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I am in a taxi, stuck in a big traffic jam. I am on my way to Auto China, 2008, and we are edging our way along ring road 3, about to join the airport expressway going to the newly opened China International Exhibition Centre, where this event is held. There are six ring roads in Beijing, and except for ring road 1, which is a track round the Forbidden City, they are all four lane motorways.
Most of the time you are as likely to be stationary, rather than moving.

When you consider that private ownership of cars was only sanctioned in 1980, Beijing has now joined that super league of gridlocked cities such as Dubai, Sao Paulo and Bangkok, in record time. Beijing could soon become the city with more cars than any other on the planet. This year alone the auto industry expects to sell nine million cars in China, so you can start to understand why this event is taken very seriously indeed, by sellers and buyers in equal measure.

While car sales in the West are currently suppressed there is only one word for the Chinese car market, growth. This is currently running at around 25%. When you consider that 90% of families in the West own a car and in China it is a mere 6%, you will understand why the motor industry thinks that China will rescue it from a down turn.

The Chinese do not just love cars, they worship them. In the section where luxury brands display their latest models, the stands are mobbed. In this section you are not allowed to come up to the cars unless you look like a potential customer. But everyone gawps and takes photos, happy to have seen a real Rolls Royce or a Porsche.

Almost everything we buy in the West is now made in China, with the big exception of cars. But the Chinese are trying to catch up. There were over twenty Chinese car manufacturers at the show, Chery being the top of the league. This firm exports more cars than any other Chinese company. However, their main export markets are the ex Russian countries of Eastern Europe, and South America. They do not sell in Europe or the USA, probably because they would not meet the safety regulations.

Chery also make the cheapest car in China, the QQ. Sadly this was not on display because, as I was told " everyone knows it." This sells for roughly $4,000.

Taking photographs of the cars is the way in which the Chinese define their visit to the show. This process is all helped along by a lavish sprinkling of car girls. Such is the importance of the girls' contribution, there are competitions for the best girl in each show hall. Car brochures abound, and are picked up enthusiastically. Sometimes a queue will form for these, which will make the queue escalate; no-one wants to be outdone.

As a British citizen I took particular delight in encountering the Roewe stand. Roewe is the name given to the newly-launched Rover group that was bought by the Chinese a few years back. They took the brand, brought all the equipment over from Longbridge and have re-jigged the car for the Chinese market. The marketing is re-assuringly British. Britain now has no major car manufacturer at all. Such is the dynamic of the new world order, which like so much of life is defined by our love of cars.

Reader comments (15)

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Automobiles for private movements are absolute technical nonsense for the fuel used (mainly imported from countries outside Europe, US and China) and for the high expenses tied to owning a car (all on the shoulders of the private citizens). China has chosen to enter into Western "civilization" entirely but how is air pollution in Beijing now? How will it be in ten/twenty years when there will be 60-70% of the population owning a car?

Alternatives are possible and are compatible with the egoistic/individualistic vision of life of western society. Their governors have chosen differently it seems.

Thank you.

Comment posted by Alessandro on April 28, 2008

Fantastic photo ~

Comment posted by wangxiaogang on April 29, 2008

And how do the Chinese pronounce Roewe, Martin?

Comment posted by Ben Anderson on April 29, 2008

That is a great way to pronounce it ya

Comment posted by Leon Avalos on April 29, 2008

Dear Ben Anderson,

As I know, Roewe is pronounced as 'RongWei' ...

Comment posted by wangxiaogang on April 30, 2008

Dear Martin,

Congratulations for this photo.

I share Alessandro´s point of view, even though this full acceptation for model of western society can be explained by years and years of frustration.

It is also difficult to understand environment issues that we, westerners, use easily (politicaly correct in fact) try to make understand to the chinese, meawhile we have been the main actors of the destruction of the environnment those last 30 years.

I understand this facination and also that scares me.

Comment posted by Alain RIO on May 2, 2008

martin:

terrific story...have lots of students from china and there are a few obsessions that each have, interestingly, the obsession with cars has diminished, 'cause for them (mostly the children of govt officials, successful business men/women, artists, etc) cars are already a part of their lives...and many of them (rather obnoxiously) look down upon the great masses of folk in china who now hunger for cars....

it is still an extraordinary transformation...in such a quick time...im shooting folks who left china who are dealing in the drowning of having emigrated to canada before the boom only to confront those who come here "to shop" or "to live temporarily: education" instead of to transform...

terrific story, lovely pic...

and, by the way, here is the QQ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ6tiqfbT8A

cheers
running
bob

Comment posted by Bob Black on May 3, 2008

Nice post. Thanks.Veryinteresting. :)

Comment posted by Alexey on May 4, 2008

The article is basically good, but I can smell some bias here.
" They do not sell in Europe or the USA, probably because they would not meet the safety regulations."
I think you should choose words more properly.

Comment posted by homyzh on May 6, 2008

I always love Auto Shows. The combination of cars and the girls, really looks great. But China is so far away. Wish its nearer ;)

Comment posted by digital slr camera photographer on May 6, 2008

i'll see your exhibition in munich next week and hope, you brought some more pictures from china with you.

Comment posted by frankblack on May 7, 2008

I do not want to imagine there are full of cars anywhere in China. However it will become reality soon. We people may not be able to put away civilization easily.
Regarding the comment posted above by "homyzh", I agree with you.
In my opinion there are so many competitors in US, Europe and Japan that it is very hard for Chinese companies to expand their share there. So they are focusing other markets.

Comment posted by Yasu on May 7, 2008

dear Homyzh
Thanks for the comment. This is no bias , but hard facts.
Due to much higher standrds in both safety and emmissions, no Chinese car so far is allowed to be sold in the EU or USA.
Martin Parr

Comment posted by martin parr on May 8, 2008

I was going to comment Homyzh, but I see Mr Parr has already answered. Have you been to China Mr Homyzh? If not, come and look and then see what you think about saftey.

Martin, I'm on a photojournalism course in Dalian, China, headed by DJ Clark, you may know of it. I am currently trying to decide on a project to follow, well two actually. I've been interested in the role of the car in China, specifically in the family and how it affects the average person.

The following article spawned the idea but I'm trying to see what other work has been done on the topic. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/business/worldbusiness/24firstcar.html?_r=1&ex=1366776000&en=8c7b3e8407c38577&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Can you point me to any specifics?

Thank you,

Nick Kozak

Comment posted by Nick on May 9, 2008

it is good

Comment posted by mojtaba saranjampour on May 9, 2008

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