The 2003 Shanghai International Automobile and Manufacturing Technology Exhibition opened in Shanghai Monday, claiming to be the largest auto show in China.
About 730 auto manufacturers from 23 countries and regions were participating in the exhibition with 300 kinds of automobiles on display, according to the sponsor.
Big international auto companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen, BMW and Mitsubishi set up their own booths at the exhibition. China FAW Group Corp. (FAW) built the largest booth with an area of 2,700 square meters.
The sponsor estimated that about 450,000 people will visit the auto show.
The show has attracted about 3,000 journalists from 600 media organizations from home and abroad, the sponsor said.
"I had thought SARS would hold people back, but against my expectations the auto fair is crowded with visitors," said Yuishi Hoshiko, an AP photographer in Shanghai.
The sponsor set up a medical center in the exhibition building, which is well ventilated.
The exhibition, covering a total area of 81,000 square meters, will end on April 27.
(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2003)
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