Introduction
In the "Art of War", Sun Tzu quotes:
"More planning shall give greater possibility of victory, while less planning, lesser possibility of victory, so how about without planning?"
Just like in a war, we must equip ourselves with the right strategy and tactics before we even enter the field of combat. Similarly, marketing is not, and never be, something that is thought about on the spur of the moment. It has to be organized and well thought into a tidy plan, so that we can forecast the future with some measure of accuracy. Automotive industry is the backbone industry of Chinese national economy. It is playing a major role in the development of national economy and improvement of people's living level.
China's passenger car market is expected to grow form 780,000 units in 2002 to 1.5 million units by 2006. This growth will be supported by the growing middle class and by opening of the Chinese market that is expected to take place following China's joining the WTO.
English: BUICK G2.5V6 MADE IN SHANGHAI GM, CHINA
English: Buick car made in Shanghai GM,China
English: V6 engine of Buick G model made in Shangh...In addition, China is slowly transitioning from a limited institutional vehicle market to a potentially vast consumer-driven market. Some forecasts predict that China's market could be as large as Japan's by 2010 and as big as the U.S. market by 2025. (www.gmchina.com/chinese/index.htm)
All the global automakers are looking to China as a market with great potential. Some makers such as Volkswagen and Toyota are considering China to be a main production base and key to their global strategy. The Chinese "Big Five" included manufacturers with capacity over 100,000 units. Included are Volkswagen, which is planning to increase capacity to 950,000 units by 2006; GM (Suzuki, Isuzu, and Fiat); DaimlerChrysler (Hyundai, Mitsubishi, China Motor); Toyota (Daihatsu); and PSA. Manufacturers with less capacity include Ford (Mazda), Honda, and Renault (Nissan, Yulan Motor). In...