China intends to bypass foreign brands for its government car fleet and use only local manufacturers, the latest vehicle purchase list posted on a government website over the weekend shows. Government at all levels has spent lavishly on foreign cars, from Tata Motor's Land Rover, Volkswagen AG's Audi, BMW, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz to Toyota Motor's Camry and Honda Motor's Accord.
In 2010, expense on government vehicles came to around 80 billion yuan ($12.7 billion) according to some estimates. And fleets of black government Audi A6s occasionally zooming around Beijing and violating every traffic rule with impunity have long aroused public resentment.
The government is now turning to SAIC Motor, FAW Group and other national automakers, according to the preliminary purchase list for 2012. Dongfeng Motor Group Co, BYD, Geely Automobile Holdings all made it on to the list, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to seek public opinion. Even lesser known players such as Jianghuai Auto , Hafei Automobile and Hunan Jiangnan Automobile are on the list.