China’s new middle class in love with cars – big cars

…Unlike Japanese and European drivers, who favor the minicar (a two-seater about half the size of a compact car) and subcompacts, China’s new middle class wants mobility, power and elbow room.

When they walked into the showroom of Chery, one of China’s largest automakers, the Liu family said they wanted fuel efficiency and practicality. At first, they looked at the QQ, a minicar that costs 33,333 yuan (about $4,400). But the only one convinced was the Lius’ 16-year-old daughter, Christina. Prodded by her parents to practice her school-taught English on a Chronicle reporter, she managed only, “QQ is cute!” and then convulsed in giggles, hanging on to her mother’s arm.

“The QQ is very small, you know, and I need more space because I will spend so much time in the car,” said her father, Liu Yue. He explained that from their home in suburban northern Beijing, the drive to his job downtown as a construction engineer will take an hour each way – a 30-minute improvement over the city buses he now takes.

So he and his wife signed the papers for the Eastar, a full-size, four-door sedan selling for 98,888 yuan (about $13,075).

San Francisco Chronicle