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The financial crisis has influencing the whole economy since early 2009 with exports standing in the breach. However, sales volumes of heavy trucks and large and medium buses in the first eleven months have surpassed expectations in early this year, due to national policies of pulling domestic demands. Excellent performance of commercial vehicles in 2009 shows their risk resistance capacity and market-oriented ability. And it’s too early to say whether they can continue such growth pace in the upcoming 2010.
Compared with highway passenger vehicles and tourism coaches, public transport buses have relatively stable demands and were least infected. However, subtle changes are gradually spreading in such market. This year witnessed public transport market rising of second and third tier cities. As implements of national Ⅲ standards and governments of all levels pay more attentions to energy-saving and emission reduction, more and more city buses are needed in such cities.
In the last two years, Beijing Olympic Games and Shanghai World Expo drive city bus replacement in first-tier cities. But vehicles replacement peak driven by large activities do not always happen, and nearly all public transport buses in first-tier cities have been replaced after two or three years. In 2009 only Jinan witnessed large scale vehicle replacement for National Games, so second and third tier cities were leading city buses markets.
The changes in markets lead according changes on bus models. In first tier cities, large buses are the mainstream due to road conditions and passenger flow. However, medium buses are proper in second and third tier cities.
The rising demands of medium public transport buses calls for new requirements to bus builders. Public transport buses needs in second and third tier cities is comparatively small, and economic environments are low, so bus builders may develop related products according to different geographical and human environment.