China's carmakers put new emphasis on eco-friendly

Responding to the changing needs of Chinese consumers as their living standards rise, local industry leaders Chery Automobile Co. and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. emphasized the quality and eco-friendliness, rather than low prices, of the models they exhibited at the 10th Beijing International Automotive Industry Exhibition, or Auto China 2008. Chery, Geely and the other Chinese automakers outperformed their Japanese rivals in domestic passenger car sales, including imports, in the January-March quarter of 2007, taking 29.64% of the Chinese market. Chinese carmakers still trail foreign automakers, however, in terms of production scale and the efficiency made possible by the use of standardized platforms. (May 7, 2008)