We will all be driving Chinese soon

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Last week I mentioned the Chinese auto production and how China is the number one producer in the world.  Vehicle sales in China are predicted to reach 17 million units this year, up from 13.7 million in 2009, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.  So will you be driving Chinese next year?  Perhaps not, but I am sure you will by 2020.

Just run down through this list of Chinese cars and their 56 brands:

Dongfeng’s coupe Dongfeng’s coupe

Beijing Auto Works (BAW)

Beijing-Benz

Beijing-Hyundai

Brilliance

Brilliance-BMW

BYD

Chang’an

Chang’an-Ford

Chang’an-Mazda

Chang’an-Peugeot-Citroën

Chang’an-Suzuki

Chang’an-Volvo

Changfeng

Changhe-Suzuki

Chery

Citroën

Dongfeng

Dongfeng-Honda

Dongfeng-Nissan

Dongfeng-Peugeot-Citroën

Dongfeng-Yulong

FAW

FAW-Mazda

FAW-Toyota

FAW-VW

Foday

Geely

Gonow

Greatwall

Guangzhou Auto

Guangzhou-Fiat

Guangzhou-Honda

Guangzhou-Toyota

Haima

Huanghai

Huatai

Incalcu

Jianghuai Automobile Corporation (JAC)

Jiangling Motor (JMC)

Jiangnan

King Long

Lifan

Mercedes Benz

MG (Nanjing-MG)

Roewe

SAIC

Shanghai-GM

Shanghai-VW

Shuanghuan

SouEast

Tongtian

Volkswagen China

Wuling

Xiaolong

Youngmen

Zotye

Please also note that 32 of these are not joint ventures!  However, the joint venture between Dongfeng and Nissan will offer seven new passenger vehicle models in the next two years as well as its self-developed all-new brand Venucia.

The partnership between Nissan Motor Co Ltd and China’s auto group Dongfeng Motor Corp plans to sell 1.5 million vehicles in 2012, up from its previous goal of 1 million, according to Kimiyasu Nakamura, company president.  That is more than the total number of vehicles produced in Thailand in any one year, and Nissan-Dongfeng is just one manufacturer.

The joint venture’s lineup includes passenger vehicles under the Nissan brand and the newly created badge Venucia whose property rights are owned by the joint venture, as well as Dongfeng-brand commercial vehicles.

The joint venture Dongfeng Motor Co Ltd was formed in 2003 with registered capital of 16.7 billion yuan.  It now has a workforce of around 70,000.  In 2003, it sold only 298,000 vehicles and over 1 million today.  That’s Chinese progress.