You are here: Home > Business > Auto

Adjust font size:

Thirty-year-old business owner Zhang Yu has long wanted to customize his BMW X5, but he is concerned that unauthorized modifications will make his car fail required safety and emission tests.

Schnitzer's ACS5 35i, a modified version of the new BMW X5, made its debut at the recent Beijing Auto Show. [China Daily]

With the German auto giant's rapid expansion in China in recent years, a number of BMW owners like Zhang face the dilemma due to the lack of legal guidance in vehicle tuning and modifications.

But the answer could be at hand as AC Schnitzer, a renowned company that customizes BMWs, rolls out an ambitious blueprint for the country.

"We are aiming to sell to every Chinese customer that wants unique modifications to their cars," said Enrico Fois, export manager at AC Schnitzer.

The company established in 1987 in Germany modifies BMW, Mini and even Land Rover vehicles using its own components including chassis, exhaust systems and light-alloy wheels.

It has been in the Chinese auto market since 2009 and now offers what it calls a "customized original BMW".

It takes about eight months from the time the customer places order to get the complete kit delivered.

"One of the advantages that really make us different from the most of competitors is our quality," Fois told China Daily.

He said he is confident that the company's modified products match BMW quality at the minimum.

"I would rather not say we offer better quality, but that is what customers expect from us," he added.

Schnitzer now has seven outlets in China selling completed cars.

Most of the outlets are in first-tier cities, although the company is also making efforts to expand into smaller cities.

Its ACS5 35i, a modified version of the new BMW X5, made its debut at the recent Beijing International Auto Show.

This year a number of new models including the ACS7 40i and ACS6 35i will be available, according to the company.

"I believe in the coming years we can offer more individualized, personalized cars to customers," he said.

"You can use customized wheels, adjusted air dynamics, adjusted exhausts and completed kits."

AC Schnitzer is currently allowed to import and register completed modified cars for Chinese consumers, but tuning locally is still prohibited, said Yang Dan, general manager of its China's office.

Tuning associations from Europe are now working hard to find solutions to get approval from countries including China that strictly forbid local customization.

The China Exploration and Design Association released a survey in April that found the value of the vehicle modification business in China this year will reach 50 billion yuan ($8 billion), with 30 to 50 percent year-on-year growth.

But without legislation and sufficient qualified mechanics, growth in the industry has been constrained.

"I think it will take a while but we will succeed, because these are safe, high-quality parts (we import)," said Fois.

The company said that in the last four or five years, Chinese customers have become much more knowledgeable, so it needs to produce and develop the "right parts and right cars".

"This segment is very important for AC Schnitzer's development in China," said Fois.

Print E-mail

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

Add your comments...

• User Name Required
• Your Comment
• Enter the words you see:   
  Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.