More than 800,000 people visited Auto China 2010, which wrapped up on Sunday, making it the best-attended motor show in the world, organizers say.

The 10-day event, held at the China International Exhibition Center, featured 990 cars from almost all manufacturers from around the globe, including 89 models making their world debut.

With its theme "For a Greener Tomorrow", 95 energy-saving vehicles also made their debut. As well, 65 concept cars were on show.

On Saturday, thanks to the three-day May Day holidays and rising temperatures, more than 145,900 visitors went to the show, the 11th staging of the city's auto exhibition.

The huge visitor numbers put pressure on the traffic between the city and the exhibition center in the Shunyi district. In addition, some of the more popular exhibitors had to restrict the numbers of visitors.

Tang Tang, an enthusiast in his 20s, came from his hometown in Jiangxi province and was overwhelmed by the huge crowd.

"Heavy traffic meant it took a long time to get to the show," he told METRO. "The roads were much more crowded than I thought it would be."

Tang's journey to the show also involved him taking a 20-hour train journey.

"The show in the new venue is quite exciting, though, especially the luxury car displays," he said.

Last year, China replaced the United States as the world's largest auto market, and the strong sales have continued this year, with more than 4 million sold in the first quarter.

But critics say a successful show and record sales do not prove China has a strong auto industry.

Shao Qihui, the council chairman of China Auto Professionals Society, said there are many other criteria to judge whether a country has a developed industry, such as quality marques, in which China is still not very competitive.

"China's auto industry should not be blindly optimistic. There is still a long way to go between Chinese automakers and their western counterparts," he said.