Jianghuai A00 Minicar to Be Unveiled at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show

The 2009 Shanghai Auto Show is the perfect opportunity for Chinese manufacturers to make their stand, as the country's automotive industry is blooming despite (or is it thanks to?) the ongoing economic crisis.

One of the premieres worth keeping an eye out for at the event is the unveiling of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile's (JAC) production version of its new minicar. The soon to be named the A00, the better-than-expected looking (we thought that until we saw its ugly behind) vehicle will complement JAC's current lineup, edmunds.com reported.

Details of the new minicar are not yet know, but Chinese media speculates the car will feature a 1.0l engine and may have a starting price of about $7,000. This will position the A00 in below the company's Tongyue RS 1.3 hatchback.

The three door hatchback is said to be scheduled to enter showrooms sometimes later this year. The A00 will target rivals Geely's Panda and BYD's F0.

JAC is a largely unknown car manufacturer founded in 1999, one of the over 100 that are currently manufacturing vehicles in China. Its line-up includes compact and mid-size cars as well as an SUV, MPV, pickup and heavy-duty trucks.

But surely, it will not be the Jianghuai A00 Minicar the vehicle which will get all the attention at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show. The event is the stage of choice for Porche to unleash its fourth series model, the Porsche Panamera.

The A00, a Toyota Aygo wannabe, is only interesting to the automotive world as it comes from the single region of the world which at least at first glance was not yet struck by the financial crisis fallout. We doubt we will hear about it soon.