China and the automotive industry...

Interesting article in regards to the auto industry both OEM and aftermarket in China. One thing that stood out for me is this...

"Exterior accessories are technically banned in China. As of May 1, 2004, no vehicle modifications were allowed on the exterior. A picture is taken at the dealer upon the purchase of a vehicle, and this picture must remain in the car along with the vehicle’s registration papers and must be presented if the driver is stopped by the police, as well as at inspection time. "

and this...

Consider this: Chinese consumers have been legally allowed to buy cars since only 1995. With fewer than 10 cars per thousand people in China (compared to 800 per thousand in the United States and 500 per thousand in Europe), it is expected that China will become the largest car market in the world, edging out the United States by 2025 or sooner.

Kind of puts things in perspective, here in NA when people have been modifying cars ever since they've become available. It's interesting also that a large number of aftermarket products for cars is fabricated in China, talk about ironic!

http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?fc_c=996239x2154349x56034733&id=58280

Frank