Last week I mentioned the Chinese auto production and how China is the number one producer in the world. Vehicle sales in China are predicted to reach 17 million units this year, up from 13.7 million in 2009, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. So will you be driving Chinese next year? Perhaps not, but I am sure you will by 2020.
Just run down through this list of Chinese cars and their 56 brands:
Dongfeng’s coupe
Beijing Auto Works (BAW)
Beijing-Benz
Beijing-Hyundai
Brilliance
Brilliance-BMW
BYD
Chang’an
Chang’an-Ford
Chang’an-Mazda
Chang’an-Peugeot-Citroën
Chang’an-Suzuki
Chang’an-Volvo
Changfeng
Changhe-Suzuki
Chery
Citroën
Dongfeng
Dongfeng-Honda
Dongfeng-Nissan
Dongfeng-Peugeot-Citroën
Dongfeng-Yulong
FAW
FAW-Mazda
FAW-Toyota
FAW-VW
Foday
Geely
Gonow
Greatwall
Guangzhou Auto
Guangzhou-Fiat
Guangzhou-Honda
Guangzhou-Toyota
Haima
Huanghai
Huatai
Incalcu
Jianghuai Automobile Corporation (JAC)
Jiangling Motor (JMC)
Jiangnan
King Long
Lifan
Mercedes Benz
MG (Nanjing-MG)
Roewe
SAIC
Shanghai-GM
Shanghai-VW
Shuanghuan
SouEast
Tongtian
Volkswagen China
Wuling
Xiaolong
Youngmen
Zotye
Please also note that 32 of these are not joint ventures! However, the joint venture between Dongfeng and Nissan will offer seven new passenger vehicle models in the next two years as well as its self-developed all-new brand Venucia.
The partnership between Nissan Motor Co Ltd and China’s auto group Dongfeng Motor Corp plans to sell 1.5 million vehicles in 2012, up from its previous goal of 1 million, according to Kimiyasu Nakamura, company president. That is more than the total number of vehicles produced in Thailand in any one year, and Nissan-Dongfeng is just one manufacturer.
The joint venture’s lineup includes passenger vehicles under the Nissan brand and the newly created badge Venucia whose property rights are owned by the joint venture, as well as Dongfeng-brand commercial vehicles.
The joint venture Dongfeng Motor Co Ltd was formed in 2003 with registered capital of 16.7 billion yuan. It now has a workforce of around 70,000. In 2003, it sold only 298,000 vehicles and over 1 million today. That’s Chinese progress.
