The models wore traditional cheongsam dresses and medieval Chinese armor as well as the usual rainbow of shiny miniskirts at the Shanghai auto show this weekend, but the many midsize cars and sport utility vehicles on display made it look almost like an American auto show.
Gone are the days when buyers in China, the world’s largest car market since 2009, mostly purchased fuel-sipping compacts and subcompacts. Their shift toward larger and ever-more-numerous vehicles is not only driving up China’s oil import bill and contributing to pollution but is also fattening automakers’ profits — and manufacturers made clear over the weekend that they plan to infuse the market with large vehicles.
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