Auto Show Adds Heat to Hot Beijing

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, June 06, 2002

Auto Show Adds Heat to Hot Beijing

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The hot weather, with 35 degrees centigrade temperatures plus the heat for World Cup Football Match, did not stop people from going to the Exhibition of Auto China 2002, which opened in Beijing Thursday.

This is the first international exhibition China has held since its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Although the organizers took great care in their exhibition preparations, the traffic was crowded and parking space at a premium.

The 60-yuan tickets for specialists quickly sold out.

This year, China has reduced automobile tariffs by a big margin in the tariff rates for automobiles with discharge volume over 3.0 liters and below 3.0 liters, decreasing from 80 and 70 percent to 50.7 and 43.8 percent respectively.

According to China's commitment to the WTO, China will lower the automobile tariffs to 25 percent and cancel the import quota by July 2006.

The gradual opening of the market has set off a steady decrease in auto prices, while the increasing income of many Chinese makes the market in China the most attractive of all for international automobile manufactures.

More than 1,200 auto and parts manufacturers from 24 countries and regions participated in the exhibition, with 550 automobiles showing off the latest development trends of the auto industry.

World famous auto-makers such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Volvo, Toyota, Honda and Fiat have brought their latest products to the exhibition. Rolls-Royce from the United Kingdom and Izh and Lada from Russia all came to join the exhibition in China for the first time.

Chinese visitors are mainly concentrating on the economy family car. The luxurious and conception cars gave them a chance for widening their horizons.

Zhang Guozheng, who lives in the Haidian District, Beijing, said that he planned to buy a car two years ago, but hadn't found a satisfactory one. Now he has found the Polo from Volkswagen very attractive and hopes that the price will be lowered.

Liu Xiuhua, a lady from Hebei province, stopped at the Fiat platform, attracted by the Palio 1.3. "The price is low and it also saves fuel. I think it suits Chinese families," she said.

According to the State Information Center, automobiles owned by families now account for over 50 percent of the total. The Development Research Center under the State Council predicted that privately owned automobiles would reach 71.67 million by 2010, with a yearly growth rate of 15.2 percent. Among these vehicles, cars would account for 20.7 million, with an annual growth rate of 16.3 percent.

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