Significant Cars Debut at Auto Shanghai 2013
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Despite poor reception from previous Chinese automotive brands exhibitions at what is arguably North America’s most influential auto show, the Detroit Auto Show, Chinese carmaker GAC showcases several concepts in Detroit. While Chinese branded car designs have vastly improved in recent years, they still struggle with international acceptance. It doesn’t help that, even at home, Chinese car brands are often overlooked in favor of more established industry leaders from the United States, Europe, Japan, and Korea. Automotive industry experts, J.D. Powers, predicts that China won’t be ready to go head to head with foreign automakers until at least 2020.
Read more at The Fiscal Times
A recent article from Want China Times highlighted the immaturity of one Chinese car manufacturer, which may not be atypical of the Chinese auto industry – and perhaps other industries in China. BYD, which is one of China’s emerging domestic auto brands, is in financial trouble as a result of various poor business decisions. One of these decisions was to copy other carmakers’ products rather than create original designs.
From a designer’s perspective, it’s interesting that the topic of copying competitors is so casually discussed as a legitimate business strategy. There is no mention of the ethical concerns of the approach – only of the financial impacts. Regardless of ethics, however, BYD’s strategy of copying competitors’ products has resulted in a dramatic loss of marketshare. As the article states, “this approach undermined the company’s research-and-development abilities, subjecting it to great pressure each time other Chinese carmakers launched new models.” Some of BYD’s domestic competitors, meanwhile, have made investments in R&D centers and hiring experienced foreign designers.
Chinese automakers are losing ground to their foreign competitors, despite three decades of partnerships with foreign automakers to exchange market access for technology. Domestic car buyers still perceive Chinese auto brands as inferior and less desirable to foreign brands. While domestic auto companies, such as BAIC and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings, have hired top foreign designers to give their products a design boost, the strategy has not yet yielded improvements in brand perceptions and market share. For now, the core business for Chinese automakers is to continue manufacturing their foreign partners’ products.
“Originality is not just limited to mature auto manufacturers, two Chinese manufacturers in particular, Chery and BYD showed tremendous amounts of originality that was worthy of world auto manufacturers, these two companies seem to be singlehandedly giving consumers greater confidence in Chinese automotive products”
Read the article at China Car Times
“The designers find inspiration in traditional paper cutting, or in Tang (dynasty) paintings representing opulent women. Every model in the future has to have a good potential in China.”
Read the article at NY Daily News
有着二十多年历史的北京国际汽车展览会（AutoChina）,至今已连续成功举办了十一届，是全球汽车业界在中国每两年一次的重要展示活动。依托中国巨 大的汽车消费市场和快速发展的中国汽车工业，北京国际汽车展览会在展览规模、国际化水准、展品质量以及在全球的影响力逐届提高，受到中外汽车界、新闻界和 社会各界的高度关注和积极参与。众多国际知名汽车公司将北京国际汽车展览会列为全球最重要的国际级车展，中国本土汽车企业也将北京国际汽车展览会作为展示 自主知识品牌、推出最新科技成果的首选平台。二十多年来，北京国际汽车展览会始终坚持展品精、品牌全、国际化的办展理念和特色，致力于打造为中外汽车企业 展示形象、推广品牌、促进交流融合、沟通信息技术的平台。在全球汽车业缓慢复苏的今天， 2012（第十二届）北京国际汽车展览会有信心继续以中国持续繁荣的汽车市场和创新发展的中国汽车工业为背景，携手国内外汽车业界同仁，为促进中外汽车业 界的交流与合作、为中外汽车业的振兴和发展做出新的贡献。
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由Car Design News主办的2012 Interior Motives 北京国际汽车设计会议的召开恰逢中国设计界最关键的时间点。设计师们如何才能了解他们的顾客，并将品牌内涵付诸于设计？事实上，无论新老、中外品牌，摆在 他们面前的真正问题是如何在竞争如此激烈的市场上维系其在消费中心目中的品牌形象。
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