Auto fever heats up
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The 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition that begins on April 23 has become one of the world's most important auto shows. Carmakers from home and broad are rolling out more new models than ever to woo Chinese buyers.
However, as domestic consumers are readily opening their wallets to hasten the shift in the center of the global car industry to the East, most Chinese cities have yet to adapt themselves to the emerging automobile culture.
China's vehicle sales surged 46 percent last year to 13.6 million units, overtaking the United States as the world's largest auto market. The country's vehicle sales are expected to rise 17 percent this year to 16 million units and annual demand for automobiles may eventually exceed 30 million sales in the future.
The figures and forecast are exciting. But carmakers and local authorities should not be fixated on the huge potential and significance of the Chinese market while ignoring the many challenges that the rapid rise of car ownership brings with it.
The surge in auto units has added tremendously to the heavy burden of traffic management in major Chinese cities.
More than 2,000 new cars are hitting the roads in Beijing alone every day. After car ownership in the city exceeded 4 million units by the end of last year, the municipal authorities have yet to come up with ideas about how many cars the city can ultimately accommodate and how to cope with the problem.
The skyrocketing growth of car ownership will also threaten the country's energy security. Its quick transformation into a nation on wheels will only exacerbate its thirst for energy.
All these problems mean solutions must come from both automakers and policymakers.
