Visitors crowd into the 8th China International Auto Accessories Commercial Expo, Beijing.

Auto parts for car customization.

A custom-painted car at the 8th China International Custom Car Expo, Beijing.

Customers select ornaments for their vehicles.

A modified jeep draws attention at the 8th China International Custom Car Expo, Beijing.

The second day after their red Fit rolled out of the 4S store, Hu Jing, a 26-year-old white collar worker, and her husband drove it into an auto accessory and modification shop. A couple of hours later, it was a different car. Now with cartoon designs painted on the hood, and fitted with newly-assembled body kits at the front bumper, rear bumper and side skirt, as well as four 15-inch Al-alloy wheels, the mini car was now a sporty ride, indeed.

“For us, customizing our car is one of the best ways to make our vehicle look more interesting and stand out from the rest of the machines out on the highway, as well as in the parking lot. After all, in this world where everything seems to be mass produced, it’s good to be different. This is why we came here,” said Hu. She and her husband are not alone. Due to consumer demand for expressing more individuality in vehicles, car customization is increasingly popular in China.

Auto Active

China is now one of the world’s largest automobile-buying nations. The latest statistics released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers indicates 735,500 motor vehicles were sold in January 2009 in China, and thus for the first time China overtook the United States in vehicle sales. Some predict that China will become the world’s largest auto market this year. According to statistics released by the Beijing Transportation Commission, the number of motor vehicles in Beijing has exceeded 3.4 million, of which 2.1 million are private cars. In Beijing, the number of motor vehicles increases by some 1,000 per day.

China was once known as the Kingdom of Bicycles, but now its people tend to lead a life on motor-driven wheels. With the rapid growth of the nation’s auto consumption, especially the private car market, an increasing number of car owners feel the need to take the accessorizing of their vehicles a step further – to modification. Some do it for speed, some for handling, and some simply for style.

A recent survey indicated that 90 percent of private car owners have decorated or modified their vehicles, with 50 percent decorated and accessorized with ornamental pendants, seat covers, cushions and mats, 45 percent with sunshield window films, and 10 percent with added or modified audio systems.

Cruise Controls

Early in the 1980s, car customization was introduced into China. Initially, people simply customized their vehicles with sunshield window films or seat covers. Starting in the mid-1990s, auto appliances, including electronic components like anti-theft locks and vehicle CD players, provided a wider range of options for those who wished to further customize their cars. Today, auto appliance markets and professional car customization shops are found in almost all of the nation’s large and medium-sized cities.

In the past, however, consumer had to endure complicated approval procedures in order to customize their car, especially with respect to the engine systems. “In order to avoid legal procedures, many chose to modify their auto vehicles on the black market,” says Wang Yu, an auto modification enthusiast who now runs a car customization store in Beijing. 

A customized racing car as backdrop, a senior gentleman rides a tricycle that he personally modified. A foreign visitor looks over a modified car at the 8th China International Custom Car Expo, Beijing.

A car with customized audio system. A modified jeep.

SUV with customized buffers and wheels.

On October 1, 2008, China enacted the revised Regulations on Motor Vehicle Registration, according to which car owners need not endure vehicle alteration registration procedures in case that they change interior decorations and add front and rear bumper devices to their motor vehicles without affecting vehicle identity and safety. The revised regulations also clarify that car owners need only register with local vehicle administrative departments within 10 days after they change the color of vehicle body or replace the engine. This is interpreted by industry insiders as a move on the part of the Chinese government to loosen restrictions on auto customization.

From February 20 to 23, 2009, the 8th China International Custom Auto Expo & China International Auto Accessories Commercial Expo was staged at the National Agriculture Exhibition Center in Beijing. The auto gala was considered to be the largest of its kind ever held in China, with more than 1,000 auto appliance companies displaying their latest products for car customization, including interior decorations, audio devices and electronic components.

A totally-repainted mini car attracted a crowd of visitors at the expo. Nearby, a mechanic was busy polishing a newly-painted SUV. Actually, this was a car customization company demonstrating its expertise in vehicle exterior decoration. “All designs we adopt are the work of our contracted artists. According to our customer’s requirement, our technicians manually paint the body of vehicles and then they are polished. Usually, it takes two weeks to complete the decoration of a car,” said Zhang Lei, the company’s manager.

In addition, many car customization enthusiasts from around the nation demonstrated their modified vehicles at the auto gala. A modified Nissan race car was parked at a noticeable place in the exhibition hall, with its hood up. Its owner, Wang Xiaomin, told the reporter that the car’s engine and exhaust were totally enhanced so as to gear for higher performance, and he had so far spent more than 100,000 yuan modifying the car. “What I plan to do next is to further increase its horsepower by adding a turbo,” says Wang.

Ramp Up

In foreign countries, after-sale services, including car customization, generally contribute 80 percent of total profits of automobile industry. The figure is still much lower in China. Experts thus project that the car customization industry will witness a rapid growth in China.

“With the acceleration of car ownership in China, car customization and its related industries expect to see a rapid development. It is estimated that by 2010 the market size will have exceeded 80 billion yuan,” Ren Xingzhou, director of the Institute of Market Economy under the State Council Development Research Center, said at a car customization forum in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province.

The tremendous market has attracted many multinational auto accessory giants to enter China, in hopes of sharing a piece of the market pie. To date, Japan’s largest auto appliance provider, Autobacs, has set up 15 stores in China. Yellow Hat, another Japan-based auto appliance giant, announced that it would open 60 outlets in Chinese mainland by the end of 2009.

Meanwhile, domestic car customization brands are not allowing their opportunity to slip away. Chain car decoration stores and auto appliance supermarkets, such as Aiyihang and Meicheshi, have emerged in large cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.