Chinese manufacturers make strong showing at Auto China 2012

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai May 2) - The 12th annual Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, also known as Auto China 2012, came to a close yesterday. The event, which lasted ten days, attracted over 800,000 visitors, setting a new record for Chinese automobile shows, Beijing Business Today reported today.

According to event organizers, manufacturers from a total of 14 different nations and regions attended the show. The increased number of concepts and models making their worldwide debut displayed is testament to the event's standing as one of the world's most prestigious. Not one of the country's domestic own brand manufacturers failed to be present, with many of them competing for the spotlight.

Since the phasing out of stimulatory policies last year, own brand manufacturers saw a marked decrease to both their sales and market shares. Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers confirm that trend did not change in the first quarter of this year. Several in the industry believe that own brand manufacturers' inability to break out of the economy car segment is their largest problem. Chinese manufacturers also suffer from shortcomings in technology and R&D, especially when compared to foreign enterprises.

In response to this, domestic manufacturers went out of their way to show consumers that, whether comparing design or technology, their models can compete squarely with foreign ones. According to various sources, of the 120 models making their worldwide premiere at this year's show, 86 were domestic own brands. Some of the more notable examples included the Chery TX (pictured above), Geely Moka (pictured below) and Haima Yao concepts. These concept vehicles were presented to show off the advancements in technology own brands have made over the past five years. In addition, several own brand models targeted at the mid- to high-level luxury segments were also displayed.

According to a statement made during an interview at the show, BAIC Motor President Han Yonggui believes that the only way for domestic manufacturers to succeed in today's increasingly competitive market is for them to develop beyond economy cars, increase quality and brand awareness and expand into other segments. Whether this means introducing new models or increasing their R&D capability, it is time for Chinese own brand manufacturers to rise up to the challenge.