Auto China 2010 Highlight China's Strength
as the World's Biggest Auto Market
Top 10 Automakers in China (2009)
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Amidst the colder April in Beijing this year, the biennial Beijing auto show, Auto China 2010, which runs from end of April to May 2, was a success with enthusiastic automakers and visitors at the event. It attracted 2,100 manufacturers of autos and parts from 16 countries or regions. About 990 autos were displayed in the show. Famous automakers have brought their signature brands from luxurious sedans to daily compact cars - and this year, especially, showcased 95 new-energy autos under the key theme "imagining the green future", including cars and buses driven by fuel cells, natural gas and other alternative sources. The area of 200,000 square meters of show space was 20,000 square meters larger than the Beijing show in 2008. Experts now consider this year's Auto China as one of the world's top car shows, ranking along those in Detroit and Tokyo. Besides famous brand names like GM, Toyota, etc., home-grown Chinese maker BYD Auto brought the E6 electric car and a revamped F3 electric vehicle fitted with a solar energy roof. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (Group) unveiled its E1 electric concept car at the show. It also displayed its hybrid version of the Roewe 750 sedan. China's strength as the world's biggest auto market: With economic recession having hit hard in the West, China surpassed the United States as the world's biggest auto market for the first time in 2009 with sales of 13.6 million vehicles. Officials from China's State Information Center estimated that with China's extended stimulus packages as well as the low market penetration, total auto sales in China in 2010 will top 16 million, with an annual growth of 13 to 15 percent. Sales of passenger cars are also forecast to grow at a faster pace of 20 percent. Fast, luxurious, and expensive cars such as Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Ferrari, Maserati, Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce, have also participated in this year's auto show. As China's list of millionaires and billionaires continues to grow, the Asia Pacific market is important for these automakers. The Asia Pacific accounts for 20 percent of Ferrari's sales, with China as a key market. Jaguar's sales in China have accelerated 70 percent so far in 2010. For Japanese automakers, Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co. said to Shanghai Daily that he expected their sales to reach 850,000 units in China in 2010, making it the second-largest market in Nissan's global sales. Toyota Motor Corp plans to sell more than 710,000 units in China, beyond its 2009 sales. Land Rover, manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles, also made a high-profile appearance in Beijing. Related
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