Source: CCTV.com

02-23-2009 17:21

This is the report from Bazhou city in Hebei province with the biggest worries of farmers there.

With government vehicle subsidies coming to the countryside, manufacturers are preparing for the campaign.

With government vehicle subsidies coming to the countryside, manufacturers are preparing for the campaign.

Shen Yang, GM of SGMW, says, "farmers need fast, powerful vehicles that can carry big loads. The government's revitalization policy for the auto industry spells out our directions."

Besides old brands like SGMW, new producers are tailoring new models for rural use, driving for a share in the huge potential market.

In Hebei's Bazhou City, freight transport is a big business. Pedicabs, minibuses, and mini freight cars all shuttle on the street. Farmers there are happy about the subsidies, but say it's not everything.

Cui Ziyong, farmer of Cuizhuangzi Village, Bazhou City, says, "my biggest concern is after-sales service. It's not at all inconvenient. It's far from the repair shops, and the shops themselves aren't that great."

Wu Jiankun, farmer of Yuankou Village, Bazhou City, says, "I have no idea where to go if my car breaks down."

After-sales service is a big roadblock for car sales in the countryside. The market may be huge, but it's spread out. That makes it difficult to set up a service network. Even big companies like SGMW cover only 40 percent of the country's counties, to say nothing of villages.

But auto makers know they have to bridge that gap. SGMW has just set up its first village-level repair shop.

Guo Deqing, staff of SGMW repair shop, says, "our shop can meet almost every customer requirement. We operate 24 hours a day. If a customer calls, we'll get there to help, even at midnight. So they have nothing to worry about."

Repair and service in the countryside are considered a test for car producers. Now many of them are speeding the construction of village service networks.

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Editor:Qin Yongjing