Vistors watch Haval H7 SUVs at Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, capital of China, April 25, 2016. The exhibition attracted more than 1,600 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions. [Photo: Xinhua/Bai Xuefei]

Major automakers are embracing China's growing market and aiming for big wins with hybrids and locally produced models.

That seems to be the tone set at China's biggest auto show - Auto China which has opened its doors in Beijing.

On the first day of this year's Beijing Auto Show, General Motors' luxury brand Cadillac showed its locally produced petrol-powered XT5 SUV, which just hit the Chinese market this month.

Johan de Nysschen, President of Cadillac, said China was important for the brand's globalization.

"But, at the same time, you also have to comprehend that China is a vast country, and the situation that you may find prevails in tier one and tier two cities, may be quite different from tier three, four or five cities. And you may in fact end up with a diverging strategy that has to in fact at the same time embrace all of these alternatives. And certainly we can anticipate in cities like Beijing where the costs of entry may indeed be for a far higher mix of full battery electric vehicles."

The former CEO of another auto brand Infiniti added that the XT5 will be a big driver for the brand's growth in the market this year, along with its flagship sedan CT6.

He also expressed confidence that Cadillac sales might grow by 25 percent in 2016 compared to last year.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover, a joint venture of Chinese automaker Chery and India's Tata Motors' subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover, introduced its XFL model which was specifically aimed at the Chinese market.

Its President Murray Dietsch said they had plans for hybrid cars in the future and expressed confidence on locally produced cars.

"Well our sales this year for CJLR cars has been really accelerating, the first three months have been fantastic, and we're expecting this to do great at the back end of the year, and in fact 50 percent of the cars that we produce this year, we'll sell this year, will actually be localized vehicles and we think this car is going to play a really important part in that."

Another highlight of the event is a variety of showcased sport utility vehicles, since they have become more and more popular in the Chinese market.

Haval, a SUV maker affiliated to Chinese homegrown brand Great Wall rolled out its latest model H7 this year.

Pierre Leclercq, Vice President and Director of the brand's Design Center, said great progress has been made.

"You know competition is something that every brand has to live with, nobody should be afraid and I think it is an interesting time here in China, what decision we are making right now. I would say we are doing well, we are improving little by little every day as the slogan of the company is saying. I think in quality, in fit and finish, we are doing a lot of improvement, we are investing a lot in R&D as well."

The Beijing Auto Show runs from April 25 to May 4.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan