China News Service, Liuzhou, September 18 (Lin Xin) "The epidemic has impacted the global automotive industry chain, but the epidemic in Southeast Asian countries is not the most serious. Objectively speaking, it also creates opportunities for Chinese car companies to expand the Southeast Asian market." China Business Bai Ming, deputy director and researcher of the International Market Research Institute of the Ministry of Research, said in Liuzhou, Guangxi a few days ago.

  The 10th China-ASEAN Auto Expo ("Auto Expo") will be held in Liuzhou, China's emerging automobile city from the 17th to the 21st.

Officials and industry figures from China, Malaysia, the Philippines and other countries attended the meeting to discuss opportunities for China-ASEAN auto industry cooperation under the new situation.

  Bai Ming said that the current new crown pneumonia epidemic has a great impact on the global automotive industry chain and supply chain, especially for European and American countries.

Relatively speaking, the epidemic in Southeast Asian countries is not the most serious. Objectively, it also creates opportunities for Chinese car companies to expand the Southeast Asian market.

  In recent years, ASEAN’s economy has developed rapidly, residents’ income has continued to increase, and ASEAN’s market demand has rebounded and there is great potential for development.

Huang Yonghe, a senior expert at the China Automotive Technology Research Center, believes that despite the impact of the epidemic, the total vehicle sales of major ASEAN countries in the first half of 2020 will exceed 1.08 million, a year-on-year decrease of 36.9%, but the ASEAN region still has a large market potential in the long run.

  According to the prediction of the ASEAN Automobile Federation, ASEAN is expected to become the fifth largest automobile market in the world.

  Optimistic about this market. In recent years, Chinese car companies have entered the ASEAN market to "gold rush".

Chinese auto brands such as Dongfeng and Great Wall have entered Thailand to invest and set up factories.

In early 2020, Great Wall Motors acquired GM's Thai plant.

Car companies such as Geely and Jianghuai have all built assembly plants in Malaysia. Through technical cooperation, they will assemble and produce all parts in the local assembly.

  In the future, how to further deepen China-ASEAN auto industry cooperation?

Bai Ming suggested that Chinese car companies should devote their efforts to deeply explore the "old ASEAN" market and actively expand the "new ASEAN" market.

The expansion of the international market by Chinese car companies cannot be limited to price-finding, nor can they pursue technological leadership too much. Instead, they should take the "middle route".

Utilizing its own local advantages in economies of scale, complete industrial chain, and large strategic hinterland in the domestic market, we are constantly improving the performance-price ratio.

  Huang Yonghe proposed that Japanese brands occupy a dominant position in the ASEAN auto market. It is recommended that Guangxi, which is adjacent to ASEAN, use the tax reduction advantages of the Free Trade Agreement to accurately grasp consumer preferences and start with market segments such as small cars, cheap 7-seater MPVs, Commercial vehicles and new energy vehicle products, etc., accelerate the export of superior products.

  At present, Guangxi's automobile industry has formed a relatively complete vehicle and parts production and supporting system.

Located in Liuzhou, SAIC-GM-Wuling Co., Ltd. has officially put into production its subsidiary in Indonesia with a total investment of US$800 million. It has an annual production capacity of 120,000 vehicles and mainly produces MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) models under the Wuling brand.

This year, SAIC-GM-Wuling’s overseas business bucked the market and rose. In July, it exported 2,658 vehicles per set, a year-on-year increase of 66%. Sales revenue from overseas markets has exceeded RMB 2 billion this year.

  Maya, the consul of the Civil Affairs Department of the Indonesian Consulate General in Guangzhou, who participated in the Auto Expo for the first time, believes that SAIC-GM-Wuling's establishment of a plant in Indonesia has promoted local development.

Participating in the Auto Expo this time can learn more about Chinese automotive products and technologies, and enable the two parties to establish more opportunities for cooperation.

  After being held for ten consecutive years, the Auto Expo has now become one of the most influential regional brand exhibitions in Southwest China. It is an important platform for many domestic and foreign auto brands to display their brand images, and it is also an exchange and cooperation between the Chinese auto industry and ASEAN. Important window.

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