Beginning the year 2001, China launched a special program, the goal being to develop electric automobiles. They have developed a car that consists of three horizontals and three verticals. The “three verticals” are electric auto, fuel battery auto, and hybrid auto. The “three horizontals” are power battery, multi power source integration, and driving engine. This independent technological platform positions China as one of the leading developers of this type of car.

This has also seen the development of major electric car components in China, including system integration. Based on trial runs, these hybrid cars have been able to run for 140, 000 kilometers with a thirty percent fuel efficiency. Chinese electric sedans and passenger vehicles have managed to pass all verification checks organized by the nation’s quality examination group.

The Chinese electric sedan is able to reach a speed of up to 120 kilometers an hour. The Chinese passenger vehicle consumes 70 kwh of electricity, which is roughly equal to eight liters of gas.

In addition to this noteworthy development, the nation has also managed to develop testing standards, benchmarks, demonstrations platforms, as well as policies regulating the use, research, and development of such cars. Electric cars are regularly tested on specially designed bases in Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Tianjin, and other cities. Over sixty electric cars are currently being tested in the Chinese market, with commercial demonstration centers in Weihai, Beijing, Tianjin, and Wuhan.

A Chinese car manufacturer by the name of Chery has teamed up with an American group called Visionary Vehicles with the intent of selling Chery cars in the United States. Priced at less than $10,000, these cars are believed to be a budget friendly alternative to other new cars currently being sold in the United States of America.

Given the fact that China is expected to become the world’s Number Three car producer by the end of this year, it is only a matter of time before they become the biggest auto producer in the entire world. China’s entrance in to the United States market has not gone unnoticed by domestic car producers.

In fact, America’s leading three car producers have been struggling for some time now to turn the same profits they once did. All three of the main manufacturers have lost sales in the last few years.

China, meanwhile, remains more ambitious than ever before. With the world’s largest population, they also have the world’s largest middle class – a class that continues to grow each year. Particularly in the big cities, the dream of car ownership is becoming a reality for more and more families in the Chinese nation.

Time will tell what the effect of the Chinese influx in to the automobile market shall be.

But all that has been changing recent years, as China prepares to become the world’s largest car manufacturer. Not only has China’s domestic sales of cars increased at a rapid scale throughout the last few years, but their investment in to assembly line equipment and machinery has shown that they are quite serious in their commitment to giving the United States, Germany, and Japan a run for their money.

Compared to the United States in particular, the Chinese auto parts industry seems to be doing just fine. After all, jobs in the United States of America in auto parts has fallen tremendously in recent years – from 721,000 in the year 2002 to 644,000 in the year 2004.

A lot of America’s small suppliers are having a tough time competing with China’s increasingly devoted auto industry. Meanwhile, as wages continue to rage in the People’s Republic of China, car manufacturers have responded by seeking out more expensive, higher quality car products. They have also increased their productivity in an effort to reduce their tendency to rely on low cost labor.

Time will only tell what effect this will have on the American auto parts industry. But at this point, it is safe to say that the competition is on.

In the early ‘90s, the only car one ever saw in China was the Santana, a car that was made in China by Volkswagen. The Santana was available in three colors: red, white, and black. Not a whole lot of choice for car owners in China back then; but then again, very few people could afford to own a car in those years.

All that has changed with the launch of several Chinese automobile manufacturers, who have begun introducing more affordable models in to the local market, not to mention the upward surge in China’s economic development since the year 1990. Nowadays, car ownership in major Chinese cities is no longer the distant dream it once was – it has become a reality that many are able to afford.

The MG factory has become widely esteemed for being the premiere single power assembly line in the world. MG manufactures a variety of products for both domestic and export use.

The MG models put on display include the MG7 and the MGTF sports car. The TF includes excellent handling characteristics that set it apart from similar sports cars. It is also attractive to buyers for its attractive finish, which positions it in the lineage of fine British sports cars.

The MG7 cars are meat to appeal to the middle and high end market of Chinese consumers.

While the Chinese nation once had a reputation for being a backwards bike and motorcycle country, all that has changed in recent years. China has now become one of the leading car producers – number four behind the United States, Japan, and Germany. In fact, experts say that China is on the verge of taking over Germany’s Number Three status. By the year 2010, it is estimated that China will have become the world’s number one car maker.

Of course it makes sense that China should become powerful in this arena. They do, after all, have the world’s largest population, numbering at over a billion denizens.

