We witnessed some dramatic changes in the global auto industry in 2008. For the global auto companies, the world is much flatter than it has ever been. The sudden slowdown in car sales in China and India forecasts tough times for the auto industry which have been leaning on the two most populous countries to offset slacking sales in the West. The well documented problems for the American auto companies aside, virtually every automaker lost money in 2008 on its vehicle businesses. Worldwide vehicle production had been growing an average of three (3) percent annually since the beginning of the decade. But with sales falling in virtually every region because of weak economies and tight credit, auto companies could cut vehicle production as much as ten (10) percent next year.

However, the old adage “in any crisis (危机), there is opportunity (机会)” holds true whether spoken in English or Chinese. While China auto sales suffer from its slowest pace in years, it nevertheless grew 6.8 percent from the year before. Two years ago, China propelled past Japan to become the world’s No. 2 auto market. Some analysts predict that if current trends hold and if the U.S. economic downturn persists, China may surpass the United States to become the biggest as early as the Fall of 2009. The question is: How will the China market affect the U.S. automakers and specifically, the Michigan economy in 2009? To address this question and to help businesses in both China and U.S. to explore opportunities, the Detroit Chinese Business Association invites you attend the DCBA 2009 China Forum.

The Detroit Chinese Business Association (DCBA) will host its annual 2009 China Forum on April 22nd, 2009 with a special focus on examining China’s role in shaping the global auto industry. This year’s speakers will include industry insiders from both the United States and China.

The DCBA 2009 China Forum offers a rare glimpse of the global auto industry from the Chinese perspective and is a great opportunity to meet global policy-makers and executives; and to share in their views and thoughts in these uncertain economic times. The world is flat. But it does not necessarily mean that we should be afraid of going over the edge. Understanding China’s role is essential in truly understanding the global auto industry and coming through the other side of these turbulent times.