Shanghai auto show preview: Crossovers, SUVs top the list of reveals: BMW X4, Mercedes-Benz GLA concepts set for Shanghai

Automakers will test China's huge appetite for crossovers and SUVs with introductions this week at the Shanghai auto show.

Acura, BMW, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen plan world debuts for compact crossovers, while Jeep -- which arguably started the SUV craze -- will roll out its new Cherokee.

China's crossover segment is a crucial battleground for automakers at a time when the world's largest car market's growth rate has slowed to single digits.

The German automakers appear especially eager to introduce compact crossovers in a bid to expand beyond the stretched sedans that dominate China's luxury market.

Here's a summary of announced vehicle introductions.

Acura

Honda released a sketch of an Acura concept crossover that will debut. The vehicle is meant for global sales, but more details were unavailable.

Audi

The Audi A3 compact sedan will get its public debut in Shanghai after a private showing to journalists last month in New York. The sedan is aimed at China's high-earning young urban professionals.

BMW

BMW will unveil its X4 crossover concept before the production version debuts in September at the Frankfurt auto show. The X4 is a sportier version of the X3 with a lower roofline and coupe styling. It is designed to attract younger buyers looking for more stylish vehicles and willing to pay a price premium.

Buick

Buick has scheduled a world debut for a concept car. Details were unavailable.

BYD

BYD Co. will showcase the new Sirui compact, its most expensive gasoline-powered model, priced at $24,194. The Sirui is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter direct-injection engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Changan

Changan Automobile Co. will unveil a production compact hatchback sedan, the Zhishang XT, which will go on sale in June. The car is powered by a 1.6-liter engine.

Citroen

Citroen will unveil the Wild Rubis concept for an upscale DS-badged crossover. The automaker is targeting well-off Chinese customers with its DS line, which it launched in China in 2012 with a dedicated sales network.

Detroit Electric

The startup maker of electric cars will unveil its SP:01 electric sports car, which is based on the Lotus Elise and has a top speed of 155 mph. The car will be produced in the Detroit area starting in August.

Ford

Ford will introduce a concept, though details are unavailable. The automaker also will display the Mondeo, EcoSport, Kuga, Focus ST and Explorer, all of which have been or will be launched this year in China.

Honda

Honda released a sketch of a Honda-badged concept multipurpose vehicle that will debut. The vehicle is intended for Chinese consumers, but further details were unavailable. Honda also will show near-production versions of the Concept C, a China-market sedan, and the Concept S wagon, both shown last year at the Beijing auto show. Both go on sale this year.

Icona

Icona, an Italian design studio in Shanghai, will roll out the Vulcano, a one-off supercar built in Italy. The two-seater is powered by a 900-hp V-12 engine. Icona claims the car has a top speed of 217 mph.

Jeep

Jeep will showcase the new Cherokee SUV, which enters production late next year at Fiat's joint-venture plant with Guangzhou Automobile Group. The Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon also will have their Asian premieres.

Maserati

Maserati will debut the Ghibli, a mid-sized sedan that will compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5 series and Mercedes E class.

Mazda

Mazda will roll out its Mazda6 sedan and CX-5 small crossover for the Chinese market.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz will debut the GLA concept, a compact crossover based on the same front-wheel-drive platform as the A- and B-class cars. Mercedes also will introduce a face-lifted E-class sedan with a long wheelbase, a key model built only in China.

Nissan

Nissan is showcasing the Friend-Me concept, which features a center console that gives all four occupants online access. More details were unavailable. Nissan also will display its redesigned Teana flagship sedan, which debuted in February in Guangzhou.

Porsche

Porsche will debut its Panamera sedan with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, alongside a long-wheelbase Panamera for the Chinese market.

Qoros

The Chinese-Israeli automaker will roll out two concepts, a wagon and a hybrid-powered crossover version of the Qoros 3 Sedan, which debuted in Geneva.

Skoda

Skoda plans the global premieres of its newly face-lifted Superb hatchback and Superb Combi. The models will have redesigned front and rear ends, wider grilles and LED daytime running lights.

Suzuki

Suzuki will unveil the Authentics, a compact sedan concept with a long wheelbase and a low roofline. The car has a strong character line that Suzuki likens to a wind-cutting image.

Toyota

Toyota will display an electric sedan concept under the new Ranz brand, which will be built and marketed by Toyota's joint venture with China FAW Group. The car, built on the platform of the Toyota Corolla EX, was developed by the partnership's technical center in Tianjin.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen will unveil a four-door crossover concept based on its new MQB architecture. VW released no details of the vehicle, saying only that the concept's design will be close to that of the production version.

