One of Rolls Royce boss Torsten Muller-Otvos’ most memorable auto show moments came last year in Beijing when a man walked through the crowd to the carmaker’s stand and set down a suitcase.

“Millions of renminbi,” the man said of the suitcase’s contents. “Really, that was amazing. He bought a Phantom,” Muller-Otvos said.

The Rolls Royce chief executive told AFP no cash buyers had come forward yet at the ongoing Shanghai auto show, but the exhibition has provided further proof for luxury carmakers that their future is in China.

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a radical overhaul of its A-Class compact at Auto Shanghai. The German automaker said that the new Concept A-Class was “the first heartbeat of a new generation.”

It signals a major departure from the boxy outline of the current A-Class, popular in cities because of its small size, in favor of a long hood, low silhouette and more sporty appearance.

Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener said that the new look was inspired by “the wind and waves, as well as aviation engineering, resulting in this ‘cool’ look.”

Rolls-Royce unveiled its new Ghost long wheel base car for the first time at the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show.

The Ghost Extended Wheelbase is designed for users who require even more room from the luxury marque’s massive Ghost sedan and is expected to be popular with the ever-increasing number of wealthy buyers in China.

The addition of 170mm to the car’s wheelbase has significantly enhanced the legroom making it ideal for those looking to use it as a chauffeur vehicle.

Iconic compact car maker Mini has unveiled a collaboration with top luxury marque Rolls-Royce at the Auto Shanghai show, which opens this week.

Boasting “top-grade materials, the highest level of workmanship and stylish supremacy,” the ‘Mini Inspired by Goodwood’ special edition transfers some of the luxury trappings of a fully-fledged Rolls-Royce into a much smaller package.

It was conceived at Rolls-Royce‘s design division in Goodwood, UK and is finished with several touches which will be familiar to fans of the luxury brand.

Swedish automaker Volvo has unveiled a new concept for the Chinese market at Auto Shanghai, which opens this week.

The luxury sedan concept suggests Volvo intends to take a definite upscale direction with its next model and is geared towards China’s growing cadre of luxury-lovers.

Dubbed the Concept Universe, the vehicle is designed to capture Volvo’s traditionally Scandinavian design and to anticipate what modern luxury car buyers want, adding a coupe-like roofline to escape the ‘boxy’ feel of some previous Volvo designs.

Volkswagen has unveiled the latest incarnation of its iconic Beetle at the Auto Shanghai show in China.

The German automaker said that the new Beetle has been envisioned with the target “design a new original” to ensure it paid tribute to 70 years of Beetle history.

The redesigned model has been made significantly more aggressive, with a lower profile than its 1998 predecessor and a more confident design which is reflected in the vehicle’s self-assured stance — although it’s still unmistakably a Beetle.