INSPIRED BY BAMBOO: Concept car Bamboo designed by IAT (China) Automobile Technology Co. Ltd. at the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition between April 23 and May 2 (XIE XIN)

As the pioneer of China's automotive industry, FAW Group created two brands as early as the 1950s: Hongqi, meaning red flag, for hand-crafted luxury sedans and Jiefang, meaning liberation, for trucks. These two brands are still produced today and Jiefang trucks won top prize for the technological innovation of China's auto industry in 2009.

However, since China's large-scale production of vehicles started in the 1980s, most Chinese auto companies have partnered with foreign companies and entrusted their foreign partners to design models. One of the earliest institutions conducting automobile design in China is Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, a joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. The center possesses world-class equipment for automotive engineering, prototyping and testing. It has produced a batch of Chinese auto designers and development engineers.

The Chinese auto industry has entered the stage when design has become the key to its competitive edge, said Fabrizio Giugiaro, a world-renowned car designer who has designed models for BMW, Maserati, Chevrolet and Toyota Lexus, while attending the 2004 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. He said the hardware in China's auto factories, especially the mainstream sedan makers, could compete with auto factories in any other country while their lack of key technologies and development capacity has made them unable to create their own models.

Giugiaro said his company provides design and technical services for auto manufacturing companies. Now such design companies are booming in China. They are mostly young and widely different in scale and technical levels. Media organizations estimate that in Beijing and Shanghai there are between 300 and 400 auto design companies, whose annual market scale exceeds 10 billion yuan ($1.49 billion).

IAT (China) Automobile Technology Co. Ltd. is one of the largest domestic automobile design companies. Its staff has grown from five people when it was founded to more than 500. The company's sales revenue was 270 million yuan ($40.3 million) last year, ranking as one of the highest among China's independent automotive design companies.

"When the company was founded in 2002, its main business scope was international technological trade. In response to strong requests from our clients, we set up our automotive design and development team," said Wang Yuejian, President of IAT. As an engineer, Wang has more than 20 years of experience in automotive development and was the development team leader for a Benteng sedan while working for FAW.

Chinese automaker Chery Automobile outsourced the design of a compact car to IAT shortly after its founding and the final product is the popular mini car Chery QQ.

Since China's private car manufacturers like Chery started to sell their cars at the end of the 1990s, they've found it hard to obtain technological transfers from foreign companies. Therefore, they've had pressure to develop their products. Besides selling its low-end models like QQ, Chery has started to engage in the development of core technologies for building medium-end family sedans. Chery, with 6,000 engineers, has cooperated with key component manufacturers, suppliers and institutions of higher learning and mastered core technologies for vehicle development and manufacturing of key components.

"You cannot purchase technologies forever. Purchasing technologies is like having blood transfers while developing technologies is like owning the capacity to produce blood," said Zhao Fuquan, Vice President of Chinese automaker Geely in charge of research and development. Zhao said the gap between Chinese automobile companies and their international counterparts is not only in technology but also in practical attitude.

Zheng Sulin, design director for Dongfeng Motor, said a qualified auto designer should be 30 percent scientist, plus 30 percent artist, 10 percent poet, 10 percent merchant, 10 percent salesperson and 10 percent entrepreneur. Zheng said these different identities summarize all the qualities an excellent auto designer should possess, who should have a deep understanding of car users, society and environment. "A good designer should be able to grab the attention of the company's decision makers and give development engineers passion," said Zheng.

As the world is taking a major shift toward a low-carbon economy, new hope is coming to Chinese automakers. Many experts believe that Chinese companies stand on the same start line as their foreign competitors in the production of the electric cars, which some people believe represent the future. A development team of fuel cell buses led by Professor Ouyang Minggao from Tsinghua University built three buses powered by fuel cells for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, which represents the most advanced level in the world.

At the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, IAT designers introduced an electric concept car, Bamboo, whose body and interior use the elements of bamboo leaves, bamboo shoots, Chinese calligraphy and Chinese embroidery. "We hope to showcase IAT's capacity in exterior design, structure design, battery technologies and engine technologies," said Chen Jianyi, Bamboo's chief designer.

As a well-known auto designer in China, Chen has participated in the development of more than 100 models for over 30 companies. He said he felt lucky as he witnessed the tremendous growth of car manufacturing, design and sales in China as an engineer and designer during the last 17 years.

At the 2000 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, a sport utility vehicle (SUV) designed by Chen, who was then the chief designer of Beijing Jeep Corp., attracted a large number of fans. Some call this model "the first SUV designed in China."

Chen said his growth as an auto designer could be divided into four stages. Chen said during the first stage, he cherished his works like his children. At the second stage, he learned to judge his designs from the viewpoint of auto manufacturing companies. At the third stage, he started to feel responsibility for promoting the Chinese auto industry as a whole. At the fourth stage, he tried to blend elements from Chinese culture with internationally advanced designs. "The Bamboo model is only the beginning," said Chen.