Styling, rather than technology or product quality, is now their weakest point, reckons Huaibin Lin of IHS, a forecaster.

ECONOMIST: When will China produce a car brand people want to drive?

On the other hand, Lin Huaibin, the manager responsible for China vehicle sales forecasts for IHS Automotive, a leading independent consulting firm, still expects the market to grow by 10 percent in 2011, stimulated by subsidies for fuel-efficient vehicles as well as the more than 9.5 percent GDP growth forecast by the IHS economist.

FORBES: China Car Sales Slow In February