A major motor show kicked off in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Friday. New-energy vehicles such as electric and plug-in hybrid models are in the spotlight.

Exhibitors are displaying a record of more than 500 cars in the category, over 40 percent of all vehicles at the annual event.

China's largest EV maker BYD unveiled a plug-in hybrid with a combined fuel and electric range of 2,100 kilometers. It's also featuring a new electric SUV which comes with autonomous driving technology from Huawei.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is getting a lot of attention for its luxury electric sports car. The newcomer to the auto industry says sales of an EV it launched in March have topped 100,000.

New-energy vehicles accounted for nearly half of all auto sales in China in October.

Buyers of NEVs are eligible for generous government subsidies, and competition among manufactures is getting more intense.