The Shanghai auto show demonstrates that the global auto industry's center of importance is shifting decisively to China. China is the only major auto market still growing amid the economic slowdown, with sales surpassing the U.S. in recent months. This is prompting automakers like Daimler, GM, Toyota, and Porsche to view China not as an emerging market but as the industry's main battleground. Chinese government stimulus spending on infrastructure could sustain auto sales growth for years. The auto industry may soon see China as a major export base for foreign automakers like GM and Nissan.