www.chinaview.cn 2009-04-20 14:35:44

BEIJING , April 20 -- In many cultures, families hold a celebration signaling that a teenager is ready to transition into adulthood - a coming of age. Many global observers look to last year's Beijing Auto Show as a sign that China's vehicle manufacturers are ready to take a similar step toward maturity on the discerning and competitive global stage.

With a newly expanded venue in Beijing, several manufacturers took the opportunity to show a range of offerings seemingly engineered with global exports in mind.

Chery, Geely, FAW and SAIC all raised their game significantly last year, as did several other smaller China-based auto producers.

Each used Beijing as a launching point to debut vehicles and technologies to prepare for expansion in China and other markets.

Possibly the most important introduction last year was the Roewe 550 compact sedan - designed completely by SAIC with its big brother the Roewe 750 as a starting point.

Not shared with either of its partners General Motors and Volkswagen, the 550 is crucial to SAIC's ability to expand in China and abroad on its own terms. The sedan's level of technology integration, fit and finish as well as styling signaled to the world that China is ready to truly become a global force in the highly competitive industry.

The Roewe 550, as well as other China-designed offerings, impressed many foreign vehicle makers.

They surely took notice of the tremendous progress and, more importantly, the looming competitive threat from China. This year's Shanghai Auto Show will be part of continuing this maturation, especially amid global economic turmoil that has placed the automotive industry flat on its back.

Impressing global visitors with a display of substantial progress in vehicle design, value, content, technology and build quality is the number one priority for the Shanghai show.

Despite the financial condition Detroit's Big Three and poor output driven by the massive inventory correction underway in Japan and Europe, China's players face a changing competitive future. The current economic downturn, the focus on lower global dependence on fossil fuels and the importance of a vibrant domestic automotive industry for most industrialized economies adds to the challenge of future market success for the Chinese. (Source: China Daily)