Year 2009 The Seventh Sohu Auto Week Review

Sohu Auto Week will raise its curtain near the end of the year. As a greatest annual event, it will be launched during the second or the third week in December, offering an extensive coverage about the ups and downs of the global automobile industry for the whole year. Sohu Auto Week, held for 7 consecutive years till 2009, was created as a platform for a year-end review and future prospects in automobile industry, according to Sohu Auto.

It was a depressing beginning for the global automobile market; however, the closure was really extraordinary. The China automobile industry was stunning, but full of joy in 2009.

General Motors, which is 101 years old, had almost collapsed, but fortunately reborn at last, at the same time the same path was followed by Chrysler. In addition, Ford Motors have faced a narrow escape, and Volkswagen had suffered poor sales in North America, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Even the steady Toyota was in a mad rush and made unexpected mistakes frequently. The automobile market in Europe and America, stricken by financial crisis, has created such drama with a quirky twist, as well as has reflected the condition of global automobile market. All those breathtaking events not only shocked people to the heart and soul, but also left them a deep reflection.

Based on the contrast and gap, between the domestic and international, or from the beginning to the year-end, the theme for Sohu Auto Week in 2009 is “cool and hot”. Although we lived in the same world, different temperatures in automobile market have been felt: the automobile market in overseas is cool while it is hot in domestic; it was cool in the beginning, but at the end of the year was much hotter.

Around the theme, Sohu Auto Week in 2009 will try for some innovation and variations on its content with the traditional heritage, primarily creating 4 key sectors and focusing on some new fields:

　　Sector 1: Best 2009

This sector conducted a year-end review and 5 successions of selection campaigns: the poll of Golden-Finger mainly focuses on automobile services; 2009 Preferred Car of the Year will choose the best vehicle models or top choice of vehicle models through netizens; 2009 China Automobile Dealers of the year will award those who stood out among automobile dealers in 2009; Best China’s Automakers honors these corporations which fulfilled their social responsibilities and made great contributions to social charity; Best Marketing Cases for 2009, jointly launched by Sohu Auto and China Marketing Association of Automobile Marketing experts Committee, is aiming to enhance the combination between marketing practice and theory.

What’s more, there is a year-end review available in this sector, which summarizes the top ten events, people, and policies, and so on in terms of China’s automobile industry in 2009.

Here, was a special introduction to the poll of Best Automakers in China. Wenchuan 512 earthquakes in 2008 had triggered various industries unprecedented enthusiasm to fulfill their social responsibility. During the first anniversary of 512 earthquakes, Sohu Auto launched a small forum with a discussion on automakers social responsibility and their public images, attracting their active participation and evoking their strong responses.

Modern enterprises have to stick to 2 areas, if they want to achieve success. On one hand, as excellent automakers, they have to boost their sales record; on the other, as social corporations, they have to fulfill social requirements in a better way. Sohu Auto, the media platform focusing on the development of automobile industry, hopes it may play a major role in promoting these two aspects. Therefore, the real target is to award those automakers who have made great contributions to the society so that their good deed will be known and appreciated by the public, but not the selection campaign itself. Those automakers who receive the award will set good examples for others and finally promote the whole industry forward in this regard.

　　Sector 2: Record 2009

Sohu Auto has been upgraded to business unit this year; also a brand new department has been established in Media Center: Sohu Auto Research Center. Sohu Auto Research Center has already accomplished a lot of achievements since this year, such as: New Vehicle Report for 2009, Secondary and Third Market Report, Report on Automakers Responsibility, and so on. With respect to some hot topics, it has carried out an in-depth research and analysis.

As 2009 is drawing to an end, Sohu Auto will launch 5 study reports on the automobile industry for 2009: the Trend in China Automobile Industry for 2009, The Transformation of China Car Market Channel Report for 2009, the Report on China’s Automanufacturers’ Social Responsibility, China Car Capacity Report between 2009 and 2010, Best Marketing Cases Report in China Automobile Industry for 2009.

　　Sector 3: People 2009

There will be various contents concerning elites within automobile industry, including dialogues between elites; Interview with Glitterati as well as the review of 2009 interviews from Sohu Auto. It is these elites to create the new history for China automobile industry as well as propel its new developing process. These interviews and dialogues would narrow the distance between netizens and those elites by sharing their thoughts.

　　Sector 4: Worst 2009

According to the latest statistics, the number of netizens has already reached 360 million in China (The number released by CNNIC was 338 million in the end of June). As the largest internet portal, Sohu owns huge numbers of internet users, many of which are vehicle owners or to be vehicle owners. Are you a member of this group and would you like to learn about their happiness and agony, as well as their expectation and anger in 2009? An extensive coverage will be provided by this sector, at which netizens may hear their aspirations.

Sohu Auto Week for 2009 will be launched soon. It has been an amazing journey for past 6 years. As we will kiss goodbye to 2009 and embrace a new year, Sohu Auto Week will look forward to the bright future in the next year, while reviewing its excellent performances for those past days. (Translator: qinghua serena)

　　See original Chinese report pleases click