Chinese SUVs make inroads at home

Beijing

TWO years ago, just one Chinese SUV ranked among the country's top 10. In the first three months of this year, that number jumped to eight - a sign that Chinese carmakers may have found their sweet-spot to battle foreign rivals in the world's biggest car market.

Despite preferential government policies, local carmakers have failed to really compete with foreign carmakers like Volkswagen and General Motors in sedan sales. Shifting the battleground to the roomier sport utility vehicle segment may bring more success.