Frankfurt Auto Show: Chinese ‘dragons’ are coming

Tuesday,  September 20, 2005

FRANKFURT, (AFP) - The Chinese “dragon” is coming, one of the new affordable cars made in China by manufacturers who honed their skills working for western car makers. Now the wheels have turned but analysts see no immediate threat from this new Asian competitor. 

Far from the usual auto show-stoppers like the luxury Mercedes sedan or Porsche sportcar, three Chinese car makers are set to be the alternative stars of the 2005 Frankfurt Auto Show, which officially opened last Tuesday. 

The Chinese line-up includes Geely with five models, featuring a sportscar dubbed CD for “China Dragon”. 

Importer Landwind is unveiling a four-wheel drive vehicle by Jiangling, a joint venture with Ford in China, and Brilliance, a Chinese venture with BMW, is showcasing its sedan Zhonghua, which should be on sale in Germany by the end of the year starting at 18,000 euros (21,000 dollars). 

The three Chinese companies are “the second cut,” unlike the big manufacturers such as Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), noted Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). 

But this third wave of Asian car makers is just getting revved up. 

A German journalist in Automobile News Europe drove home a warning to western automakers not to “underestimate” the Chinese competition as they did in the past with the Japanese and the Koreans. 

Still, automobiles “made in China” will have to prove their worth before making a breakthrough in the western market. 

“The Chinese car makers are coming but it will be difficult for them to find a place as quickly as Hyundai did in the past,” the president of Japan’s Mitsubishi, Osamu Masuko, told journalists. 

“Not only because the technologies never stop improving but also because the political climate will not be strongly in its favor,” he added. 

The 61st International motor show in Frankfurt, Germany has attracted car industry representatives and enthusiasts from around the globe. Over 1,000 exhibitors from 44 countries have exhibited cars. Over one million people are expected to visit the fair which takes place from 12 to 25 September.

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