Carmakers maturing, but can they go global?

In many cultures, families hold a celebration signaling that a teenager is ready to transition into adulthood - a coming of age. Many global observers look to last year's Beijing Auto Show as a sign that China's vehicle manufacturers are ready to take a similar step toward maturity on the discerning and competitive global stage.

With a newly expanded venue in Beijing, several manufacturers took the opportunity to show a range of offerings seemingly engineered with global exports in mind.

Chery, Geely, FAW and SAIC all raised their game significantly last year, as did several other smaller China-based auto producers.