China's first show for the entire automotive manufacturing chain, Automotive Electronics South China 2007, is currently in its planning stages and has been scheduled to run from August 28th until August 31st. As the Chinese automotive industry expands, sourcing cutting-edge product information and qualified leads is becoming an ever more important task for both domestic and international businesses. Automotive Electronics South China has therefore been developed to provide the entire automotive with an effective international platform for networking, conducting business meetings and generating sales leads in a major hub of Chinese automotive manufacturing: Guangdong.

Market trends indicate that Chinese automobile manufacturers are relocating their plants to South China to reduce high-import costs and capitalize on the growing Chinese market. In 2005, South China produced 369,000 automobiles and 4.55 million motorcycles and it is estimated that production capacities will number 1.6 million by 2010. These manufacturers are currently investing heavily in Research and Development, especially in the electronic technology that ensures safety, performance and navigation, providing exciting new opportunities for all related professionals.

Responding to this surge in the industry, Automotive Electronics South China is characterized by a range, scope and international standing that is unparalleled amongst auto shows in China. Visitors to the exhibition have the opportunity to meet exhibitors from at least seven countries who bring the latest products covering from raw materials to finished products. Meanwhile, exhibitors are not only taking advantage of the excellent market conditions in Guangdong, but also lure potential visitors from the pool of 18,000 electronics industry professionals who will visit the concurrent Nepcon/EMT South China 2007 and ATE China 2007 shows. These exhibitions constitute the biggest event for electronics manufacturing industry in South China.

International participation and support is of great importance to Automotive Electronics South China 2007 if it is to provide a comprehensive platform for the industry. Exhibitors from Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States and the United Kingdom will meet this need and will prove a significant presence at the event. Moreover, the exhibition-organizers, Reed exhibitions, will provide professional management of international standard. The event has received high-level of interest from abroad and the boom that international players see in China's automotive industry, particularly in Guangdong, is proving to be the major pulling factor.

Automotive Electronics South China 2007 is faced with a large challenge in light of these expectations, but last year's show hit the right notes. "Automotive Electronics South China 2006 was an automotive electronics event unique to China; the exhibits profile was very comprehensive. From automotive electronics equipment to testing; I saw many products that we are interested in and I will visit next year's event" says Mr Zhang Jiayi, Production Manager of the Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., expressing the sentiments of the 96% of visitors who thought that the event was fully representative and 98% who said that they were likely to attend again.

Statistics reveal that Mr Zhang is just one of a large proportion of decision-makers who choose to attend the show. In 2006, 30% of all visitors revealed that they took direct responsibility for making decisions and 39% said that they were influencers. Design Engineers, Research and Development professionals, Technical Directors, Quality Control and Assurance Engineers, Purchasing Managers, Distributors and Traders made up the impressive visitor profile. In all, over 2,000 esteemed visitors took the opportunity, not only to do business, but also to view technology, network and listen to conference speakers from CCID, Sony Timms, Valor, Infineon, Renesas and Tektronic.

The 2007 show promises to provide trade professionals with the chance to meet even more big names, exhibitors from last year's show have been retained, and more recruited, indicating that there will be a substantial increase in the size of the event. SAKI, Machine Vision and Fisher are amongst the heavyweight companies added to the list as the industry's faith in the show is reaffirmed. Held in conjunction with the segments Wire Harness South China and Auto Parts South China and covering automotive parts, accessories, electronic components and materials, test and measurement equipment, wire harnesses, PCB and software design, the 2nd edition of AE will be a very comprehensive show.

"We have great confidence in the strength of the Chinese automobile industry and are happy to see Automotive Electronics'solid growth", says Ms Josephine Lee, Vice President of Reed Exhibitions Shanghai, "we project a 100% growth rate for this year's edition".

Automotive Electronics 2007 will run from August 28th until August 31st in Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre.More information can be found at www.ae-china.com

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