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http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/3130/2006/07/10/[email protected]

Chinese Car Buyers Expected to Be More Savvy

2006-07-10 09:42:56 Shanghai Daily
Chinese auto buyers will pay more attention to practical in-car functions in the future in addition to sticker prices, according to a recent industry report.

The report was based on a survey of 500 car owners in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

Owners embraced integrated, hands-free phone technology and audio entertainment systems, especially MP3 players, as they spend an average of 2.5 hours every day in their car, according to the report from Visteon, one of the world's leading auto parts suppliers.

"The Chinese market has changed dramatically and car owners now don't always automatically go for the cheapest price," said Yang Weihua, marketing director for Visteon Asia Pacific.

Yang also said most respondents said they would be willing to pay for advanced technologies as long as they are reliable.

Most car drivers don't go far beyond basic functions such as an odometer, a digital clock and temperature display. But ever changing dashboard displays, which may distract attention from driving, was a concern, according to owners.

Most vehicle owners also liked the idea of a portable navigation system that could be removed from the car. But luxury car owners still prefer an integrated system. Other highlights included a strong desire for a faster and more efficient heating/cooling system.

The industry boasted fast development with a double-digit growth rate in both sales and production as the booming economy means disposable income is rising. But the market is still in its infancy. There are only 40 cars per 1,000 people in China compared with more than 700 autos per 1,000 people in North America.

Sales of compact cars increased in China as more than 70 percent of the market is comprised of first-time buyers, who are more budget conscious. However, the survey found that only about 64 percent of buyers are satisfied with their compact cars compared with an 86 percent satisfaction rate in the large luxury car segment.

This shows that the Chinese automotive culture is starting to mature, what do you guys think?

 

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High demand drives surge in car sales

http://english.sina.com/business/1/2006/0707/82743.html

High demand drives surge in car sales
2006-07-07 18:35:58 Xinhua English

BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Both Ford Motor and BMW AG posted blistering increases in China sales on Friday for the first half of this year, powered by strong demand in the world's No 3 vehicle market.

Combined sales of Ford and its affiliate brands Lincoln, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover doubled year-on-year to 74,395 units from January to June, the Detroit-based auto group said in a statement.

BMW said its first-half sales on the Chinese mainland surged by 78.4 per cent to 16,833 cars.

Their strong performance came amid robust demand from Chinese buyers.

According to data provided by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Friday, overall sales of domestically made vehicles gained 26.71 per cent to 3.54 million units in the first half.

Meanwhile, sales of passenger vehicles basic cars, sport utility vehicles, multi-purpose vehicles and mini-vans jumped by 36.53 per cent to 2.51 million units.

"Ford Motor China has successfully maintained a strong sales growth momentum over the past two years despite the intensifying competition in the market," said Cheng Meiwei, chairman of Ford Motor China.

"The success is good proof of our continuous strengthening of product line-up and our products' increasing popularity among Chinese customers," Cheng said.

China sales of Ford brand vehicles, both locally made and imported, rocketed by 105.5 per cent to 68,908 units from January to June.

Ford's joint venture with its Japanese unit Mazda Motor and China's Chang'an Motor sold 56,417 Ford cars in the period, surging 136.6 per cent.

"With more new and upgraded car models to be launched in the second half of the year, I'm fully confident that Chang'an Ford Mazda (the venture) will meet or even exceed its sales target set for the year 2006," Cheng said.

The venture in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality aims to double sales in 2006 from 61,013 units last year. Ford said the venture would expand its dealerships to 200 by the end of this year from 170 now.

The venture will assemble a Volvo S40 sedan later this year.

A Ford China spokesman said Mazda would reveal its first-half results for China soon. The Japanese firm, one-third owned by Ford, also has a joint venture with China's First Automotive Works Corp.

BMW said its first-half sales on the mainland included 10,562 units of the 3 and 5 Series sedans built at its joint venture with Brilliance China Auto in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. The venture's sales grew by half from a year ago.

Earlier this week, General Motors, Volkswagen and PSA Peugeot Citroen reported strong January-June sales growth in China.

PSA Peugeot Citroen on Friday also announced that it would build a new 150,000-unit plant with China's Dongfeng Motor as part of their joint venture.

The new plant, to be located in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province, will begin producing the French carmaker's large-sized sedans in 2009.

The Sino-French joint venture's existing plant in Wuhan is making small and medium-sized cars.

The venture sold 100,173 cars in the first half of this year, an increase of 38 per cent from the same period of last year.

(Source: China Daily)

 

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China sells 1.804 mln cars in first half year

http://english.sina.com/business/1/2006/0709/82806.html

China sells 1.804 mln cars in first half year
2006-07-09 04:35:24 Xinhua English

BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua)-- China sold 1.804 million cars in the domestic market in the first half year, up 46.9 percent year-on-year, latest statistics from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show.

The top ten auto makers accounted for 1.272 million units or 70.52 percent of the total.

The top ten companies are, in descending order: Shanghai GM, Shanghai Volkswagen, FAW Volkswagen, Chery, Beijing Hyundai, FAW Toyoda, Tianjin-FAW Xiali, Geely, Guangzhou Honda and Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen.

Statistics show that the ten companies maintained steady growth in the first half year. Their sales of cars all surpassed 100,000,ranging from 183,900 to 100,200.

Compared with the ranking of 2005, Shanghai GM rose to the first from the third while FAW Volkswagen dropped to the third from the first.

FAW Toyoda entered the top ten for the first time while Dongfeng Nissan, who was in the eighth place in 2005, was out this time. Enditem

 

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China's auto sales up 26.71 pct in first half year

http://english.sina.com/business/1/2006/0707/82732.html

China's auto sales up 26.71 pct in first half year
2006-07-07 13:36:01 Xinhua English

BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- China's automobile sales surged by 26.71 percent in the first half of the year to reach 3.53 million units, according to figures released Friday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

The output of automobiles posted an even stronger growth of 28.94 percent in the first six months to 3.63 million units.

The production and sales of sedans soared by 50.26 percent and 46.9 percent, respectively.

The country produced 2.59 million passenger vehicles between January and June, up 40.3 percent year on year.

The sales of passenger vehicles rose 36.53 percent to reach 2.51 million units.

The output of commercial vehicles went up by 7.16 percent to reach 1.03 million units, while sales gained 7.71 percent to reach 1.02 million units.

Industrial analysts said the growth may slow down in the second half of the year, as stocks of some manufacturers are building up.

They estimate that the growth rates of both production and sales for the whole year may stand around 20 percent, with production likely to hit 6.8 million units, an increase of 1 million units over 2005. Enditem