2009 Shanghai International Auto Expo

When I decided to come to China, I knew there were things from home that I would miss very much, and I’ve been able to handle it fairly well. One of the things that I miss the most is the annual car show that happens in Chicago every year. It has the new models for the new year as well as many amazing concept cars. It is so much fun to see the fruits of labor of some of the most imaginative and innovative engineers in the world. I always looked forward to going each year, and when I moved to China I added it to the list of things that I wouldn’t be able to do.

One night a few weeks ago, I was hanging out with a friend, and I happened to see an English newspaper from Shanghai. I started reading about the various events that were happening throughout the world. I had finished looking at the third page or so, and then I flipped to the next. The next page was a full page advertisement. It had several pictures of exotic cars, and in the middle of the ad in large letters was - 2009 Shanghai International Automobile Expo. I almost jumped out of my chair. The dates for the expo were the following week. So, I quickly made plans with a few friends to go to the expo.

We went to the show the following week. I walked in the door, and it was everything that I had hoped, aside from the Chinese Characters instead of English Words. But hey, the cars were the same, and this year they had some awesome cars. I went around to all the different exhibits examining, studying, admiring, taking pictures of, and (let’s just say it) drooling over many of the cars. I saw several that just blew my mind. Here are some of my favorites:

Hummina, Hummina, Hummina... The new H2 Hummer



I would love to drive this 3-wheeler around Changzhou!


This is the beautiful new DB9 Volante by Aston-Martin. This should be in the next James Bond Movie.


This is a concept car by Citroen. Very cool!



This one ties with the Volante for my favorite. The new Nissan concept car. Twelve cylinders in this honey!


This is the back of it. Its a little Corvetteish.

Okay, I'll stop... I could do this all day. I took around 200 pictures.

There were also some funny moments. There were many hired male and female models showcasing the cars. At each exhibit there were often large crowds of people taking pictures. I spent a lot of time fighting my way to the front to get the perfect shot of the cars that I liked. At one exhibit, there was a very large crowd. I had a difficult time trying to get close. I had to wait for many people to get their shots and then move. I was waiting for one man to move, and I happened to glance at his camera. To my surprise, he was taking pictures of one of the female models. I started to look at other cameras and noticed the same thing. I think I might have been the only person there taking pictures of the cars. Later, I asked my Chinese Teacher about it, and she said that was typical.

At any rate, I had a great time! I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go, and I am already looking forward to next year!

“Ooooooohhhhhh! Shiny…”
-Stimpy,
The Ren and Stimpy Show

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