Shanghai October 14 (Gasgoo.com) The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers' data on vehicle sales in the first eight months showed that besides FAW Xiali's small cars and the mid- to high-end Honda Accord car, all the other models among the top 10 best-selling vehicles are all compact vehicles.
And it is not just that, the entire Chinese automobile market is also full of consumers that are looking for compact and mid-class vehicles, and small car consumption is only a small proportion. It is almost the same as the U.S. auto market, where mid-class vehicles such as Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, etc. are most well received by consumers, while small cars like Ford Fiesta Hatchback, Volkswagen Polo, etc. have relatively limited impact on consumer choice.
But the U.S. auto consumption structure, which is not only accused of polluting consumption, but is considered as a leading cause of the decline of U.S. auto industry, is now facing unprecedented public pressure. If China's auto market follows in U.S.'s footsteps, it will certainly be more difficult for the Chinese government to promote fuel-efficient models to reduce pollution, and China's automobile industry may face development predicament as well.
Wang Gang, General Manager of Tianjin FAW Xiali recently said in an interview that China's auto consumption structure is like a "rugby"- big in the middle, tapering at both ends, while a mature market should be like a "pyramid"- big base and small top. It is just like Japan's auto market that is glutted with small-displacement models, and nearly all the models among the top 10 popular models are cars with displacement of less than l liter.
Therefore, to largely promote fuel-efficient models may be the right way for China to develop its automobile industry and not repeat America's mistake.
At present, Europe has made considerable achievements in promotion of energy-saving vehicles. The models that are made in the countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Britain and so on and are always in the forefront of sales ranking include Ford Fiesta Hatchback, Fiat Panda, Peugeot 207, etc..
In an effort to save energy, European automakers have well enhanced their competitiveness in the consumer market. For instance, the integration of Chrysler's UK operation into that of Italy's Fiat is now moving forward well; Renault-Nissan integration is bearing even more fruits; Volkswagen is positioning itself by making strategic acquisitions such as buying a stake in the Japanese carmaker Suzuki which is setting up a plant in Thailand for the production of small cars.
Obviously, following European automakers' trajectory would be an inevitable choice for Chinese automakers to sharpen their competitive edge and help China save more energy in the future.
