Top award for foreign car expert at age of 61
Print Edition
In his 18th year of working and living in China, Michael Steenbock, as a 61-year-old automotive engineer of Volkswagen Anhui, in April received the highest award that east China’s Anhui Province confers on foreign experts for their outstanding contribution.
With his experiences in the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Volkswagen and Volkswagen Group China, Steenbock came to work in Hefei City, capital of Anhui Province, in May 2019, leading a team devoted to the R&D of New Energy Vehicle interiors including control panels, seats, and airbags.
“The automotive industry worldwide as well as in China is facing a great period of transformation. It is clear that NEVs are the future of the auto industry, and China is the world’s largest NEV market,” said Steenbock.
Having lived in China for almost two decades and married a Chinese woman, Steenbock is just one witness of how China’s auto industry has evolved over the past decades.
A 70s novelty
When China opened its doors to the global market in 1978, a motor car was still a novelty and would often draw a large crowd on the road. Back then, a bicycle was an imposing object in many file photos when the country’s per capita GDP was just 385 yuan (US$46). In 2019, China’s GDP per capita surpassed US$10,000.
But the two-wheelers were quickly replaced by motor vehicles as investment poured in, production lines roared and people’s pockets swelled. Now China has maintained the top player both in auto manufacturing and sales, and car is almost a household necessity.
As of June 2020, China had 360 million motor vehicles, including 270 million cars, 68.9 million motorcycles and 4.17 million new-energy cars, according to data from the Ministry of Public Security.
China’s automotive aftermarket, which includes transactions and services following the sales of cars, was valued at more than 1 trillion yuan in 2020.
More traditional automakers are transitioning from being purely manufacturers toward being mobility service providers in China.
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