Designed in China. Driven 'Round the World


source: Bloomber Businessweek 19 January

For years, automakers viewed China as a market where they could sell cars designed for other locales without much trouble. Now, sales on the mainland have become such a dominant part of worldwide car demand that Chinese consumer preferences are influencing global auto design. General Motors (GM) will offer the extra-roomy Chevrolet Sail sedan in India this year. It conceived the car with extended Chinese families in mind at its Shanghai design group in 2009. The Sail is already available in China, Chile, Ecuador, and Algeria. BMW and Daimler’s (DAI:GR) Mercedes-Benz began exporting stretch versions of their made-in-China luxury sedans to the Mideast and South America last month. “In the future, what is made for the Chinese will also be made for the world,” says Burt Wong, chief production designer at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai, ... ...

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