By Chang Yanjun
 
In 2009, China's auto market witnessed a rapid growth. Self-owned brands have become the direct beneficiary from various encouraging policies issued by the government, and the market share has been expanded gradually. Statistics from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) shows that from January to November of 2009, the sales volume of those passenger cars with self-owned brands is 4.0924 million sets, occupying 44.35 percent of the total sale of passenger cars.

An Qingheng, President of Beijing Association of Automobile Manufacturers (BAAM), expressed that the status of auto market in China in 2009 could be described as "unprecedented", and the development of self-owned brands was one of the highlights. In 2009, the overall strength of self-owned brands has been reinforced.

The auto type with small emission volume is the major type of self-owned brands. Viewing from the statistics of the first eleven months of 2009, in the segment market of 1.6L-and-below autos, the market share of the auto type with self-owned brands is 80 percent. Driven by the1.6L-and-below auto type, the sales volume of all automakers with self-owned brands was increased greatly in 2009. The auto sales volume of Chery and BYD in the whole year has exceeded 500,000 and 448,000 sets respectively, and Geely realized 330,000 sets.

Besides growing on sales volume, autos with self-owned brands have also improved on quality. In September, 2009, four auto types of Great Wall, such as Florid, Coolbear, Hover5 and Wingle5, have got approved firstly by European Union's Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA). It means that for the first time China's autos can be sold freely without any restriction in the EU member countries. The reason why Great Wall Automobile has succeeded can be concluded in such a sentence, that is, "Change the view of users on self-owned brands by means of advanced products with innovative technologies".

On the safety performance, cars with self-owned brands have also come up to a new level. In the fourth batch of evaluation made by C-NCAP in 2009, Geely Panda was rated five stars and became the first type of five-star rated car with self-owned brand in China. Yang Xueliang, Director of Public Relationship Department, Geely Holding Group, expressed that Geely Panda had been rated five stars, which fully demonstrated that the safety technology of Geely has reached a new high.

In 2010, the government continues to implement various kinds of preferential policies on auto consumption, and those automakers with self-owned brands have also been full of confidence with the development in future. Shang Yugui said, "Great Wall will continue "locking on" and grabbing tightly the target of developing those energy saving and environmental-friendly autos with small emission". Firstly, we shall keep researching and developing hi-tech VVT gasoline motors and advanced oil-saving diesel power; secondly, we shall upgrade the quality and technologies of the existing auto types, in order to make users understand that each auto type launched by Great Wall is a product of high quality.

As part of BYD's ambitious sales target of selling 800,000 sets of autos in 2010, such auto types as F3 and F0 with 1.6L-and-below emission volume are still the major forces, and the sales targets of F3 (including F3R) and F0 are 270,000 and 150,000 sets respectively. BYD expressed that it has determined the year of 2010 as its quality year. In the aspect of product quality, it has set down so called "quality evolution trilogy" and been striving for making the quality of its products lead the world within a shortest period.

Xu Xiangyang, Vice Dean of School of Transportation Science and Engineering of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, expressed that, "With the several-year development, the ability of China's self-owned brands in innovating, designing and developing has been improved increasingly. And to enter the semi-high-end vehicle market is an effective method for self-owned brands to enhance brand value and competitive strength." Aiming at the semi-high-end market, those automakers with self-owned brands have been planning schemes for a long time. FAW's Besturn and SAIC's Roewe have entered the semi-high-end market, where the competition is fierce, and the sales volumes of them have been increased stably.

Chery released its four major brands, that is, Karry, Chery, Rely and Riich, and among which Riich is a brand of high-end cars. In October, Riich G5 challenged the Nurburgring Nordschleife Circuit in Germany and drew the world's attention to China's autos with its performance of 8 minutes and 56 seconds; in December, this type that has concentrated Chery's expectation was launched into the market. Jin Yibo, Assistant of General Manager of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd, expressed that the year of 2009 is an auto distribution year for Chery, and in 2010, Chery will continue to launch its semi-high-end brands, and in terms of technologies, Chery will launch high-end self-changing gearboxes in 2010.

The automakers devoting to multi-brand development also include Geely. In 2009, Geely successfully released its three brand new sub-brands, that is, Emgrand, Global Eagle and Shanghai Englon. In the Guangzhou auto show held in the end of 2009, the EC7 series of auto types, which is under Geely's high-end brand Emgrand, were launched into the market, indicating Geely has further expedited its operation and construction on semi-high-end brands.

In 2009, following launching G3, the first high-end middle-class auto type, BYD will launch five new high-end types including L3, I6, G6, S6 and M6. As revealed by BYD, such five types as L3, I6, G6, S6 and M6 will ensure the sales target of 170,000 sets.

Through the distribution and promotion in 2009, the autos with self-owned brands are full of expectation in the semi-high-end market in 2010. Xu Xiangyang expressed that, in order to enter the semi-high-end auto market, automakers with self-owned brands shall take prudent attitude and focus on inner strength.