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Auto Alliance Brings Chinese Better Service
Chinese thinking about buying cars have been grateful to learn an alliance has been formed by several popular websites and publications in the nation to spur the sales of imported automobiles.
The alliance was jointly initiated by Sina.com, China's largest Internet content provider; at188.com, a website specializing in port trades of cars; China Automobile Import and Export Corporation; China Automotive News; and Autotrends magazine.
One of the main tasks of the alliance is to create a sales platform through which customers can use the Internet to get timely information on imported vehicles, locate port distributors and contact local vendors.
Online selling can also provide information on franchised auto repair shops and car parts outlets.
Currently, scores of automobile distributors have been enlisted by the alliance, which is scattered throughout port cities like Shanghai, Tianjin, Dalian and other regions including Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Guangdong Province and Beijing, the capital of China.
For customer convenience, the alliance also reached out to enterprises and institutions specialized in customs declaration, storage, transportation, insurance and financial aid.
An official survey shows that some 26 million Chinese, or 20 percent of the families in the country's cities and townships, would like to have their own cars. The demand is equal to the world's total annual automobile output.
However, because of the lack of localized service, timely market information and simplified purchasing procedures, it has long been a headache for Chinese people to buy imported autos.
Analysts said that after China's WTO entry, foreign automakers will most likely swarm into the Chinese market, appealing to consumers with lower prices.
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