More than 1,500 domestic and international vehicle manufacturers and automotive buffs are revving up for the 2006 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, which opens today.

During the 10-day automotive banquet, 556 vehicles will be displayed, with six models made by foreign marques making their global debuts.

The event comes at a time when China's automotive market has returned to the fast lane. In the first three quarters of this year, sales of domestically manufactured vehicles surged by a quarter to 5.17 million units.

China has become a big bonanza for global automakers. It is widely anticipated to overtake Japan's position as the world's second biggest vehicle market this year and unseat the United States as the No 1 within the next 10 to 15 years.

Ford Motor Co, which is floundering with sales plunges and huge losses in the US market, is the biggest exhibitor of the Beijing auto show. Ford is displaying 52 models with its affiliated brands Mazda, Volvo, Lincoln, Land Rover and Jaguar in a 5,000-square-metre booth.

Cheng Meiwei, Ford Motor's vice-president and chairman of Ford Motor China, yesterday predicted that China will account for 50 per cent of the world's auto market growth during the next 10 years.

"Ford Motor has been implementing a modular growth strategy with a clear long-term blueprint to become one of the key players in the market and growing our capacity in line with market demand in a timely fashion," Cheng said.

He said Ford's annual production capacity in China will reach 410,000 units by the end of next year, up from 20,000 units in 2003.

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