But there has not always been a large demand for cars in China until fairly recently. The country’s growing affluence has enabled more and more people to buy cars than ever before. Thus, the demand has increased in recent years.

In fact, a lot. Analysts estimate that by the end of this year, China will have taken Germany’s place as the world’s third largest automobile manufacturer. Seeing as how they are already at number four and, in the first few months of 2007, have sold record sales figures within China itself, this does not seem like such a far fetched claim.

The top selling car in China at the moment is Chery. Despite the fact that Chery was caught up in a rather dubious lawsuit in the past contending that they had copied General Motors’ designs, Chery has nonetheless positioned themselves at the forefront of the contemporary car industry in China.

What’s more, Chery cars are on their way to the United States market. They have teamed up with an American group calling themselves Visionary Vehicles. While the leaders at Visionary have been caught up in the past with some rather unfortunate car import schemes that have landed them in bankruptcy on more than one occasion, it seems that Chery might be the key to their success.

While the cars may not yet be on the level of quality that US manufactured cars – and Japanese and German models, for that matter – can offer, the Chinese cars are attractive in appearance, and even more attractive when it comes to price. Retailing at less than $10,000 a pop, the Chery is destined to become a favorite family car among those with a budget, or those simply looking for a first time car and not seeking anything too fancy.

But few people are aware of the fact that the Chinese are also exploring another key automotive industry – that of electric automobiles.

The Chinese research in to electric cars goes back to 2001, when a special national initiative was launched in an effort to explore this very topic.

The Chinese have since developed a car that consists of three horizontals and three verticals. The “three verticals” are electric auto, fuel battery auto, and hybrid auto. The “three horizontals” are power battery, multi power source integration, and driving engine. This independent technological platform positions China as one of the leading developers of this type of car.

This has also seen the development of major electric car components in China, including system integration. Based on trial runs, these hybrid cars have been able to run for 140, 000 kilometers with a thirty percent fuel efficiency. Chinese electric sedans and passenger vehicles have managed to pass all verification checks organized by the nation’s quality examination group.

The Chinese passenger vehicle consumes 70 kwh of electricity, which is roughly equal to eight liters of gas.

In addition to this noteworthy development, the nation has also managed to develop testing standards, benchmarks, demonstrations platforms, as well as policies regulating the use, research, and development of such cars. Electric cars are regularly tested on specially designed bases in Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Tianjin, and other cities. Over sixty electric cars are currently being tested in the Chinese market, with commercial demonstration centers in Weihai, Beijing, and Wuhan.

What is more, Chinese cars get excellent gas mileage. In an era where gas prices are on the rise, particularly in developed nations such as the United States of America, the Chinese alternative looks more and more attractive.

How did the Chinese manage to accomplish this in so short a period? Ambition alone accounts for a lot. But the Chinese are also wise when it comes to cutting corners. They know how to effectively copy popular brands in the west in terms of design, while also forming strategic partnerships with many leading brands in Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States of America. They also employ a lot more engineers in the auto industry each year than they do in the United States. These engineers are trained at figuring out ways to manufacture cars using cheaper materials than the ones used in the United States and other more developed nations.

Brilliance China Automobiles first got off their feet in the year 2003, when they signed a deal with BMW to start manufacturing Chinese sedans for domestic sale. Based in Shenyang, Liaoning, Brilliance had existed previously as a car part manufacturer.

Thanks to their deal with BMW, however, it seems that Brilliance is taking things to the next step. Already, they have managed to develop a variety of top selling brand names in China, including JinBei, Granse, and Zhonghua.

In China, Brilliance tends to sell more minibuses than Sedans. In the year 2004, they sold over 60,000. Their total sales of sedans, both of their own make and BMW’s, numbered slightly over 19,000 during that year.

Observers in the Chinese car industry associate Brilliance’s success with their key network of minibus distributors throughout the country. The last time we checked, they had slightly over forty distributors for their new BMW sedans.

Brilliance China Automobiles makes several hundred thousand sedans and minibuses each year. Since their foundation, they have formed strategic partnerships with a number of associated industry players; besides BMW, these include Porsche, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and others. Brilliance China Automobiles also provides employment for some nine thousand individuals in the Liaoning area.

With the Chinese auto market visibly planning to take over the world, it is only a matter of time before we start hearing the word Brilliance mentioned in the same sentence as well known brand names such as Toyota and General Motors. Will they give these major firms a run for their money? Only time will tell!