Alternate History Timeline: China the Superpower (The Chinese Car Industry as of 1978)

[Alixanderov]

Hi! I am currently writing an alternate history timeline in which the KMT defeated the Communists and re-united China (excluding Mongolia and Tuva). In this timeline, Tibet is a Chinese protectorate, as China chose to vassalize Tibet instead of annexing it.

In this timeline, the Chinese car industry is the largest in East Asia, with Japan in the runner-up position. As of 1978, China is the largest exporter of automobiles in Asia, primarily exporting vehicles to Southeast Asia, Korea, Tibet, Oceania, Pakistan, and the Middle East.

This is my lore about the Chinese car industry:

1. After the Chinese Civil War, President Chiang Kai Shek forced China to rapidly industrialize and militarise to improve the Chinese economy.
2. In 1949, China started mass-producing agricultural and industrial equipment with the help of British and American investors. This also coincided with the land reforms that sought to create equitable agriculture throughout China.
3. In 1951, China started producing Ford and GM automobiles in Nanjing. Eventually, China began production of Chrysler and AMC vehicles in 1952 and 1955 respectively. In 1956, China opened up new automobile manufacturing plants in Guangdong, Henan, Shanghai, Yunan, Jilin, Shandong, and Shanxi to boost its automobile production. These cars were primarily British, American, and Australian-designed, albeit some of them had modifications to suit the rougher roads and terrain of China. Although the vehicles were meant for domestic usage in China, both RHD and LHD variants of the cars were exported abroad to Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Japan, Ceylon, and the Republic of Vietnam.
4. In 1952, China began opening automobile plants and factories throughout Northern and Central China. Moreover, China provides subsidiaries and equipment to farmers to boost crop yields.
5. In 1955, China started work on constructing the Liujiaxia Dam on the Yellow River and the Gezhouba Dam on the Yangtze River to generate more electricity. The Liujiaxia Dam was completed in 1959, whereas the Gezhouba Dam was only completed by 1962.
6. In 1956, China started a nationwide plan to mass-industrialize and modernize the countryside. Chinese industry grew by 1000% within just a year. By 1957, China became the primary industrial hub of East Asia.
7. In 1957, Chiang Kai Shek started the project known as Project Interlinked China. Project Interlinked China led to the rapid construction of roads, railways, airports, canals, and tunnels to make China more interlinked. As a result, China became more developed due to Project Interlinked China.
8. In 1958, China completed the construction of the East-West National Highway that starts from Nanking and ends at Urumqi. This highway manages to link both Eastern and Western China in a very effective and convenient manner.
9. In 1959, the Tihwa Automobile Factory, the Hsi-An Automobile Factory, and the Tientsin Automobile Factory started manufacturing British, American, and German trucks and utility vehicles.
10. In 1960, China was an industrialized and modernized nation. Cities like Nanking, Shanghai, and Canton were famous worldwide for their modern designs and tall skyscrapers. Throughout the world, China is famous for its high-quality but affordable products. The phrase ‘Made in the Republic of China’ became synonymous with something cheap and reliable. Moreover, Chinese-made vehicles became very reputable in Southeast Asia for their durability and reliability.
11. In 1961, the Chongqing automobile plant signed a deal with British Motors Corporation to mass-produce BMC cars, especially Mini Coopers for the average Chinese family. At the same time, the Shanghai automobile plant began license-producing German VWs for both domestic usage and export purposes.
12. In 1962, the Qingdao Automobile Factory in Shandong began manufacturing Alfa Romeos that were mainly used domestically.
13. By 1963, Ford, GM, Chrysler, AMC, BMC, Rover, Leyland, Jaguar, Rootes, VW, BMW, Daimler-Benz, Auto Union, Peugeot, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Volvo were already manufacturing automobiles in China.
14. In 1965, China had its position as a well-known reputable hub of automobile manufacturing solidified. Most automobile manufacturers desired to manufacture their automobiles in China. However, Japanese cars have started to gain popularity in the heavily urbanized cities of China due to their good quality and fuel efficiency.
15. In 1966, the Shanghai Automobile Plant agreed to license produce the Ford Mustang. This is seen as a critical moment for the Chinese automobile industry since this was the start of the Golden Age of Chinese car culture. During the late 1950s and early-to-mid 1960s, Chinese car culture was very limited in terms of affordable performance cars. Usually, Chinese car enthusiasts resorted to modifying their cars to increase their cars’ performance because most brand-new automobiles with high-performance engines were out of reach for many young Chinese car enthusiasts due to low wages. However, the official introduction of the Ford Mustang meant that Chinese car enthusiasts could afford to purchase a brand-new high-performance sports car that was only slightly more expensive than an average brand-new American-designed 4-door saloon.
16. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, China had a strong car culture that was dominated by modified 1950s and 1960s cars, modern American-designed pony cars and muscle cars, and European-designed 2-door and 4-door saloons. At that time, the annual Chinese Saloon Car Championship and the 300 Kilometers of China Rally Championship were seen as a way for automobile manufacturers to show off their latest designs’ track performance and reliability. At the same time, Japanese cars were rapidly gaining a good reputation in China. In 1969, the Datsun Skyline GT-R defeated the dominant Buick Skylark Gran Sport (the winner of the 1967 and the 1968 Chinese Saloon Car Championship) during the 1969 Shanghai Chinese Saloon Car Championship Race due to the Datsun Skyline GT-R breaking down the least amount of times. Consequently, this led to many Chinese car enthusiasts developing an interest in Japanese cars, especially Datsuns.
17. In 1973, the 1973 Oil Crisis badly affected America, Australia, and Britain. When the embargo struck, it was as if the American car industry was sucker punched by OPEC. However, OPEC refused to embargo the Republic of China, which had been mostly neutral in the Israeli-Arab conflict. Therefore, the Chinese car industry was mostly unaffected, to say the least.
18. In 1975, the Chinese government mandated the installation of catalytic converters in automobiles. Moreover, the Chinese government also encouraged domestic car factories to tune their automobiles' engines for increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. As a result, the 'malaise' period of the Chinese car industry began.
19. In 1976, the Chinese Ministry of Economic Affairs noticed a sharp increase in the number of Japanese cars imported into China. Moreover, sales of domestically produced cars were declining due to the decreased fuel efficiency and performance compared to Japanese cars. As a result, the Chinese government passed the Trade Protection Act of 1976, which limited the number of Japanese automobile imports to 300000 a year.
20. In 1977, the Chinese government imposed a mandatory tariff on all imported Japanese automobiles. Japanese pick-up trucks were given a 100% import duty, whereas Japanese cars were given a 50% import duty.
21. In 1978, the Chinese government offered its support to the Shah of Persia to protect its strategic interests in Iran. China's main strategic interest in Persia is Persian crude oil, which is exported to China in large quantities.

