China's SUV Surge
Chinese auto makers and consumers are catching the sport-utility vehicle bug -- just as China's government is trying to promote fuel economy.
At the big AutoChina motor show, which opens to the public today, SUVs in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and brands are on prominent display, reflecting rising sales and growing interest among Chinese consumers in vehicles that offer rugged looks and high-up seating, the better to navigate the rough-and-tumble traffic in China's big cities.
Some of the brands at the show are familiar icons, like Jeep. But there also is a flock of uniquely Chinese SUV makers, such as Great Wall, Hebei Zhongxing and Changfeng, offering chunky, American-sized vehicles as well as smaller, "crossover" SUVs at remarkably cheap prices.
Great Wall Automobile Holding Co.'s Safe, a popular SUV that bears some similarities to Japanese SUVs like the Toyota 4Runner, can be had for as little as 83,800 yuan, or about $10,000. Great Wall is planning new models and targeting sales of 40,000 SUVs this year, up from about 33,000 last year, says Wang Shihui, deputy manager of the company's import and export department.
SUVs are still a small niche in China's passenger-vehicle industry. But demand is growing faster than the rest of the market, executives say. The reasons appear to be similar to those that made SUVs popular in the U.S.: they make a bolder image statement than a sedan, can carry more gear and people, and give drivers a sense of security.
SUV sales in China doubled from 2001 to 2003 to about 200,000 vehicles a year, says Paul Alcala, chief executive officer of Beijing Jeep Corp., a joint venture of DaimlerChrysler AG and Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Corp. "Our projection is that over the next five years the SUV segment will go to 15% to 20%" of the Chinese market from about 8% today, he says. In response, car makers have launched 20 new models in China over the past year, more than doubling their offerings in the segment, he adds.
Competition already is fierce and promises to get tougher. At the Beijing Show, competing SUVs often are displayed on the same stands. That reflects the fact that foreign makers are required to have Chinese partners, which in many cases are building vehicles to sell under their own brands at the same time they provide a base for American, European and Japanese car companies to produce vehicles in the country.
For instance, Beijing Automotive's display has a Jeep 4700, similar to the American Jeep Grand Cherokee, and right behind it a Beigiluba, a sizable SUV from Beijing Automotive that could stand toe to toe with a Land Rover Discovery but which sells for about one-quarter the price, the equivalent of $9,600 to $13,200.
Executives from Western and Japanese companies knock the supercheap Chinese-brand SUVs as primitive vehicles, and say they don't intend to play at that level. But these companies definitely want to play in the middle and luxury ends of the SUV market. German luxury-car makers BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz brought samples of their crossover SUVs -- SUVs built on a carlike platform -- to the Beijing Show. Ford Motor Co.'s sprawling Beijing display includes its Land Rovers and a big, North American-made Lincoln Navigator.
General Motors Corp., the No. 2 auto maker in China, said earlier this week it would soon begin assembling its Cadillac SRX crossover in China. GM also recently restructured an alliance with Chinese partner Jinbei, putting an end to production of a Chinese version of GM's old Blazer midsized SUV.
"Jinbei GM was never the success we wanted it to be," says Phil Murtaugh, head of GM China. GM Jinbei will have a new strategy he says, refusing to elaborate.
Industry executives say profit margins generally are higher for SUVs than other types of passenger cars, a major reason vehicle manufacturers want SUVs to gain traction in China.
Beijing Jeep, which has had a bumpy ride since it started selling Jeep SUVs to Chinese consumers in the mid-1980s, has recently revamped its operations and its product line to catch the wave of interest. The company is launching an updated version of its Jeep Cherokee, based on an old vehicle DaimlerChrysler phased out in the U.S. market. The model, the Jeep 2500, will feature a new interior and sell for about $14,400 to $16,800. Beijing Jeep also builds a version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and two models developed by DaimlerChrysler's Japanese affiliate, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
All together, the company hopes to boost sales to 40,000 SUVs this year, and by the middle of next year expects to sell even more.
Jeep's influence is seen everywhere in the styling and macho marketing iconography of rivals at the Beijing Show. SUVs pose on rocks, or are propped up at extreme hill-climbing angles. At Zhongxing Motors' display, the big Fuqui model stands under the slogan, in strained English, "Persistent Confident Challenge Never Ends."
