With the number of private cars increasing over the past few years in China, many car owners have turned to making their vehicles more personalized and unique, giving birth to the "custom car" market.

The 2006 China International Auto Accessories and Customization Expo (CIAACE), held between March 9th to 12th in Beijing National Agricultural Exhibition Center, is an indication of such a trend.

Around 500 domestic and foreign companies attended the expo, bringing with them around 1,000 new products. The exhibition also attracted over 20,000 professional visitors including both foreign and domestic buyers.

The custom cars on display were undoubtedly the highlight of the event and attracted plenty of trade visitors.

Over 50 dazzling custom cars were on show hailing from dozens of auto customization factories, shops and clubs across the country. And a number of experts in the field have enrolled themselves in a custom car contest during the show.

Jeremy is an investor from England, who came to the expo after learning about it from the Internet.

"In England, custom cars are very popular especially with young people. So, I specially came here to see what kind of new products I could take back to the UK market."

Indeed, there're some people who believe that the development level of custom cars reflects the level of a nation's auto culture. Currently, in some developed countries, custom cars can account for 80 percent of all private cars. However, in China, the market is still very much developing.

An exhibitor from south China's Guangdong Province said he was optimistic about the development of auto customization in the country.

"Since Guangdong Province is geographically close to Hong Kong, where custom cars are really popular, the market for custom cars is also booming in there. The popularity with custom cars there is just like women wearing high heels. As for ladies, they pay more attention to the personalization of the cars' appearance. While, many young men, especially some car racers, they customize their cars to increase the motor power."

Generally speaking, the age of people, who customize their cars in China, ranges from 20 to 50. The most popular adaptations are to the general appearance, the engine, audio equipment and the lights.

Although the industry has just started in China and almost all the currently used techniques are adopted from foreign countries, it is thought that the potential market for custom cars is strong.

A number of cultural reasons support this view

Firstly, China has a long tradition in craftsmanship, providing not only a highly skilled workforce but also a dedicated customers who appreciate a specially personalized service.

Secondly, although many cities and communities in China are relatively prosperous today, they're still rather uniform. How ever there is a change in thinking which places premium on uniqueness and difference.

In fact, according to a report by car manufacturers in China, since 2004, more and more cars for the consumer market are not made-to-stock, but are being configured and made-to-order.

One last but important factor that promises the market of custom cars a bright future is that Chinese factory managers show no resistance to switching to custom manufacturing if they see it as a profitable opportunity.

With the 2006 CIAACE having a major impact, China's custom car industry might have stepped out of its infancy.

(CRI March 14, 2006)