Top 5 Market Trendsetters

Whether you love or hate any of these cars, each one has managed to change the modern auto industry in many ways.

Cars like these don’t come along every model year. When they do, however, competing automakers often find themselves scrambling to come up with their own version of whatever that trendsetting new car may be. So we've taken a quick look back at just a few of the biggest automotive trendsetters of the past 30 years or so. None of them are supercars, or even sports cars for that matter, but each one managed to forever change the automotive industry, for better or worse.

The Honda Civic first arrived on American shores in 1978 and it finally proved that an economy car didn't always have to be a complete piece of junk. Compared to the Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega, the Civic had overall excellent build quality and was quite fuel efficient. Despite some early rust issues, the Civic continued to catch on with buyers and today it’s one of the best-selling cars in the US. A total of nine generations have been built so far and, despite even more potent competitors today, the Civic doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Before the arrival of the minivan, there was the station wagon. But for those who wanted something a bit more trendy and off-road capable, there was also the original Jeep Cherokee - perhaps the first modern SUV. When it first arrived on the scene in 1984, it allowed buyers to enjoy a reasonably-priced family car that could also handle itself when the road conditions turned rough. More importantly, it looked good and had solid engine options. Although it was quite outdated by the time production ended in 2001, it still remained popular among enthusiasts.Yes, we already know how much of a game changer the BMW 3 Series has been ever since it hit the market way back in 1975. But it was only in 1983 when the second-generation E30 model arrived that BMW begun to offer it as a sedan alongside the coupe. And so began the era of the sports sedan. Before the E30, family sedans were usually big cars that may have had decent enough power but weren’t all that much fun to drive. The second-gen 3-Series sedan changed that thanks to its range of powerful inline four- and six-cylinder engines and well-tuned suspension.Many may have derided it as an expensive Toyota with leather seats, but those naysayers have been proven wrong when it came to the Lexus LS 400. It debuted as Lexus’ first model back in 1989 and it immediately put German brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW on notice. The reason? Toyota had successfully managed to build and engineer a premium luxury car with proven Japanese build quality and refinement. The first-gen LS 400 even had a new 4.0-liter V8 and a unique platform that wasn’t shared with anything else. It was an instant success and quickly became the new luxury benchmark.We know what you’re thinking but bear with us for a moment here. The Toyota Prius never was and never will be an exciting car or anything even remotely associated with the words "fun" or "performance." What it did do, however, was usher in the era of the hybrid car. When it launched in the US in 1997, environmentally-friendly cars mainly consisted of failed projects like GM’s EV1. The Prius changed that by proving that a mass-market gasoline-electric car could combine everyday usability without range anxiety and still save money at the pumps. We still can’t stand it though.We know what you’re thinking but bear with us for a moment here. The Toyota Prius never was and never will be an exciting car or anything even remotely associated with the words "fun" or "performance." What it did do, however, was usher in the era of the hybrid car. When it launched in the US in 1997, environmentally-friendly cars mainly consisted of failed projects like GM’s EV1. The Prius changed that by proving that a mass-market gasoline-electric car could combine everyday usability without range anxiety and still save money at the pumps. We still can’t stand it though.

First Look: 2014 Jeep Cherokee

There's always peril in using a historic name on a new model, as Chrysler is doing with the 2014 Jeep Cherokee. Comparisons will be immediately drawn to its predecessor(s), either recent or distant, and haters invariably come out of the woodwork to decry the sullying of said name with an unworthy vehicle. Chrysler experienced this when it revived the Dodge Charger nameplate and angered the Mopar faithful by affixing the label to a sedan instead of a coupe, and, more recently, with the introduction of the Dodge Dart compact sedan. And this new Cherokee stands to get the closet cross-examination by the faithful. Differences between the new Cherokee and its immediate predecessor, the Jeep Liberty, are vast. Whereas the Liberty employed a longitudinal, quasi-unibody, live rear-axle platform, the new Cherokee is built on Chrysler's CUSW platform, which it shares with the Dart. It's loosely based upon the Alfa Romeo Giulietta chassis, but the Cherokee exhibits the platform's flexibility by not only matching or surpassing most of the Liberty's key off-road attributes -- particularly, approach, departure, and breakover angles -- but also by also promising a smoother ride on-road, better aerodynamics, and substantially improved fuel economy.  Before many details were released on the new Cherokee, Jeep enthusiast blogs were rife with comments and speculation about it taking the same path as the Compass and Patriot, entry-level compact models that share their underpinnings with the un-loved Dodge Caliber. Although trims of both models were affixed with Jeep's "Trail Rated" badge, the pair's groaning CVTs and lack of a true low range made them illegitimate heirs to the Jeep name in the eyes of many. But Jeep engineers and designers clearly knew what they were getting into with the Cherokee, and have countered critics and cynics by offering three distinct off-road systems, two of which feature a low range. But while the 2014 Cherokee's drivetrain is big news, its improvement in fuel efficiency, which ranges from a claimed 31 percent on V-6 models to 45 percent on the four-cylinder model, gets equal billing. However, it's important to keep in context that for the last few model years, the Liberty was offered only with V-6 power.

