CRI听力: Auto Industry Looks to China for 2010 Sales

China's third-largest auto show has kicked off in the country's southern city of Guangzhou. More than 600 international car makers gathered there to showcase their latest models together with their Chinese joint ventures.




Wang Ling has the details.

Energy-efficient autos have been the highlights of this year's auto show in Guangzhou.

Chang'an Ford is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Changan Motors in Chongqing, China.

Ford's EcoBoost engine cutaway will be introduced in China next year.(www.hXen.com)

The engine's new technology delivers up to 20 percent better fuel economy and 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions.

Nigel Harris, the general manager of Changan Ford Sales Company, says the future looks promising for them.

"When you start talking about numbers like 15 million units for next year, that makes sense. There is an underlying healthiness about the auto market and about how the Chinese consumers behave, they are great savers. When we talk about growth like ten percent for next year, we're actually pretty confident that can happen."

Yasuaki Hashimoto, president of Nissan, says that this year, China is showing large growth, while other markets like the U.S., Europe and Japan are struggling to maintain sales.

"China is showing the significant growth, more than 30 percent so far, for passenger big growth sales in China. But still the China market has a big potential because China's modernization has just started. I think China will be the biggest market in the world very soon, and this is a significant potential we see in China, so we have a reason to see China will be the most important strategy market for us."

In the first ten months of this year, auto sales in China reached nearly 11 million units, up more than 36 percent from a year ago, surpassing the United States as the world's largest auto market.

Simon Lam, the research director at Christfund Securities Limited, says the cheap labor costs in China are attracting international manufacturers to expand production here.

"So they are making very good profits to their parent company, if you compare them making the same sales, making the same number of the vehicle with their country. So, I believe that all the manufactures, they intend to increase their capacity, which is compare their slowing down their own production line in their own country."

The Guangzhou auto show will conclude next Monday.

Wang Ling, CRI news.