Li Shi Guang Ming

Chinese automobile manufacturers have really only begun to make their presence felt in the wider international market since the beginning of the 21st century, and almost exclusively the emphasis has been on volume-oriented economy vehicles.

The Bei Jing Li Shi Guang Ming Automobile Design Co., Ltd stands out somewhat from the emerging crowd in appealing foremostly to the car buyer's sense of style, by sacrificing a degree of their products' functionality in the interests of downright cuteness. According to the company's founder, the man after whom the company was named, "I would like to arouse sweet smiles as dazzling as flowers". And he has certainly acheived that much. Li Shi Guang Ming's efforts to date have suspiciously resembled M&Ms on wheels; but then, who can't resist a sweet treat once in a while?

Purported to represent the future of the Chinese auto industry, LSGM's lithium-ion battery-powered electric cars bearing such names as "Detroit Fish", "Book Of Songs", and "Piece Of Cloud", have wowed show-goers as far away as Detroit with their highly cartoonised representations of tomorrow's urban consumer devices. Some models have eschewed the concept of doors altogether, and the average top speed throughout the range is somewhere around 28mph.