Chinese cars 'still below par'

One of the world's biggest car shows, the 12-day Chicago autoshow, is wrapping up on Monday. The century-old event has attracted top industry players from around the globe with one country missing: China, the world's biggest car market.

Curtains are about to fall at this year's Chicago autoshow. 30 brands have brought over 1,000 flashy new car models to the event, with roaring SUVs, fancy sport cars and eco-friendly vehicles finding strong appeal.

Sharing the stage with its western counterparts, Asian cars have impressed the car fans with their latest in-car electronic devices and innovative shapes. But one major manufacturer from the region was missing at the show: China.

The country is the world's No 1 auto market in terms of sales, but most of its car brands are contractors of foreign cars and its own products are still below par compared with global competitors, especially in terms of safety and emission standards.

Car industry insiders say, Chinese car makers could learn from their Japanese and South Korean counterparts, as they improved the quality of their cars significantly in just a decade, and were successful in gaining a huge market share in the Western market.

The Chicago Automobile Trade Association is welcoming Chinese cars to access the North American market. But so far, Chinese self-owned car brands have mainly exported cars to African and Middle Eastern markets. The country is however highly ambitious to grab a slice of the global market cake.