China Buses: Cheap But Stuck in China 金龙：别开得太快
Everyone’s always talking about Chinese car makers and their export aspirations, but very little is said about the country’s vibrant bus-making industry. That said, there’s a nice report in the China Daily on King Long, China’s largest bus maker, which appears to be growing by leaps and bounds and has its sights set on the export market. The China Daily quotes a King Long exec saying the company hopes to achieve overseas sales of $762 million in five years, a major jump from $170 million last year. 
But before anyone gets too excited, let’s think about this: People in the West generally avoid Chinese cars for safety and reliability issues, despite their cheap price tags. Big bus operators will be even more sensitive on such issues, especially safety, due to costly liability when accidents occur. In light of all that, I would say it could be quite a while before Chinese bus makers drive into the West.
Bottom line: Don’t look for the “made in China” label on buses in the West anytime soon.
一提到中国的汽车工业，人们滔滔不绝讨论的都是轿车生产商及其出口的野心；很少有人关注中国蓬勃发展的大客车生产行业。今天的《中国日报》提到了中国最大的巴士生产企业金龙。报 导引用一位金龙高管的话说，该公司希望在去年海外销售额1.7亿美元的基础上大跃进，在五年内实现年海外销售额7.62亿美元的水平。目标虽然远大，但我们也要好好分析一下：西方消费者一般不会买中国生产的轿车–尽管後者价钱便宜，但安全与可靠性口碑不佳。那些运营巴士和大客车的企业对 安全问题自然更加敏感，因为一旦发生安全事故，他们要承担的责任巨大，成本高昂。因此，在我看来，中国生产的巴士要开进西方市场，还需要相当一段时间。
一句话：想在西方国家道路上看到”中国制造”的巴士，短期内恐怕不大可能。
Related postings 有关文章:
◙ Autos: a Desperate Capital Grab for Jianghuai, and Dongfeng’s Silly South Africa Plans 汽车业：江淮增发东风出口
◙ China’s Chery: Not Quite Ready for Outback Prime Time
◙ Geely’s Volvo Roadmap: Laden With Potholes?
