China, Auto Industry | featured news

Auto buyers in what is the world’s largest car market are shifting away from compacts and subcompacts and buying more midsize cars and sport utility vehicles.

The Obama administration accused China of unfairly subsidizing its exports of autos and auto parts, while China filed its own trade case against the United States.

Chinese government to force unprofitable automakers into involuntary bankruptcy... The Ministry said in a note published on Tuesday that it is considering the introduction of a withdrawal mechanism to force near-bankrupt automakers out of the bloated automotive industry. China has around 1,300 automobile makers, including 171 car, truck and bus makers and more than 900 specialty vehicle manufacturers, according to the government.

The United States has filed a trade complaint against China for imposing duties on U.S.-made autos, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Thursday.

Chinese motor-vehicle dealer China Yongda Automobiles Services Holdings plans to raise up to $433 million in an initial public offering ahead of its listing in Hong Kong on May 30, people familiar with the situation said.

Despite an unexpected slowdown in sales earlier this year, the Chinese auto market is expected to hit an industry-record 20 million vehicles this year – prompting manufacturers to announce billions of dollars in new factory investments designed to keep up with booming demand.

General Motors earned its largest profit ever in 2011, two years after it nearly collapsed. Strong sales in the U.S. and China helped the carmaker turn a profit of $7.6 billion, beating its old record of $6.7 billion in 1997 during the pickup and SUV boom.

Welcome to an unlikely beacon of hope for the global auto industry -- Detroit. Executives arriving this week for the Detroit auto show find a U.S. car market that has morphed from meltdown three years ago to a safe haven as concerns grow about the stability of other big economies, from Europe to China.

China will impose punitive duties of up to 22 percent on large cars and SUVs exported from the United States, China's Commerce Ministry said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of trade disputes between the world's two largest economies.

Car companies say a sales slowdown in China will likely make competition there more cutthroat as more makers pile into the top auto marketplace.