Although China now sits atop the world in automotive sales, it lags behind significantly in technology and safety, remaining very much an emerging market when compared to the established regions of the United States, Western Europe and Japan.
To be sure, a newer market like China offers its own advantages. Certain well-trodden paths already are laid out before the country’s market participants, particularly for value-add options such as in-vehicle technology as well as safety and driver assistance—measures likely to help China’s growing market and eventually bring it up to the speed to that of leading, established players. And in many respects, China is doing exactly that—plus, at a fast pace as well.
Yet on safety and advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), the country finds itself in a unique position. Though advanced safety and driver assistance technologies are available in China, domestic offerings in this area are woefully lacking.
ADAS in Imported Vehicles Can be Instructive
In the crowded automotive market, differentiation from the prevailing competition is needed in order to thrive. While design and a brand name can help, features and options provide customers with more customization choices to find the complete package they want.
Other markets like the United States and Europe have followed this path, with additions such as telematics platforms and ADAS features, but China is beginning to do so just now. And while Chinese domestic OEMs have in-vehicle technology that can compete with offerings from imports, the same cannot be said of safety and ADAS.
With a rapidly growing market and possessing a more than healthy mix of luxury models compared to the mid- and entry-levels, China continues to be awash with imports, including an impressive array of luxury models from across the world. These luxury imports contain some of the most advanced safety technologies available today, touting the benefit of decades of research and innovation.
The lesson to be gained is obvious. To look for safety and ADAS in China that is on par with the best available comparable systems in the United States., Japan and Europe, the only place to find it is in vehicles imported from these advanced markets. Domestic models made by original equipment manufacturers (OEM) pale in comparison.
Chinese Automotive Innovations Shown in Recent Shanghai Event
That imbalance, however, is poised to change: At the 14th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition last week, several domestic OEMs put their ADAS prowess on display.
The Chang’an Automobile Group, one of the Chinese dragons in the country’s domestic auto industry, showcased its In Drive portfolio on a Chana sedan. The company illustrated several ADAS applications supported by the In Drive system, including adaptive cruise control, collision warning with active automatic braking, lane departure warning, night vision and a fully digital instrument cluster.
For its part, major player Geely Automobile demonstrated its latest ADAS achievements on the Emgrand EC8 show car. It included lane departure warning, collision warning with an active brake system, head-up display, rear-camera park assist, ultrasonic park assist and a 360-degree panorama camera system.
Meanwhile, BYD Automobile—part of the bigger BYD Group—announced its latest as well, unveiling an infrared-based driver monitoring system to detect fatigue. Facial expressions, shoulder posture, eye and head movement are all measured in order to alert the driver before a fatigue-induced accident occurs, a technique used often in Japan but rarely elsewhere.
While most of these systems remain concepts at this point, the efforts by local Chinese OEMs are encouraging, even if it will be several years before such homegrown systems come to market. In fact, only Chang’an ventured a guess at market readiness, estimating its In Drive system will launch in two to three years.
Assessing the Market
For now, luxury imports will continue to reap revenues from customers looking for the best ADAS available, while also allowing both OEMs and the market to understand what systems might prove useful for local conditions.
True, domestic OEMs in China have some catching up to do in order to offer similar ADAS solutions as foreign OEMs. But at the pace that the market is growing and given the speed of innovation today, it won’t be long before Chinese OEMs are able to compete with the best that the rest of the world has to offer.
Learn More > IHS iSuppli’s Advanced Driver Assist Systems Portal