China’s global influence is ever-growing, as is its unquenchable thirst for all things four-wheeled. Accordingly, where once the New York Auto Show signaled the end of the global auto show season for middle of the year, the Shanghai Auto Show — called Auto Shanghai — has sprung up as a biennial auto show and hung on, further extending the need for automotive journalists and the globe’s automakers to keep cranking away.
Thankfully, though our families will be without us for yet another week, there should be some exciting debuts from the Shanghai show floor. MINI has already unveiled a “Augmented Vision Concept,” ahead of the Shanghai show. And Lexus is expected to debut the 2016 ES likely aimed squarely — if not solely — at the Chinese market. We’ll have a man on the ground in Shanghai this year, so check back for all the breaking news as the show kicks into full gear April 20th.