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Chinese BMWs waiting for license plate numbers

BEIJING - More than 1,000 locally made BMW sedans have been sold since sales first began in China on October 18, but none of the vehicles has yet received a license-plate number.

The data for the BMW 325i that the car maker reported to the administrations of transportation and environmental protection did not match with the cars that have been sold, said a manager from Yanbaode car sales company, the only BMW dealer in Beijing.

As a result of this mistake, the administrations have stopped processing license registration numbers for BMW 325i models. 

The manager confirmed that Yanbaode has sold more than 100 cars in Beijing but none has obtained a license-plate number.

German-based auto giant BMW saw its 3-Series sedans roll off the production line in northeastern China's Liaoning province last month, making it the second foreign luxury auto maker in China after Volkswagen's Audi.

The local BMW 325i, priced at 473,850 yuan (US$41,000), is 200,000 yuan cheaper than its imported counterpart.

Under the agreement signed by BMW and Brilliance China Automotive, the BMW 5-Series is also being produced locally. 

The manager said the mistake occurred possibly because the manufacturer is new in China and not experienced enough. A new set of data was reported to the administrations last week and things are expected to work out in two weeks time, he said.

Insiders in Beijing said the company rushed to promote the cars against competitors.

Audi, having monopolized luxury cars in China, began importing its A8 series to China to challenge the imported-luxury-car market domination by Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Aside from Audi and BMW, Japan's Toyota Motor Corp plans to invest $311 million to produce its luxury Crown model in China. The production of the Crown will be Toyota's first luxury-car production outside Japan.

DaimlerChrysler also plans to build a factory in China for Mercedes-Benz production. It has signed a $1.19 billion framework agreement with Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co Ltd to build Mercedes luxury cars and trucks in the country. The deal aims for the production of 25,000 luxury cars each year.

(Asia Pulse/XIC)
 
Nov 20, 2003


 


   
         
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