Chinese Increasingly Hit the Road in Their Own Cars

24 November 2010

A lone Chinese cyclist face a traffic dominated by automobiles in Beijing, China (file photo)

China has a growing love affair with the car. This is clear at the Beijing Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange, where more and more people come to look and, increasingly, to buy.

Alice Wu is an editor at a Chinese Internet publication. She takes the subway to work, but she is certain she can cut her commute time if she drives herself.

Wu says it takes her three hours to get to work now. If she had a car, she says, the same trip would only take her two hours.

Big business

The Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange is the biggest car dealership in Beijing. General manager Guo Yong says the business sells more than two thousand cars each week.

Guo says it is much easier for Chinese consumers to buy a car now. In the past, it would take them several years to earn enough money to buy a new car. Now, he says, many people only need to save for one year.

Also, the emergence of less expensive domestic brands like Chery and BYD means more Chinese can afford cars.

Traffic congestion

For decades, most Chinese city residents got about by bicycle or public buses and trains. Now, in many areas, the number of new cars is growing faster than the road system, leaving city streets jammed with traffic.