There’s no question that the big “winner” in the global financial crisis has been China. While for the past two years developed economies have been scrambling to keep afloat China has taken a nuanced approach to achieving its economic and political goals.

China has used depressed commodities prices to stock up on long-term supplies of raw materials such as oil, copper, and iron.  And it’s used structural weakness in the U.S. financial system as justification for replacing the dollar as the world’s main reserve currency.

Now, the Red Dragon is looking to make headway on the highway by winning global market share in the automotive market while U.S. heavyweights spin out.

“We aren’t afraid of the financial crisis,” Zhou Fuquan, vice president of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (PINK: GELYF), told Bloomberg News. “On the contrary, we hope it will penetrate even further as

SAIC Motor Co. Ltd., China’s largest carmaker and the partner of both General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) and Volkswagen AG (OTC ADR: VLKAY) in that fast-growing Asian country, plans to launch a series of hybrid and electric vehicles by 2012 - part of a move by China’s carmakers to meet the growing market demand for “new-energy vehicles.”

SAIC said its plans for 2010 include the introduction of a hybrid Roewe 750 sedan. The new technology could improve fuel effiency by 20% over the existing non-green model of the same sedan. SAIC’s “blueprint” for  new energy vehicles was unveiled this week, according to a report by ShanghaiDaily.com.

Another plug-in hybrid version of the Roewe 550 mid-class sedan that could slash fuel consumption by 50% is due to hit the market by 2012, when SAIC’s self-developed fleet of electric vehicles will start being

BEIJING, The People’s Republic of China - At a time when the rest of the global auto sales are experiencing their biggest declines in decades - and are set to drop at least 8% globally - the burgeoning China auto market may grow by 10% or more this year.

With steeply rising disposable incomes and savings rates that approach - and in some cases exceed - 35% a year, it isn’t difficult to see why the China auto market is zooming along. But what may be tough for U.S. consumers to picture - especially as they deal with rising unemployment and a nagging economic malaise - is the intensity with which domestic demand is growing here in China.

Autos are more than just transportation here. They’re a symbol of wealth and success - a sexy status symbol. One’s social position can be determined by the type of vehicle one owns and

In a move that underscores the potential of China’s auto market - as well as the viability of so-called "green" technology - investing guru Warren Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy Holding Co. will pay roughly $230 million for a 10% stake in BYD Co. Ltd., a Chinese producer of both cars and specialized batteries.