Automakers will show green vehicles at Auto Shanghai 2005, which opens Thursday, April 21.

China's central government says it will give preferential treatment to automakers that produce environmentally friendly vehicles, such as hybrids.

Ford Motor Co. will show the Ford Model U, which the company says is the world's first hydrogen internal combustion engine equipped with a hybrid powertrain.

Meanwhile, DaimlerChrysler AG will have an entire display devoted to "Energy for the Future," including its latest fuel cell vehicle.

General Motors will show its Sequel fuel cell car.

Fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen fuel to produce electricity. Hybrids use an internal combustion engine and an electric motor to power their wheels.

In other developments, GM will debut a global car at the show. The company is providing few details, but the vehicle will be sold in more than 120 markets worldwide. It will be sold in China as a Chevrolet.

GM also will show a concept car designed by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, a 50/50 joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.

GM also will highlight the Chevrolet brand, including the Sail small sedan, which used to be a Buick in China.

Ford will emphasize the Focus at the show. "Our theme is focus on Focus, focus on China," says spokesman Kenneth Hsu.

Ford will start assembling the Focus sedan in China in the second half of this year. At the show, it will display the Focus Vignale concept car, which changes from a coupe to a hard top.

DaimlerChrysler, showing the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Chrysler and Jeep brands, wants to display its "long-term commitment to the world's fastest-growing market," says Trevor Hale, spokesman for DaimlerChrysler in China.

Models will range from cars to heavy trucks. The commercial sector figures heavily in DaimlerChrysler's plans for China.

Volkswagen AG's two China partners, First Auto Works and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., are showing their VW and Audi models under one roof. Until last year, the two partners showed little penchant to cooperate.

Though still the market leader in China, Volkswagen has fallen precipitously in the past five years, partly because it failed to bring new models to China fast enough.