Chongqing Changan Automobile is the latest Chinese carmaker to undergo an image makeover, unveiling a new logo for its passenger car business.
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Chinese companies are trying to broaden their image beyond that of affordable but lower quality cars. Changan president Zhang Baolin, said: “From now on, all our sedans will carry the new V shape logo, including the higher-end sedan we are working on.”
The initiative differentiates Changan’s work horse mini vehicles from the more lucrative passenger car business. The move illustrates how Chinese automakers, until now mostly focused on the lower end of the domestic market, are trying to move upmarket to challenge foreign brands such as General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen.
Chery Automobile, whose QQ sells for just CNY30,000 (US$4,498), unveiled its first premier car, the G6, under the Riich brand last year while Changan, which makes the small Yuexiang and BenBen models, said its first premium car is expected go into production next year.
In the first nine months of this year Changan sold 1.71m vehicles, ranking number four in the country. Company chairman Xu Liuping has set an ambitious target to sell 3m cars annually in 2012, rising to 4.5m by 2015 and to 6m by 2020.
