'Cross-shopping' makes new buyers a tough sell

Market now offers consumers the world's largest selection of models and brands

BEIJING- A recent survey by market research firm J.D. Power shows that fierce competition in China's auto market offers such a wide range of options that the majority of consumers closely compare models and have little preconceived brand loyalty.

Including inexpensive domestic vehicles, shoppers in China now enjoy the widest choice of cars in the world, with 94 brands and 471 models on the market, which results in a unique level of cross-shopping, according to the 2011 China Escaped Shopper Study released at the end of September.