Driving the Dragon, The Extraordinary Rise of the Chinese Car Industry
by Mark Andrews
“In 1994, China was largely undeveloped, with little in the shops. . . . By 2004, things were certainly on the up. The dragon may now drive an EV, but the destination is still far from clear.”
This book is not about one particular manufacturer or marque but rather is a modern-day history of an entire industry in a single country as the subtitle of this creatively titled book indicates. It also is British-born Mark Andrews’ personal story of living and working in China and breaking into the world of automotive journalism.
His first trip to China was in 1994 at age 18. He describes the China he saw then as “still very much a kingdom of bicycles, most people were poor . . . pretty much everything was state-controlled.” Following attaining his degrees—one in Business Studies and a master’s in Media Assisted Language Teaching—he traveled to Asia, where he “has spent most of his adult life living in Japan, South Korea and, from 2004 on, China, to teach English at various universities.” On the side he is engaged in freelance writing “finding a regular, willing market amongst the then myriad of expat magazines in China.” Those articles were mainly on food, travel, and business topics until the day he reached out to UK car magazines and one expressed interest in publishing his test drive of a Chinese car.
Barely into the first chapter and finding myself about to become mired in a list of names of companies and processes unfamiliar to me that after first mention were reduced to acronyms, I started to make a list of those acronyms and what each meant. It would have been nice, not to mention useful, had the publisher included an appendix page listing them. It could easily have been provided without altering the book’s page count for it would have fit nicely between the Sources and Index replacing the advertisement for another of its titles.
Your reviewer is familiar with how media requests for test drives are handled in North America, the UK, and EU. As Mark Andrews learned his way around—and describes to his reader how such are handled in China—the differences are striking, including the procedure to obtain a Chinese driver’s license. By the time you turn the last page, you’ll understand just how quickly Chinese auto manufacturing developed and matured in less than twenty years; from a time when Andrews wrote, “Nothing could prepare me for how bad the [2008 Lifan] 520i was—a car that, to date, is the worst I have ever driven” to the latter chapters as he details just how large the industry has grown and is producing fine, innovative vehicles in astounding quantities.
Andrews proved adept wielding his camera as the page pair above shows. Upper left is the MG5 concept car on display at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show. The other two images show how markedly different the production version was. Andrews described the production cars “looked like a Toyota Corolla design reject” and driving it was “bordering on a dare. . . . Sales in 2012 were just 9,188, and by 2016 they had fallen to all of 89.” That MG had become a Chinese property Andrews explains in detail when, following the collapse of MG Rover in the UK, Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) acquired its assets.
Surprising to some, China had grown into “a very large market for premium and luxury cars . . . [and] a not-so-unusual venue for a global unveiling, thanks to the Porsche Panamera back in 2009.” By 2013 Andrews was recognized and acknowledged as a working member of the press. That year he received his first invitation to a global media unveiling. As his photo above indicates it was of Bentley’s second-generation Flying Spur shown “all decked out in different combinations of the 17 standard exterior colours and 12 leather options” as they greeted journalists arriving at Beijing’s Pangu 7-Star Hotel across the road from former Olympic Park. This entire chapter describing his first long lede experience and other luxury models in China including Porsche Panamera Executive, Audi A4L, and BMW 328Li is delightful reading.
The above vehicle is called the HiPhi Y made by Human Horizons, a 2021 newcomer in the Chinese market. As you can see, it features double-opening rear doors with the lower door rear-hinged. Initial sales of the different models of HiPhi were surprisingly good but by 2004, “the company ran into financial difficulties, stopping production and currently appearing to be bankrupt.”
As Andrews’ essentially chronological narrative reaches current day he notes the dominant automotive company in China is BYD which has been in business since 1995 having started as a battery producer. “In 2024 BYD’s workforce exceeded 900,000 and, more telling still, the total involved in R&D was nearly 110,000.” Andrews feels “Evidence suggests that the lead BYD has built up will be unstoppable” as he closes with two chapters sharing his thoughts on what the future of this Chinese industry might hold.
This reasonably priced and totally engrossing book is so packed with information, it’s impossible in a few hundred words to describe all that’s between its covers. As the Table of Contents above hints, it’s a rich diversity including the land, its people, its culture and, of course, its auto industry. More than can be fully absorbed in one reading. The graphics and page layout and design show equal attention too with the revered and “auspicious animal in Chinese culture” featured on many pages.
Copyright 2025 Helen V Hutchings (speedreaders.info)
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