By Te Kan (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-25 08:06

Market research shows that China's self-developed automobile brands are gaining wider recognition due to their competitive prices and improved products and services.

The first batch of Tianjin FAW vehicles -2,500 of its Vita and Xiali-N3 models - were exported through Tianjin Port to Mexico in December 2007. [China Daily]

Ratings by domestic and international institutions show that Tianjin FAW is one of the shining stars among domestically designed and produced brands.

According to a sales satisfaction index (SSI) released by the Asia-Pacific branch of J. D. Power, an authoritative US researcher, Tianjin FAW was rated No 1 last September among China's self-developed automobile brands.

Beijing Benz-DaimlerChrysler ranked first among all automakers in China with a score of 829 points on a scale of 1,000. With 813 points, Tianjin FAW shared the same score as joint ventures Shanghai Volkswagen and Shanghai GM.

The J. P. Power SSI survey covered 40 brands, both homegrown and joint venture, produced in China.

A 2007 passenger car customer satisfaction survey by the China Association for Quality also ranked Tianjin FAW at the top - for its Vita model, rated No 1 in its category of compact cars.

In the past two years, sales of self-developed cars have seen rapid growth in the domestic market due to their price advantages and improvements in product quality.

The intense competition in China has actually helped domestic brands sharpen their competitive edge in the international market.

Tianjin FAW has closely tracked the latest global trends to further develop its manufacturing processes and products, improve quality controls, and enhance sales and service to meet international standards.

Product quality is something that Tianjin FAW is keen to show domestic and overseas customers.

Beginning in 2006, the company completed three grueling cross-continental road trips using its compact cars.

In 2006, Tianjin FAW's Vita fleet journeyed across Asia and Africa.

At the beginning of 2007, the Vita fleet launched a journey to Australia to receive high-temperature and high-humidity tests.

In the same year a fleet of its Vita model drove to and through Russia on its way to the Arctic Circle. Starting from the National Sports Center in Beijing on September 6, the fleet arrived in the ice-bound region on October 9 to become the first self-developed Chinese cars to cross into the region.

During the three trips, covering nearly 60,000 km, the Vita cars have overcome the natural challenges of deserts, high-altitude plateaus, high temperature, high humidity and extreme coldness, thanks to their high quality, showing Chinese cars have the same capacity as foreign brands to survive all kinds of tough conditions.

Tianjin FAW is an important compact car production unit for the FAW Group with a comprehensive capacity to develop and produce complete cars, including engines, gearboxes and other components.

The predecessor of Tianjin FAW was the Tianjin Automotive Xiali Co Ltd. In June 2002, it became a subsidiary of FAW Group, which purchased a 50.98 percent stake in the company.

Tianjin FAW is now playing an important part in FAW Group's self-developed brand strategy. The plan calls for the group to produce 2 million automobiles annually by 2010, 1 million of which will be self-developed vehicles.

Tianjin FAW plans to make 40 percent of all the indigenous automobiles from FAW Group through annual production of 400,000 units in 2010.

With over 20 years of history in developing compact cars and benefiting from successful cooperation with Toyota, the company now has the capability to produce high-quality compact cars and components like engines.

Incorporating international expertise in design and manufacturing, Tianjin FAW is building a high-quality car facility that meets international standards to manufacture its models, including the Xiali, Vizi, Vita and Vela.