The Challenge Bibendum, a clean auto event, received a warm response from locals when it opened to the public for the first time in Shanghai yesterday.
Over 60 vehicles running on fuel cells, clean diesel and bio-fuels were on display in Jiading District, the sixth held since its debut in France in 1998.
The public day program falls on the last day of the Challenge Bibendum. Automakers including Audi AG and Volkswagen showcased vehicles during the three-day event, which included a rally, technical tests and a media drive.
"The public day is very important because people can experiment with what they may drive in the future," Edouard Michelin, chief executive officer of Michelin Group said.
"They need to understand what is going on and what is coming (in the future)."
Michelin said it was necessary for the public to accept the concept of vehicles using new forms of energy and technology.
Students, industry insiders and retirees were all enthusiastic about the event, held for the first time in China.
"There are so many novel things here and some are really far beyond my expectations," said Que Rongde, a retiree of an auto research institute in the city.
"For instance, I had never thought that hydrogen peroxide could be used as the fuel source for a car, but here it is, totally unpolluting, because the only emission is oxygen."
Feng Sisi, a junior of Automobile College of Tongji University, was excited to see the "cute" cars.
"I really hope to see the production of some of these cars in the near future," Feng said.
Over 50 percent of the vehicles were electric, running on either batteries or fuel cells.
There were 43 Chinese-made vehicles.
The Volvo Car Corp won an award for their good performance on aspects including acceleration, braking, turning and fuel efficiency.
Wan Gang, president of Tongji University, said China is expected to have 130 million vehicles by 2020, meaning oil consumption will soar to 250 million tons.
"That's why we should develop fuel efficient vehicles that use other energy sources," he said.