Safety first for domestic car makers

• Source: Shanghai Daily
• [08:44 March 22 2010]
• Comments

A mechanic adjusts the gas pedal of Toyota's RAV4 sport utility vehicle at a Toyota dealer in Shanghai. Sticky pedals sparked a global recall by the Japanese maker to fix the problem. Photo: Agencies

The recent massive recall of Toyota vehicles has put quality control at the top of priorities for Chinese's domestic auto makers eager to improve sales at home and itching to sell models overseas.

On March 15, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued guidelines requiring Chinese car makers to step up efforts to improve vehicle quality and enhance driving safety.

The top industry watchdog accused some auto companies of focusing too much on expansion at the expense of technology improvements during the industry's rapid development. Potential risks were also flagged because too much attention was being paid to cost control instead of quality control.

"As a pillar industry, the auto sector still falls short of core technologies and strong innovation capability and needs improvement in overall management," the ministry said.

Safety paramount

Vehicle quality issues have moved to the fore after defective floor mats, sticky brake pedals and steering defects prompted Toyota to recall more than 8 million vehicles worldwide and suspend sales of popular models in the United States.

Quality and safety issues are paramount for the domestic auto industry as it sets its sights on expansion overseas.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda blamed the massive recall by the world's largest car maker on faster-than-expected growth that blurred safety issues.

If anything, China's domestic car makers have been on an even more aggressive trajectory.

China last year overtook the US as the world's biggest auto market, prompting car makers to expand capacity and embrace global ambitions.