I hear it coming – the near future of the modern motorcar – and it's
in fluent Mandarin with a Shanghai twang. I see it coming too, and I
could almost visualise myself behind the wheel of a racy Chinese
runabout in the year 2020 or thereabouts.

These prophetic sounds and visions of our motoring destiny were stirred by my recent visit to Auto
Shanghai, where China proudly affirmed its position as the new centre
of the post-upheaval car universe. Everything at this world-class motor
show – the concepts, the prototypes, the production cars, the vehicular
technologies, the automotive partnerships, the business plans, the
booths, the live performances, even the chicks, some of whom could pass
off as Miss China finalists – was proof that the Chinese are now a
force to be reckoned with in the whirl of cars.

The Middle
Kingdom invented paper, gunpowder and the compass. The stage has been
set for the Middle Kingdom to reinvent the car.

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