Volkswagen AG does not have the most attractive cars in Chinese consumers' eyes. No VW-badged model won any of J.D. Power's China APEAL awards in 2009. In a market that grew 46 percent last year, VW's 36.7 percent sales increase looks like a mediocre feat.
But in China, Europe's biggest carmaker has one unrivalled strength over other brands. That is, its clear strategy on how to achieve long-term growth. That should enable VW to strengthen its lead here.
In a market that has been growing by an average of 16% per year, most automakers in China are too busy ramping up capacity to meet increasing demand to plan ahead.
The Germans are different. They are good planners and willing to take the hassle to prepare for far ahead.
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