China still far behind world leaders

Although local car manufacturers in China are beginning to become known, it is not the same for car equipment manufacturers and their growth is still difficult to gauge. China has four local suppliers whose turnover is above $1.5 billion, according to the Strategy Analytics company. Several of them depend on Chinese manufacturers such as Huayu Automotive Systems, a 60% owned subsidiary of SAIC, the leading player on the national market, with sales of $3.47 billion in 2010 to €5 billion forecast for 2011. Fawer supplies equipment to FAW and Guangzhou Automobile Group Component for GAC. A few other equipment manufacturers have benefited from partnership with a foreign group. This is the case with Yanfeng, whose joint enterprise with Visteon obtained a turnover of €3.4 billion. Finally, important players are emerging in the tyre-manufacturing sector, such as Aeolius Tyre. In addition to these examples, China has around 25 suppliers whose turnover is between $100-500 million, according to Strategy Analytics. Foreign equipment makers subsequently dominate the market but this is quite clearly just a question of time, given the appetite displayed by Chinese equipment manufacturers, who are increasing their acquisitions abroad. The 10 leading car equipment manufacturers in the world are as follows (according to the categories provided by Automotive News ): (1) Bosch (Germany; $34.6 billion in sales in 2010); (2) Denso (Japan; $32.8 billion); (3) Continental (Germany; $24.8 billion); (4) Aisin Seiko (Japan; $24.6 billion); (5) Magna Int. (Canada; $23.6 billion); (6) Faurecia (France; $18.2 billion); (7) Johnson Controls (US; $16.6 billion); (8) ZF Friedrichshafen (Germany; $15.7 billion); (9) LG Chem (South Korea; $15.5 billion); (10) Hyundai Mobis (South Korea; $14.4 billion). The five leading Chinese companies are: (1) Huayu Automotive Systems ($3.5 billion); 2) Yanfeng Visteon ($3.4 billion); 3) Fawer Automotive Parts ($2.2 billion); 4) Guangzhou Automotive Group Components ($1.9 billion); 5) Wanxiang Qianchao ($800 million). (I.L./transl.fl)