18 May
As Detroit Crumbles, China Emerges as Auto Epicenter
America’s auto titans are dismantling their global empires. But across the Pacific, it’s as if the global economic forces that have pummeled Detroit never struck. Chinese auto sales are up, and this year China is projected to displace Japan as the world’s largest car producer.
Now, the auto world is buzzing that China’s auto industry may try to pick up the pieces of Detroit — at a bargain.
Chinese companies have tried to dampen speculation, issuing regulatory filings that deny bids to buy Ford’s Volvo or General Motor’s Saab. But there’s little doubt among analysts that Chinese automakers are interested in the United States and that Detroit’s automakers are interested in them.
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