While some Chinese consumers might take advantage of an SUV's four-wheel-drive capabilities to explore rough terrain in China's countryside, the reality facing most people in the nation's big cities may make an SUV less than ideal. Traffic on main roads crawls throughout the day, and many side streets are narrow enough to stress out drivers of even small cars.
The boomlet in SUV sales also could run counter to the government's policies for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and smog causing pollutants. The government is putting pressure on auto makers to reduce fuel consumption by 15% from 2003 levels, as part of a broader push to reduce China's growing dependence on foreign oil. Rising sales of heavier, less fuel efficient SUVs could undercut that goal, following the trend in the U.S. market where the explosion in SUV sales coincided with declines in overall new-vehicle fuel economy.
Auto industry executives say they are aware of the problems and prepared to address them. Beijing Jeep's Mr. Alcala says his company plans improved engines that will raise fuel economy 15% to 20%.
Auto makers in China also are shifting their focus to crossover SUVs, which typically are built on a lighter, more-fuel-efficient chassis similar to a sedan's. At Great Wall's stand, the company is showing a new crossover called "Hover," which is scheduled to go on sale in August for about $19,200.
Great Wall's Mr. Wang says he's concerned high oil prices could put a damper on SUV sales growth. Still, he says, "people like them."
中国车市SUV升温
就在中国政府试图普及燃油经济理念之际，中国的汽车制造商和消费者却争先恐后地迷上了素有“油老虎”之称的运动型多用途车(SUV)。
在周四刚刚向公众开放的盛大北京国际车展上，外形、大小、品牌各异的SUV被展示在最显眼的位置，反映出了中国汽车消费者对于这种外形威猛、在中国城市路况下表现出更加出色驾驶性能的汽车的日益浓厚兴趣以及这种车在中国市场的日趋旺销势头。
像吉普(Jeep)这样的美国著名品牌随处可见，但展会上展出的SUV一族中也不乏中国的本土产品：长城、中兴、长丰等等，不一而足。这些车有的如美国车一样刚劲威猛，有的像日本车一般小巧玲珑，外形同样的酷，售价却便宜得多。
比如长城汽车股份有限公司(Great Wall Automobile Holding Co. Ltd., 2333.HK)的长城赛弗(Safe)。这款在中国市场相当流行的SUV外形酷似国际市场热销的丰田4Runner等类似车型，但售价仅人民币83,800元，约合10,000美元左右。这家总部设在河北保定的汽车公司对于其产品的销售前景相当乐观，公司进出口部副经理王士辉称，公司今年的SUV年销量目标是从去年的3.3万辆增至4万辆。
业内人士称，虽然当前SUV只占中国客用汽车市场的很小一部分，但其需求增长速度比其他任何车辆都快，其原因和SUV风行美国的原因一样：威猛刚毅的外形是驾驶者个性的绝佳体现，此外，它可以运载更多的人和更多的器具，高于普通轿车的车身也可以给驾驶者一种安全感。
