The Best Of the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show

The Shanghai Motor Show has become one of the more important international auto shows, with automakers bringing tons of interesting production vehicles and concept cars to put on display. China is emerging as an enormous auto market and carmakers worldwide are clamoring for a piece of the action. So, they've started coming to the big Chinese cities to show off their new rides for a huge new market.

Although many of the vehicles shown will never see American shores, there were a few global debuts from Mercedes, Porsche and others that we're pretty excited about.

From supercars to SUVs, click through to see some of the coolest, most innovative and weirdest cars at the show.

"Buick" and "high-tech" are two words that don't generally go together, but that's exactly what's happening here with the Riviera Concept. 

Accompanying its swoopy futuristic design is a high-tech, plug-in hybrid powertrain. The car can be charged wirelessly by driving atop a special parking mat on the ground.

Other high-tech aspects include holographic projections on the windshield showing the driver what's around him, with input coming from 10 high-res cameras and 18 micro high-precision sensors. The car also includes 4G wireless connectivity.

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Buick Riviera Concept Info
Buick Riviera Concept Photos

We saw the new styling direction of Mercedes in the CLA, which was launched at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. Now, we're seeing it in SUV form with the handsome GLA Concept.

The GLA is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel-drive adds some versatility to the mix.

A couple outlandish features of the concept that surely won't make it to production include headlamp clusters, which can project videos and images on a screen and a pair of video cameras mounted on the roof that can be used to capture driving excitement or removed and taken with you.

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Mercedes-Benz GLA Concept Info
Mercedes-Benz GLA Concept Photos

Porsche is adding a couple new variations of the Panamera to the mix, including the S E-Hybrid. Don't be fooled. Although the word "hybrid" doesn't often means the opposite of "performance," this Panamera promises to be full of driving pleasure.

With 416 hp, 435 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 mph time of just 5.2 seconds combined with the ability to travel up to 20 miles on electric power alone, this could very well become one of the ultimate green machines.

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Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid Info
Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid Photos

The Friend-Me is a pretty lame name for a concept car, but the vehicle itself is anything but. Its wavy design is intensely futuristic and is specifically designed to stand out at night.

Inside is where the Friend-Me is even cooler. Using something called an "oracle stone," the driver and passengers all have access to the ambiance of the car, meaning anyone can control the music, apps, etc. It's the end of the "music dictator" as we know it.

The Friend-Me is aimed at Chinese 20-somethings, which is a massive market for techy cars like this.

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Nissan Friend-Me Info
Nissan Friend-Me Photos

Maserati is making a push to compete with the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6 with the Ghibli, a smaller, more driver-focused Italian luxury car.

The Ghibli's base engine is a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that makes 330 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, good for a 0-62 time of 5.6 seconds. The more powerful Ghibli S, however, comes with a twin-turbocharged version of this engine, good for 410 hp and 406 lb-ft, reducing that 0-62 time to just five seconds flat. The car will also come with a diesel engine.

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Maserati Ghibli Info
Maserati Ghibli Photos

We really wish Acura would have taken some more risks with its recent redesigns of the MDX and RDX and come up with something like the SUV-X Concept seen here, which is futuristic, sporty and bold. 

Acura said that the SUV-X is a precursor to a vehicle that will be offered in China in about three years. Here's hoping that we'll see something similar on our shores.

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Acura SUV-X Info
Acura SUV-X Photos

Feast your eyes upon the beautiful Lamborghini Aventador LP720-4 50 Anniversario Edition, which was designed in celebration of the Italian supercar brand's 50th anniversary. There will be just 100 of them produced, each one in the yellow paint that has been the most popular color for Lambo since the Miura arrived in 1966.

This Aventador gets 20 more horsepower than the standard car for a total of 720 hp and there's a new aerodynamics package, as well. Inside, the supercar comes with new leather and a new diamond type of stitching also sets it apart from any other Aventador on the road.

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Lamborghini Aventador Anniversario Info
Lamborghini Aventador Anniversario Photos