Automotive News - 2008 Guide to China's Auto Market - (Page 22)

22 DOMESTIC AUTOMAKERS 2007 2006 Shenyang Brilliance Jinbei Automotive Co. No. 39, Dongwang Street, Dadong District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 110044, P.R. China (86) 24-3166-6666, www.brilliance-auto.com.cn Top executive: Qi Yumin, president Shenyang Brilliance Jinbei Automotive Co. rolled out its first passenger vehicle in 2000. But eight years later the automaker has only three models. The automaker’s major challenge for the next few years is to boost r&d and add products. Brilliance was established as a stateowned light-bus manufacturer in Shenyang City in Liaoning Province in 1991. It started to produce the Zhonghua sedan in 2000. But the company was distracted by frequent reshufflings of top executives from 2001 to 2006 because of an ownership dispute between the Liaoning provincial government and the company’s founder, Yang Rong. Capacity 145,000 140,000 Production 125,313 73,999 Unit sales 114,317 73,057 Models produced: Splendor, Junjie, Zunchi Ownership: Brilliance Automobile Holdings 51% JinBei Automobile Co. 39% Dalian Huaxia North Investment Co. 10% BRILLIANCE SPLENDOR, OR BS4 Brilliance now produces three models, the Zunchi (also called the BS6), the Splendor (also called the BS4) and the Junjie. The company sold 32,006 Zunchis and 82,311 Splendors in 2007, growing by 81.5 percent compared with 2006. Brilliance needs more new products to fuel growth, but the company has yet to announce new models. Despite its modest sales in China, Brilliance is trying to export to Europe. Last year it suffered a setback when the BS6 received only one star, the worst rating, in the European New Car Assessment Program. Brilliance has redesigned 65 parts of the BS6 and plans to bring the improved cars to Europe again this summer. Brilliance also partners with BMW. Their joint venture in Shenyang produced 32,249 BMW 3-series and 5-series sedans last year, up 35.9 percent from 2006. — Kevin Huang BYD Auto Co. No. 2 Yadi Road, Xinxing Industry Garden High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Xian City, Shaanxi Province 710119, P.R. China (86) 29-8888-9999, www.bydauto.com.cn Top executive: Wang Chuanfu, president BYD Auto Co. plans to rely on electrics and hybrids to become an important automaker in China. Its parent, BYD Co., is the largest manufacturer of rechargeable lithium ion batteries in China. BYD Auto plans to start selling its first plug-in hybrid car, the F6DM, in the second half of 2008. Its first electric-powered car is 2007 2006 Capacity 200,000 Production 96,368 Unit sales 94,683 80,000 60,135 60,116 Models produced: Flyer, F3 Ownership: BYD Co. 99% Shaanxi Investment Group 1% scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2009. In 2003, BYD entered the auto industry and started to make standard gasoline-powered autos. Sales reached 94,683 in 2007, a 57.5 percent increase over 2006. Preferential policies would help BYD build sales of hybrids and electrics. But so far, the Chinese government has not adopted incentives. The company wants to start volume exports to top markets as early as the second half of this year or early 2009. BYD Auto showed vehicles at the Detroit auto show in January and the Geneva show in March. BYD exported about 10,000 gasolinepowered cars in 2007, mainly to Russia and the Middle East. — Kevin Huang Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. No. 260 Jian Xin East Road, Jiang Bei District Chongqing 400023, P.R. China (86) 23-6759-0114, www.changan.com.cn Top executive: Yin Jiaxu, president Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. has joined the rush by Chinese automakers to develop their own brands. The company plans to develop seven sedan platforms in the coming three years to bring more models of its own brands to market. Many Chinese still regard Changan as only a small-car manufacturer, so the company’s major challenge in the coming years will be 2007 2006 Capacity 150,000 150,000 Production 60,516 19,212 Unit sales 55,515 17,974 Models produced: CM8, Jiexun Benben Ownership: Nanfang Industrial Automobile Co. 54% Public shares 46% to establish high-quality larger vehicles. Changan, with headquarters in the southwest China city of Chongqing, sold about 360,000 small vans and small pickups in 2007. It plans to sell 450,000 units this year. The company used to be China’s leading small-van maker but was overtaken by General Motors’ joint venture, SAIC-GMWuling Automobile Co. 2007 2006 The first Changan brand vehicles to market were the Benben small car in late 2006 and the Joice seven-seat wagon in 2007. Earlier this year, Changan launched the CV8 sedan. With partner Jiangling Motors Corp., Changan also launched another seven-seat wagon, the Fengshang, in 2006 and the Fenghua small sedan in 2007. The two cars carry Jiangling’s Landwind badge. — Kevin Huang Ownership: Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. Jiangling Motors Co. Domestic JV: Jiangxi Jiangling Holding Co. No. 99 Liantan Town, North Denghu Road, Nanchang City Jiangxi Province 330200, P.R. China (86) 791-5216-666, www.landwind.com Top executive: Lu Shuifang, general manager Capacity 50,000 60,000 Production 9,820 14,509 Unit sales 16,323 14,070 Models produced: Landwind, Baowei, Fengshang 50% 50% 2008 GUIDE TO CHINA’S AUTO MARKET Automotive News • J.D. Power and Associates • Automotive Resources Asia http://www.brilliance-auto.com.cn http://www.bydauto.com.cn http://www.changan.com.cn http://www.landwind.com

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