--FILE--Vista della Shanghai Museo automatica nel nuovo Anting Town, Shanghai, Cina, 24 aprile 2012. Auto di Shanghai Museum, fatturati come " il primo dedicato Au
--FILE--View of the Shanghai Auto Museum in Anting New Town, Shanghai, China, 24 April 2012. Shanghai Auto Museum, billed as "The First Dedicated Auto Museum in China, " lies on Shanghai's outskirts in Anting New Town. The location alone suggests an urban planner's attempt to foster a cultural appreciation of cars. The museum is two metro stops from the Shanghai Circuit, site of the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, and one stop from the Shanghai Volkswagen factory. Next door is the Shanghai Automobile Exhibition Center, home of the biannual Shanghai Auto Show. On display is a wide range of cars, with sexier specimens like the 1983 Ferrari Testarossa and 1966 Mustang GT mixed in alongside novelties like the 1998 Volkswagen Lupo, known for its record fuel economy. There are also a number of Chinese makes, including a 1959 Hongqi CA72ªa black, boxy numberªand a 1983 Shanghai Santana, an early product of the joint venture between Volkswagen and China's SAIC Motor. A timeline of global developments in the auto industry tells us that in 1995, when China's population was 1.2 billion, the country had only 10 million automobiles. By 2006, it then explains, China was producing more than seven million autos of its own each year as the population rose to 1.3 billion.
