Steering the Future

　　Beijing opened the 13th International AutomobileExhibition in April at the Beijing InternationalExhibition Center. Held biennially in the capital， thisshow has become one of the top four auto showsin the world. The exhibition， which ran from April 20to 29， featured more than 1，100 vehicles， includingthose from China’s own Geely Holding Group Co.

　　Ltd. and Lifan Industry Co. Ltd.， with both companieshaving particular interest in the African market.

　　China is the world’s biggest auto market， with17.9 million vehicles sold last year. The importanceof the China market to global manufacturers hasgrown yearonyear. Therefore， it comes as no surprisethat companies such as Geely and Lifan areexpanding their interests overseas into Africa.

　　Seizing the opportunity

　　“We see huge potential in a rapidly growing market，where people love their cars，” Zhang Lin， VicePresident of Zhejiang-based Geely， told ChinAfrica.“There is a fantastic relationship with our Africanteam and we look to invest heavily in Africa in thefuture.”

　　Zhang stressed how important theirresearch and development is beforedeciding where to open factories.

　　Population and income are the mostimportant factors when choosing anarea to invest in. “We currently have researchteams placed in Kenya， Angola andNigeria； understanding these markets moreclearly will help us in meeting our customers’needs，” he said.

　　Opening factories in African countriesalso helps create jobs for the locals. Geely currentlyemploys over 60 workers at their compound inEthiopia， with the majority of workers coming fromthe local area. This in turn helps to strengthen thebonds between the two countries and allows for agreater reception for Chinese investment.

　　In 2013， Geely sold over 12，000 units alone inEgypt， their most successful destination to date.

　　Zhang hopes that by producing and dispatchingparts in local hubs in African countries， it will meanthey don’t need to import as much as before.

　　Price competitive

　　The present day car market has reached a new level ofcompetiveness， highlighted by thesheer volume of manufacturers andcar enthusiast present at the exhibition.

　　Zhang is clearly aware of thiscompetitiveness and aims to focuson high quality with a reasonableprice， and mentioned that a goodprice equals a good future.

　　Chongqing-based companyLifan currently export its parts toover 40 countries worldwide， andsees Africa as an excellent opportunityfor expansion. “We plan toinvest a lot of money and time inAfrica， and we want to open morefactories in the near future，” said Rick Wong， DeputyGeneral Manager of Lifan， speaking to ChinAfrica.

　　Wong spoke very positively of his experiences relatingto Sino-African relationships. “We havea very positive attitude and see greatopportunities going forward，” he said.

　　“The economy and politics betweenChina and Africa is going from strengthto strength.”

　　“We expect to see our profits doublein Africa over the next two or threeyears， while keeping our pricescompetitive and relationships with ourcustomers as strong as possible，” hestated.

　　Lifan was promoting their latestmodel - the Lifan 820 sedan - set to bereleased in China this year and to therest of the world in 2015.

　　cities on the number of new registrations allowedin an intense effort to reduce health-threateningsmog.

　　“The most important car we are promoting atthe show is the Lifan 320， as it is a green environmentalcar and we are fully aware of the currentissues faced by pollution，” said Roger Tian， BusinessRepresentative of Lifan.

　　A large number of new energy vehicles wereunder the spotlight， with 79 new units exhibited. Asmany Chinese cities are beginning to take seriousmeasures to cut down vehicle emission and reduceair pollution， manufacturers are hoping their electricand environmentally friendly cars will becometheir new source of profit.