Changan poised to sell JV cars at home and abroad

Chinese automakers are seeking various opportunities to increase market share for their own brands, in their fight against foreign counterparts.

Companies including SAIC, FAW Group and Changan all plan to introduce middle- and high-end vehicles, an sector of the market now dominated by foreign brands.

Overseas expansion is also one of their strategies.

"By 2020, we plan to increase overseas sales of Changan autos to 25 percent of the brand's total sales volume," said Ren.

In 2012, more than 1 million Chinese-branded cars were exported mainly by five leading companies: Chery Automobile Co Ltd, Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd, Great Wall Motors, GMAC-SAIC Automotive Finance Company Ltd, and Lifan Group, according to data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Although still in its infancy, the Chinese automotive industry is now expected to step up its overseas expansion.

From January to April, Changan registered 710,000 sales in total, a 23 percent year-on-year increase, and 10 percent higher than the industry average.

Its independent brand sales reached 321,000, ranking it top among China's brands.

"Having already started selling in Brazil, Changan's next step is to establish component and processing joint factories overseas," said Ren.