A luxury Audi R8 sports car attracts the keen eyes of enthusiasts at the Shanghai auto show in 2019. [Photo by Li Fusheng/China Daily]

Auto enthusiasts are flocking to the 19th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition – also known more simply as Auto Shanghai 2021 – which opened in Shanghai city in East China on April 19.

The event will run to April 28, making it the first among the world's biggest auto shows to run normally this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the organizers, the exhibition has attracted the participation of 1,000 enterprises from all over the world. The show boasts a total exhibition area of 360,000 square meters, with 12 indoor exhibition halls in the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

SAIC Volkswagen, FAW Hongqi, Dongfeng Motor, Bentley, Porsche, Maserati, Aston Martin and other leading brands from at home and abroad – as well as Tesla, NIO, Leading Ideal, Xpeng, WM Motor and other new energy brands – have shown up at the exhibition with their latest models.

To top it off, half of the world's top 100 suppliers, including Bosch, Denso and ZF, have brought their latest key automotive technologies to the exhibition.

According to the schedule, April 19-20 are the media days, with April 21-23 reserved for professionals in the industry. The general exhibition days for the public are April 24-28.

A series of activities – focusing on carbon neutral, new energy, autonomous driving, as well as software defined vehicles and other hot topics – will be staged during the exhibition.