologies set to be exhibited. 

For example, German car giant VW will create an all-electric car exhibition stand with about 1,500 square meters of exhibition area. Japan-based Toyota will bring its hydrogen-powered Mirai to the exhibition, while Benz will display an L2-level autonomous driving truck. The "flying car", a combinition of car and airplane made by AeroMobil, will also be displayed at the second CIIE after making a debut last year. 

An outdoor exhibition area will also be arranged at the northern square of the National Exhibition and Convention Center where visitors can experience innovative automobile technologies and automonous driving cars, Tong said. 

Overseas car companies are presenting their cutting-edge products and technologies in China at a time when Chinese market warmed up for overseas car brands. In the first half of this year, China imported 5,3000 cars from overseas, up by 17.2 percent on a yearly basis, according to data of a car indsutry report released by China Automobile Dealers Association in June. 

Zhang Zhiyong, founder of the Beijing-based car data service provider iwenfeng.cn, told the Global Times recently that competition will heat up in 2020 for overseas car companies in the NEV sector in China, with brands like Toyota introducing electric cars and Tesla rolling out locally made Model 3s. 

Apart from high technology car and car products, overseas car companies will also exhibit their upgraded business concept at the upcoming CIIE, Tong said. 

"Many car companies are embracing changes by expanding their businss scope from just selling cars to selling a range of transportation products. Honda, for example, will exhibit its concept of 'all-round travel' at the CIIE, not only displaying cars but also products like small planes and motorcycles," Tong told the Global Times on Monday, saying that there are quite a few car companies that will display such transformation efforts via the CIIE platform.