Weight-wise, the Cherokee is lighter than the Liberty in most configurations, but not dramatically. Jeep did not release the weight for four-cylinder models, but the front-drive V-6 Cherokee tips the scales at 3811 pounds and the Trailhawk comes in at 4106 pounds. The outgoing Liberty 4x4 weighed in at 4290, with the 2WD coming in at 4076. Most of the 2014 Cherokee's interior dimensions and capacities are within an inch or two of the Liberty in most measurements, with the Cherokee having a slight edge in hip room because it's slightly wider. But when it comes to interior styling and features, there's no comparison. The Cherokee's sculpted dash and console are a huge improvement over the Liberty's angular, straight-edged cabin, not just in design but also in material quality. The Cherokee also employs soft-touch material on the door uppers, door armrests, upper dashboard, and center armrest. Napa leather seating surfaces with driver's side memory seats are available, as are heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel, a wireless device charging pad, and Chrysler's massive 8.4-inch center touch-screen display with available streaming media apps Pandora, Aha, and iHeart Radio. A 5-inch touch-screen display comes standard.  The 2014 Cherokee is also the first Chrysler product to get available park assist. Adaptive cruise control is also an option, the province of six-figure luxury cars just a few years ago. Adaptive cruise also includes automatic braking. Of course, we saved the best for last. As soon as photos were leaked of the new Cherokee's design, the responses were immediate and polarized. In an early media preview, before the sheet was even pulled back, Jeep reps prefaced the styling by saying "You're probably going to hate it." There's no denying it's a radical departure from the look we've come to expect from Jeep. Some have even compared it to the Nissan Juke because of the two vehicles' similar lighting setups. Like on the Juke, the Cherokee's upper light strip consists of LED running lights and directional signals, while the actual headlights are mounted lower on the front fascia.  For most Cherokees, the headlights are housed in an integrated, one-piece body-colored molded front bumper cover. On the Trailhawk, they are surrounded by a gray plastic accent piece that covers the bumper and lower fascia and comes up and around the headlights. Subjectively, we prefer the styling treatment of the Trailhawk, which also includes two bright red tow hooks, which Jeep representatives proudly claim are fully functional. At the rear, all Cherokees get LED taillights standard. They're a high-mounted horizontal design bordering the rear glass. Pricing has not yet been released, but to give some context, the Liberty 4x2 starts at $24,320 before incentives, climbing to $34,330 for a loaded Limited Jet Edition 4x4. We think a fully-equipped Cherokee Limited V-6 4x4 may crest that total, but we don't see the Cherokee going over $40,000, short of going crazy on dealer-installed Mopar accessories, which we've been assured will be plentiful. Considering a Ford Escape goes for $22,865 for the price-leader S trim; a Honda CR-V starts at around $23,625; and a Subaru Forester goes for $23,820 with an automatic, the starting price on a front-drive, four-cylinder Cherokee will likely start around the $23,000 range. Official pricing will be released closer to the Cherokee's anticipated on-sale date this summer.

2014 Jeep Cherokee
BASE PRICE	$23,000-$29,000 (est)
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, FWD /4WD, 5-pass, 5-door SUV
ENGINES	2.4L 184-hp / 171-lb-ft SOHC 16-valve I-4; 3.2L 271-hp / 239-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6
TRANSMISSION	9-speed automatic, single-speed/low-range 4WD optional
CURB WEIGHT (V-6)	3811 lb (V-6 4x2) - 4106 lb (V-6 4x4)
WHEELBASE	106.3-107.0 in (Trailhawk)
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT	182.0 x 73.2-74.9 x 66.2-67.8 in
0-60 MPH	7.5-9.0 sec (MT est)
EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON	19-22 / 28-31 mpg (est)
ON SALE IN U.S.	Summer 2013