Creating a Car Culture in China

Ten years ago, there were only a handful of models for sale in China, and few individuals could afford them. Most buyers were companies or officials.

But last year's bestsellers were the Volkswagen Santana and Jetta, followed by the Buick Excelle, the Toyota Camry and two Chinese brands, Xiali and QQ, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Yan Yizhou, a 32-year-old sales manager, got his driver's license six years ago, and traded up last year to a Hyundai jeep. Sport-utility vehicles are hugely popular, and many Chinese are now spending their vacations on road trips that involve nothing more than countless days of endless driving.

"More and more people will choose jeeps, which are suitable for driving in the countryside," said Yan, who belongs to another of Beijing's hundreds of car clubs. "When your salary reaches a certain standard, you can buy a car and taste the fun of it."

Traveling for fun by car is a cultural shift for many Chinese. For decades, they were not able to afford cars and were encouraged to travel in groups.

In the West, a commuter culture isolates suburban residents and draws people away from public transportation. But in populous China, Yan insisted, cars would connect strangers.

"People who live far away from you who are not supposed to appear in your life will be brought into your life. Car clubs are a good place to meet new friends," he said. "And on your way somewhere, you will probably meet some broken-down cars and you will stop to help them."

China was on track to import an estimated 300,000 cars in 2007, a 30 percent increase from the year before, according to the China Trading Center for Automobile Import and the New China News Agency. Last year, 4.7 million cars were sold in China, up 23.4 percent from 2006.

Some of those buyers are fanatical.

"I can feel it when they come into the shop. The whole family chooses the car together. I can read the eagerness in their faces," said Xing Chuang, who has owned the Huizhongtong Automobile Trade Co. for a dozen years. "They pay attention to every detail of the car. After they take it home, they get up several times every night to see if their cars are okay."

At the Beijing Flying Golden Horse Automobile Trade Co., customers prefer big cars -- without considering security, where they will park it or "how it will drive in a traffic jam," sales manager Xu Zhiwei said.

"We sell Audis, which are the favorite of Chinese officials and businessmen. Customers who buy Audis always think of face when they buy, and some even have to borrow money to buy one. But other customers are much more rational and calm."

Researcher Zhang Jie contributed to this report.