Auto Passions in China

For many Chinese, consumerism has become the driving force of their new revolution. It's a lifestyle or statement that car domestic and foreign auto manufacturers want to hear in the fastest growing car market in the world. Car ownership is soaring. Sales of passenger cars soared from 750,000 units in 2001 to 1.2 million in 2002 then nearly doubled to 2.1 million in 2003. According to the Beijing-based China Automotive Industry Newsletter, 2.3 million cars rolled off the Chinese assembly lines in 2004 making China the fourth largest producer in the world. By 2010, it is predicted that China will become the world's No. 2 producer after the USA.

The desire to consume is what it's all about. And the Chinese are purchasing their auto dreams, not in shopping malls or arcades, but in car showrooms and expos. Labels are of course the lingo of any consumer culture and for many Chinese, labelscar brands, both foreign and the homespun varietyare easier to identify than the names of vice-premiers, state counselors or dead emperors: Honda (Fengtian), Mazda (Mazida), Audi (Aodi), Mercedes-Benz (Benchi), to name a few.

The first automobiles rolled off the assembly line in the 1950s, but back then and right up to the early 1980s, private passenger cars such as "Red Flag" limousines were for China's ruling elite driven by chauffeurs. But once the Chinese could purchase their own cars, there was no turning back. By the early 1990s, one million auto vehicles were rolling off the assembly lines annually. With China's entry into the WTO in December 2001, the auto industry turned a new page. Foreign manufacturers were keen to grab a piece of the fastest growing auto market in the world. Major foreign players include U.S.-based General Motors, BMW, Mercedes, and Japanese giants Toyota Motors and Honda Motors. In March 2003, Mercedes signed a 450 million euro deal Brilliance China Automotive, China's largest minivan maker.

The car defined and transformed a growing urban middle class in America in the 1920s and we see that happening right here in China. Luxury cars such as Buick or the Honda Accord are popular among many Chinese as are the smaller "pet" QQ models by Chery. Auto shows are major events resembling beauty pageants, showcasing the latest and hottest "models."

The quest to own and drive cars continues despite overcrowded roads and increasing traffic jams. But the chaos on the roads has significantly made some private car owners change their driving habits, particularly during peak-hour traffic. An online survey in 2004 listed a number of "bad habits" of Chinese drivers, but it reads more like basic road courtesy rules such as driving on the right or proper side of the road and observing red lights. To be sure, bad driving habits could be found anywhere in the world, but with overcrowded roads and the sea of pedestrians that cross roads with little or no respect for motorists, especially in major urban centres like Beijing and Shanghai, the need to observe or enforce road rules becomes imperative.