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Tuesday 26 August 2008
Why Can’t Chinese Cars Compete Internationally?
Since the beginning of 2008, with raw material costs and oil prices rising constantly and “made in China” moving into cooler weather, the Chinese car market has caught a cold and domestic brands are the biggest sneezers.
Since the beginning of 2008, with raw material costs and oil prices rising constantly and “made in China” moving into cooler weather, the Chinese car market has caught a cold and domestic brands are the biggest sneezers.
Market share for China’s own brands grew from 21.7% in 2001, to 26.6% in 2006, and up to 29.6% in the first three months of 2007. But since the second half of 2007, their share has dropped to 25.8% in the first three months of 2008. In July, Chery’s domestic and international sales amounted to about 22,800 units, a fall of 39.88% over the previous month.
During this period, the market share for Japanese cars was 29.3%.
Overseas exports of some automakers have not been largely affected. Brilliance Auto gained big overseas orders last year, and has steady sales channels and prices that have been accepted in overseas areas. Ambitious Brilliance even means to attend the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Now it is working to get local accreditations to prepare it for the entry into the US market. “If Brilliance automobiles can enter the US market, it will not only improve the company’s overseas reputation, but also help to promote domestic sales,” a company’s spokesman claims.
In the first half of 2007, Chery’s automobile exports reached 83,000 and continued to hold its No.1 ranking in China. Chery hopes that the strong performance of domestic brands in overseas markets will stimulate the domestic market.
Such hopes may be overly optimistic. The market share decline of these brands is due to a number of reasons, the most important being the abandoning of independent R&D and over-concentration on short-term interests. Domestic automakers commonly use a large amount of components made by foreign-invested producers. This mode of operation puts a damper on their future.
As yet no Chinese automaker has been able to mass produce automatic gearboxes. Some automakers have even abandoned independent R&D in this area, and hope to overtake multinational enterprises by directly transferring to the development of electric cars or new energy source automobiles. All domestic automakers now have to buy gearboxes from foreign producers.
Although every domestic automaker claims it carries on engine research, a key technology, in fact, of the over 100 domestic carmakers only seven get their engines from inside the company or the company group as multinational companies in Europe, US, and Japan do. Among the rest, 35 purchase engines from both inside and outside the company, while nearly 60 source from outside the company. Even large domestic makers such as Chery and Geely source engines from other companies, as it saves them time and money. Chery’s ACTECO engine is considered to be another form of outsourcing, and is still some distance away from a viable technology. Geely’s “reverse development” is regarded as merely another form of technology purchase.
Domestic automakers have also pursued rapid development by making use of overseas companies’ design and services, and China’s car component industry has been built by foreign-invested automakers. Even as the domestic brands’ market share inches towards 30%, they still face a lack of technology for key components.
Domestic automakers began mass-producing cars in 2000 or so, and gained the power in the market by making full use of the integration of the global industrial structure. But this model, depending on outsourcing and integration, can’t support enterprises for long.
1 comment:
Why Can’t Chinese Cars Compete Internationally?
25 August 2008
CSC staff
Since the beginning of 2008, with raw material costs and oil prices rising constantly and “made in China” moving into cooler weather, the Chinese car market has caught a cold and domestic brands are the biggest sneezers.
Market share for China’s own brands grew from 21.7% in 2001, to 26.6% in 2006, and up to 29.6% in the first three months of 2007. But since the second half of 2007, their share has dropped to 25.8% in the first three months of 2008. In July, Chery’s domestic and international sales amounted to about 22,800 units, a fall of 39.88% over the previous month.
During this period, the market share for Japanese cars was 29.3%.
Overseas exports of some automakers have not been largely affected. Brilliance Auto gained big overseas orders last year, and has steady sales channels and prices that have been accepted in overseas areas. Ambitious Brilliance even means to attend the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Now it is working to get local accreditations to prepare it for the entry into the US market. “If Brilliance automobiles can enter the US market, it will not only improve the company’s overseas reputation, but also help to promote domestic sales,” a company’s spokesman claims.
In the first half of 2007, Chery’s automobile exports reached 83,000 and continued to hold its No.1 ranking in China. Chery hopes that the strong performance of domestic brands in overseas markets will stimulate the domestic market.
Such hopes may be overly optimistic. The market share decline of these brands is due to a number of reasons, the most important being the abandoning of independent R&D and over-concentration on short-term interests. Domestic automakers commonly use a large amount of components made by foreign-invested producers. This mode of operation puts a damper on their future.
As yet no Chinese automaker has been able to mass produce automatic gearboxes. Some automakers have even abandoned independent R&D in this area, and hope to overtake multinational enterprises by directly transferring to the development of electric cars or new energy source automobiles. All domestic automakers now have to buy gearboxes from foreign producers.
Although every domestic automaker claims it carries on engine research, a key technology, in fact, of the over 100 domestic carmakers only seven get their engines from inside the company or the company group as multinational companies in Europe, US, and Japan do. Among the rest, 35 purchase engines from both inside and outside the company, while nearly 60 source from outside the company. Even large domestic makers such as Chery and Geely source engines from other companies, as it saves them time and money. Chery’s ACTECO engine is considered to be another form of outsourcing, and is still some distance away from a viable technology. Geely’s “reverse development” is regarded as merely another form of technology purchase.
Domestic automakers have also pursued rapid development by making use of overseas companies’ design and services, and China’s car component industry has been built by foreign-invested automakers. Even as the domestic brands’ market share inches towards 30%, they still face a lack of technology for key components.
Domestic automakers began mass-producing cars in 2000 or so, and gained the power in the market by making full use of the integration of the global industrial structure. But this model, depending on outsourcing and integration, can’t support enterprises for long.
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