Lore that I need some help with:

Most Popular Automobiles in China as of 1978:

Top 10 Most Popular Mid-size Cars:
1) Chevrolet Nova (made by GM at the Nanking Automobile Plant and the Canton Automobile Plant)
2) Ford Fairmont (made by Ford at the Tsingtao Automobile Plant and the Chungking Automobile Plant)
3) VW Passat (made by VW at the Chengdu Automobile Plant and the Chengchow Automobile Plant)
4) Dodge Aspen (made by Dodge at the Shanghai Automobile Plant and the Beiping Automobile Plant)
5) AMC Concord (made by AMC at the Shanghai Automobile Plant)
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Top 10 Most Popular Large Cars:
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Top 10 Most Popular Compact Cars:
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Top 10 Most Popular Ultra-Large Cars:
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Top 10 Most Popular Luxury Cars:
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Top 10 Most Popular Sports Cars:
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[focus9912]

Ok...sorry to interrupt again..and from the looks of it, the details seems thorough enough...
I have a few questions...
1.What is the differentiator between the large car segment and the ultra-large segment. Perhaps a governmental decree that the vehicle class would be determined by it size....
2.

BMC, Rover, Leyland, Jaguar,

Are they gonna be merging in the large incoherent mess that is British Leyland just like OTL....?(Perhaps considering the bad reputation in regard to the hesitancy to modernize, shoddy finish...not to mention the notoriously bad industrial relation back in Britain, these companies (alongside Rootes of course) would actually build the cars bound for American market in China instead).
3. Considering the large amount of vehicles added ITTL, would there be a much further push for efficiency, not to mentioned alternative mode of propulsion (such as using biofuels or even EVs(perhaps for local deliveries, like how the British does for its milk OTL)).
4. Considering how large the Chinese car market is, wouldn't the Japanese immediately open up car factories in China, just like how they done it in the US?

 

[Giant Man Eating Rabbits]

Buick had a great following before WWII, and still does.

This video might help you in picking popular mid size, large, and compact Buick's for your timeline

 

[Giant Man Eating Rabbits]

In 1949, China started mass-producing agricultural and industrial equipment with the help of British and American investors. This also coincided with the land reforms that sought to create equitable agriculture throughout China.

Best bet for this is getting Triumph to let China build their 'Ferguson' model tractor.

In 1951, China started producing Ford and GM automobiles in Nanjing. Eventually, China began production of Chrysler and AMC vehicles in 1952 and 1955 respectively. In 1956, China opened up new automobile manufacturing plants in Guangdong, Henan, Shanghai, Yunan, Jilin, Shandong, and Shanxi to boost its automobile production. These cars were primarily British, American, and Australian-designed, albeit some of them had modifications to suit the rougher roads and terrain of China.

Again the best bet with a British model would be the Morris MM Series then MO Series (Morris 1000/Minor) which would be frugal enough for Chinese tastes and income levels.

In 1959, the Tihwa Automobile Factory, the Hsi-An Automobile Factory, and the Tientsin Automobile Factory started manufacturing British, American, and German trucks and utility vehicles.

The Mini is the obvious one in this case alongside Morris 1000/Minor plus start producing BMC Farina models (Austin Cambridge/Morris Oxford) for the more affluent Chinese families and even start producing the Farina 'Vanden Plas' model for those who have a bit more cash to spend.

Also with commercial vehicles in mind the Morris J4, Commer FC and Standard Atlas (all forward control designs) would also be built in China as they're cheap as chips and could easily last until 1978 as did the Commer FC on OTL which lasted until the 1980's as the Dodge Supervan.

Also The Austin Gypsy would be a good vehicle for the Chinese Armed Forces, everything a Land Rover does but by the BMC company. Start banging them out and try and shut out Rover's Land Rover brand from the Chinese market.