北京吉普汽车有限公司(Beijing Jeep Corp.)总裁兼首席执行长保罗?艾勒卡拉(Paul Alcala)说：“从历史角度看，SUV一直只占中国客用汽车市场的8%，但我们的预期是，未来5年里，这一比例将升至15%到20%”。北京吉普公司是戴姆勒克莱斯勒(DaimlerChrysler AG)与北京汽车工业控股有限责任公司(Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp., 简称北汽控股)共同建立的合资企业。
艾勒卡拉说，2001年到2003年期间，中国市场的SUV销量增加了一倍，年销量达到大约20万辆。汽车制造商们迅速就此作出反应，在过去一年里推出了20种新车型。
竞争已经非常激烈，而且强度还会进一步加剧。在北京车展上，相互构成竞争关系的SUV通常都共用一个展台。这在一定程度上也反映了中国政府汽车产业政策的要求，即进入中国的外国汽车制造商必须拥有中国国内的合作伙伴。大多数情况下，中国的汽车公司在为来自美国、欧洲和日本的合作伙伴提供生产基地的同时也生产和经营其自己品牌的汽车。
北汽的展台上就展示著一辆与美国吉普大切诺基(Grand Cherokee)类似的产品：吉普4700。它的后面是一辆北汽路霸，一款外形和块头堪与路虎发现者(Land Rover Discovery)比肩的车型，但其售价仅在人民币8万元到11万元之间。
西方和日本汽车公司的老总们看不上这些廉价的中国品牌的SUV，称他们无意生产这一价格段的车型与之拼争。
但说到中高端SUV市场，这些国际知名厂商当然不愿放过。德国豪华汽车制造商宝马(Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, BMW)和梅塞德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)此番将他们的豪华混合型SUV概念车带到了北京车展。福特汽车公司(Ford Motor Co.)更是首次将旗下所有品牌的车型汇集到了北京，其中的SUV就有著名的路虎和在北美生产的林肯Navigator。
通用汽车公司(General Motors Corp.)本周早些时候曾表示，它很快将开始在中国生产凯迪拉克SRX混合形SUV。该公司最近重组了与其中国合作伙伴沈阳金杯(Jinbei)的合作关系，停止了老款中型SUV车Blazer中国版车型的生产。
通用汽车中国集团执行董事长墨斐(Phil Murtaugh)说：“金杯通用的状况绝非我们想要的成功。”他拒绝就此作出进一步的解释。当被问及重组计划是否涉及SUV车型时，他的回答是：“要有耐心”。
业内企业老总们说，制造商们有充分的理由要凭藉SUV来抢占中国市场。“大型车包涵了更多的内容，因而其利润空间也就更大，”美国Tenneco Automotive Inc.执行副总裁多诺万(Tim Donovan)如是说。Tenneco最近刚刚宣布在中国成立了两家合资企业。
北京吉普公司自上个世纪80年代开始在中国生产并销售SUV以来经历了一段艰难的历程。该公司最近重组了业务，改进了产品结构以适应中国汽车市场的新潮流。它的新款切诺基是建立在戴姆勒克莱斯勒公司一款已经退出美国市场的车型基础上的改进车型。Jeep 2500系列车型配备2.5升发动机和新型内部装备，售价在人民币12万到14万元之间。公司还生产一款名为大切诺基(Jeep Grand Cherokee)的SUV以及两款由戴姆勒克莱斯勒的日本关联公司三菱汽车(Mitsubishi Motors Corp)开发的运动车型。
公司的目标是今年将销量提高至4万辆，并且到明年中期进一步增产。
吉普车在北京车展上出尽风头，不仅造型各异，而且展厅布置更是气魄宏大。在两个大型展厅之间的SUV展区，众多SUV摆出了在岩石上驰骋或者在陡峭山体上攀登的各种姿势。在河北中兴汽车制造有限公司(Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Co.)的展厅内，庞大的“富奇”车型在“品质任时间考验”的横幅下巍然屹立。而韩国现代汽车(Hyundai Motor Co.)则拿出多年来吉普车在美国吸引眼球的一贯做法，放映其途胜(Tucson)车在荒野驰骋的营销录像。
虽然一些中国消费者可能会青睐SUV奔跑于崎岖路面的四轮驱动性能，然而摆在大城市消费者面前的现实却不容乐观。北京和上海的主干道路全天拥堵。很多周边道路异常狭窄，让轿车司机畏惧不前。
而且汽车销售的繁荣与政府降低二氧化碳排放量防止污染的政策背道而驰。随著中国采取措施降低对原油进口的依赖性，汽车制造商们面临著将百公里耗油量在2003年水平基础上降低15%的压力。重型、耗油的SUV的销量增长很可能让这一目标受阻，正如在美国，SUV的销售膨胀导致整体的新车燃料利用率下滑。
汽车业老总们表示，他们已经认识到这一问题，并且正在著力解决。
Tenneco副总裁多诺万说，公司已经看到商机，他们提供的催化式尾气净化气和其他排放控制装置将帮助中国汽车厂商让它们的产品更加环保。他说：“随著中国采取更为严格的排放标准，我们的客户必将大幅增长。”
北京吉普的艾勒卡拉说，公司计划推出改良发动机，可以将其汽车燃油效率提高15%-20%。
中国汽车制造商也在逐渐将目光转向所谓的混合型多用途车(crossover utility vehicles, CUV)，CUV通常车体更轻，更像轿车。长城汽车此次展出的“哈弗CUV”预计8月份上市，售价人民币16万元。
长城汽车的王士辉说，他对油价上涨深感担忧，这可能会抑制SUV的销量增长，不过他还是表示：“人们喜欢SUV。”
