Cars
Automakers showcase new models at Beijing show
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-04-22 15:43
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BEIJING - Automakers plan to unveil dozens of new models at the Beijing auto show this weekend as foreign producers look to surging China to drive slack global sales and local brands try to raise their profile following Geely's purchase of Volvo.
The show has quickly become a premier global event as explosive sales growth propelled China, a country with almost no private cars 15 years ago, past the United States in 2009 to become the world's top auto market.
Major producers that used to reserve vehicle launches for US or European auto shows plan to debut 14 new models at Auto China 2010, according to organizers. Chinese manufacturers plan to show 75 new sedans, SUVs, experimental "green" cars and other vehicles. The event opens to auto writers Friday and to the public on Tuesday.
"Auto China has grown to be one of the biggest and most important auto shows of the year, joining Detroit, Tokyo and Paris," said Trevor Hale, a spokesman for Daimler AG.
The reason: China's buoyant auto market shrugged off the global crisis and sales soared by an eye-popping 45 percent last year to 13.6 million vehicles, well ahead of the 10.5 million units sold in the United States. The expansion accelerated this year, when sales jumped by 63 percent in the first quarter.
"The growth is phenomenal," said John Bonnell, a J.D. Power analyst.
Sales have been boosted by China's economic rebound, which saw growth accelerate to 11.9 percent in the first quarter of this year. Bonnell said this year's auto sales growth will ease but still should be strong.
Global automakers are looking China as a commercial lifeline amid weak global demand and are more ambitious than ever at this year's Beijing show.
Among the weekend's planned debuts: General Motors Co's all-electric Volt MPV5 concept car and a Chinese-made GM minivan and a compact sedan. Daimler is showing its latest ultra-luxury Maybach sedan and an E-Class sedan designed for China with a bigger back seat for customers who have drivers and ride in back.
GM says its China sales jumped 68 percent in March from a year earlier and this year's sales should top 2 million vehicles, four years ahead of schedule. By contrast, GM's US sales last year plunged 30 percent to 2.1 million vehicles. The president of GM China, Kevin Wale, said last month GM will "put as much energy as we can" into China.
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Toyota Motor Corp says it will display 50 vehicles including its latest gas-electric Prius hybrid and an electric concept car. Toyota's image has taken a beating abroad over safety complaints but sales in China, where only a few thousand vehicles were recalled, have suffered little impact.
"By participating at this level, Toyota is expressing its highest degree of attention to this auto show and the Chinese market," said a company statement.
China's fledgling automakers are showcasing their ambitions to expand into global markets.
