The 9 most interesting cars (and goggles) from Shanghai’s auto show

On the heels of the New York auto show just a few short weeks ago, the press days of Auto Shanghai 2015 are now behind us — and the announcements weren't limited to Chinese automakers: the global titans of the auto industry were out in force with cars and technologies that will have a big impact in the months and years to come.

And, yes, there was some weird stuff, too. Volvo ditched the front passenger seat for its new concept, and Chevy made something akin a giant blender blade.

Let's take a look at some of the major reveals of the show — and when you're done, be sure to read up on our hands-on experience with Mini's crazy Augmented Vision goggles.

Grid View

• McLaren 540C. The slightly less powerful cousin of the 570S introduced a few weeks ago in New York, the 540C features a 533hp twin turbo V8 that's good for 0-62 in 3.5 seconds. Starting price: £126,000 (about $189,500).
• Honda Concept D. Words fail the Concept D; you just have to look at it for yourself. When it goes on sale in China, it'll be Honda's top-of-the-line model for the local market. Don't expect to see this one in Europe or North America.
• Audi Prologue Allroad. Audi has been teasing its new Prologue design language since the sedan's debut at LA last year; this is the third variant. Audi's Allroad models are ruggedized, raised wagons, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the Prologue Allroad unless you compared it side-by-side with the Prologue Avant.
• Chevrolet FNR. Designed by GM's Shanghai-based studio, this is Chevy's take on an autonomous car of the future, with front seats that swivel 180 degrees to face the rear passengers.
• Ford Taurus. This is the first time a Taurus has been offered in China, and as with many Chinese-market cars, this one is focused on rear-passenger comfort with features like power reclining. It's not exactly like the next Taurus for the US, but it's in the same family.
• Mini Augmented Vision. Think Google Glass for your car: that's the basic idea behind Augmented Vision, developed in collaboration with Qualcomm. These goggles allow the driver to see speed limits, points of interest, navigation commands, and so on. We even had a chance to try them recently.
• Volvo Lounge Console.As with many China-focused auto announcements, the Lounge Console is focused on rear passengers, since many Chinese customers prefer to be chauffeured. Demonstrated inside an XC90, the Lounge Console replaces the front passenger seat with an ottoman that includes a storage compartment, a 17-inch television, and a mirror.
• Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid. Expanding on the CT6 announcement in New York, Cadillac announced a plug-in hybrid version of the car at Shanghai that promises double the fuel economy. (Impressive, if true.) It pairs two motors with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four.
• Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe concept. BMW pulled this not-quite-SUV vehicle category out of thin air a few years ago with the X6, and Mercedes is unapologetically chasing it now — first with the GLE, and now with the downsized GLC. The company calls this a "concept," but it's very close to the production model that will go on sale in the coming year.

Verge Video: Revisit what was on display at the New York auto show