The start of the 2011 Seoul Motor Show Thursday was highlighted by the introduction of various new vehicles ranging from concept cars making their international debuts to new models that will soon reach customers throughout the globe.

The event started with a press day at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX). It will be open to the public from Friday to April 10.

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., marked the start of the biennial event with the world premier of its new concept car, the Miray.

With scissor doors that open up vertically, the Miray is a new hybrid vehicle that comes with a 1.5-liter turbo charger engine along with a 1.6-kilowatt battery and two 15-kilowatt motors that enable the vehicle to run emission-free, according to the company.

"As seen in its Korean name Miray, the first concept car of GM Korea means our future," GM Korea president and CEO Mike Arcamone told reporters.

The vehicle was one of six at the Seoul Motor Show to be introduced for the first time in the world. Others included a new concept vehicle, HND-6, of South Korea's leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co., and a new version of the SM7 passenger sedan by Renault Samsung Motor Co., the South Korean unit of French automaker Renault SA.

A total of 35 South Korean and foreign automakers are displaying over 300 vehicles in the event set to be the largest of its kind ever held in South Korea with over 1 million spectators and some 12,000 foreign buyers expected to visit.

In addition to six world premiers, 24 vehicles will make their debut in Asia at the event with 29 others set to make their first introduction to South Korean customers.

(Yonhap News)