China, The World's Biggest Car Market

What's happening in China matters to U.S. car buyers from many perspectives. With China's huge scale, Chinese consumers are influencing the designs of cars that are in our showrooms. For example, Buick might no longer exist if it weren't for the fact that GM has been selling more Buicks in China than in the U.S. for several years now, and by a wide margin. China is also the number one market for Mercedes and others.
New models that will be sold in North America are being introduced at the Shanghai Auto Show. Of course, the opposite is also true, and the Chinese auto industry might not exist if it weren't for American and European manufacturers. The Japanese and Koreans are Johny-come-latelies to China.
Virtually every major manufacturer is aggressively expanding production and marketing in China. Once too small to matter, in just a few years this market has become too vast for any manufacturer to ignore, and fewer than half of all Chinese of driving age still do not have drivers licenses.
The purpose of this topic is to discuss the many aspects of the Chinese auto industry and market. What are your views on this trend? Do you see it as a net positive or negative, and why?
New models that will be sold in North America are being introduced at the Shanghai Auto Show. Of course, the opposite is also true, and the Chinese auto industry might not exist if it weren't for American and European manufacturers. The Japanese and Koreans are Johny-come-latelies to China.
Virtually every major manufacturer is aggressively expanding production and marketing in China. Once too small to matter, in just a few years this market has become too vast for any manufacturer to ignore, and fewer than half of all Chinese of driving age still do not have drivers licenses.
The purpose of this topic is to discuss the many aspects of the Chinese auto industry and market. What are your views on this trend? Do you see it as a net positive or negative, and why?
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It'd be interesting to see what it takes to get a license there, seeing what I see from first generation drivers here...
BYD, which opened its North American headquarters in Los Angeles in 2010, says the plant will initially turn out 10 electric buses for the city of Long Beach. It expects the vehicles, with a range of 150 miles between charges, to be delivered next year. In April, the Long Beach Transit Authority awarded BYD a $12.1 million contract for the zero-emission buses, a company statement said."
1st Chinese automaker in U.S. to open California plants (Detroit News)
Question: How will this influence car design?