Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - About 30 years ago, the Chinese automobile industry opened its door to foreign manufacturers, but only under the condition that they establish joint ventures with domestic companies. The foreign enterprise's stake in the joint ventures would not be allowed to exceed 50 percent, and each manufacturer would be limited to only two JVs. It was under these strict requirements that foreign manufacturers prevailed. Their success was bolstered by the introduction of policies in the 1990s that encouraged foreign investment, which streamlined the application processes for JVs, as well as granting several tax bonuses.

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - The sudden cooling down the Chinese automobile market experienced in 2011 has continued into this year. Although the common consensus in the industry is that overall sales growth in 2012 will be in the double digits, the majority of participants in a recent survey of analysts and experts conducted by Gasgoo.com (Chinese) have conservative opinions regarding the first quarter of the year.