China has a fair shot at building the car of the future

THE Detroit Auto Show has long set the tone for the global car industry, but a new player on the other side of the world could prove to be a bigger player. As the Beijing Motor Show begins on Monday, it's worth taking a closer look at China's car industry.

True, China has a long way to go. The world's second-largest economy still doesn't have any top-notch car manufacturers. Western companies look at the Chinese market as important for their sales, but not with regard to technological innovations.

Just how could China get the upper hand? The key race in the global car industry is all about the connected car - what China's car industry leaders dub the "Internet of Vehicles". It is important to realise that China has a number of natural advantages in this arena - as well as less "natural" ones.