China has published its eleventh Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Automotive Industry. It has been circulated amongst key vehicle manufacturers.
According to China Automotive Review, the plan will focus on developing independent Chinese automakers and encouraging them to catch up to global standards in safety, fuel consumption and environmental protection.
The plan forecasts that half of all domestically-produced cars sold in China by 2010 will be from independent brands which currently account for less than 30% of the market.
The plan does not state whether joint ventures will be allowed to assemble cars on behalf of independent brands.
By 2010 the plan is targeting annual production of 9m vehicles, which is fully in line with production expectations for this year of 8.5m units.
