China is throwing up a whole new world of car companies with names such as Brilliance, Chery, Changan, SAIC and Great Wall. Add to these the fact that companies such as Volvo and MG are now owned by the Chinese and you can almost see the momentum growing.
Most of the world’s big carmakers are building cars in the country with local joint venture partners – the partners are necessary under Chinese law, and it may not be long before we see hybrids emerging.
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Not the petrol-electric hybrids, but new brands developed jointly by western and Chinese companies.
At the Shanghai show, Chongqing Changan Automobile, which has a three-way partnership with Ford and Mazda in China, said that the joint venture is considering rolling out its own brand.
Under the partnership Changan currently makes and sells the Ford Focus, Fiesta, and Mondeo in China. It also sells the Mazda 2 and 3.
Changan Auto general manager Zhang Baolin said that a new brand formed by the JV is being discussed. This would fit with Ford’s plans to increase its presence in China.
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By GlobalDataHowever, Ford was a little more coy on the subject, saying there were no plans now for an indiginous brand, but it is already planning to introduce 15 new vehicles, double its dealerships from 340 and add 1,200 new jobs in China by 2015. The first of the 15 new models, the Focus, will go into production in 2012 at new factory in Chongqing with an initial capacity of 150,000 units.
General Motors also has big plans, looking to double its sales in China to around 5m units by 2015, up from 2.35m last year.
GM China chief Kevin Wale, a former Vauxhall managing director, said GM planned to introduce around 60 new and upgraded models in China over the next five years, around 12 of them being Buicks and 15 Chevrolets.
He added: “We have set some aggressive goals with our five-year plan. We are confident that we will achieve every one of our goals.”
