For the first time, WANADA officials – represented by Chairman John Bowis and CEO John O’Donnell – attended the Beijing, China Auto Show. The visit enabled WANADA to showcase the Washington Auto Show’s status as a Tier 1 auto show and to meet with OEMs and executives from the global show circuit. WANADA reps were in good company with NADA’s chairman and CEO, Wes Lutz and Peter Welch, respectively, along with a delegation from the Detroit Automobile Dealers Association, producers of the North American International Auto Show.
With China now the world’s largest automotive market, the Beijing Auto Show is a major global industry event. This year’s show emphasized electric vehicles and hybrids.
Now that the Chinese government is suddenly anxious to lessen its infamous urban smog, citizens receive generous financial incentives to buy environmentally friendly vehicles.
All the major Western automakers were at the Beijing Auto Show, along with Chinese manufacturers such as BYD Auto, Great Wall and Geely that hope to expand to the west in coming years. The Chinese OEM, GAC, is already negotiating with potential U.S. dealers and hopes to have a distribution network running by 2019.
For more information on John O’Donnell’s speech at the China-U.S. Automotive Summit please click here.
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