Amid all the swrling predictions of China rearing up and swallowing the world's auto industry whole by flooding every nook and crevice with cheap cars, a single problem could derail the entire venture: A shortage of roll-on, roll-off ships to transport Chinese-built models to the rest of the world. Shipbuilders are churning out new ships at the rate of around one per year, while many current vessels are just a few trips short of the scrap yard, making the cost of shipping prohibitively expensive (around $1,000 per car). Still, most believe that market demand will solve the problem, by giving shipbuilders to ramp up their production capabilities.
Car export goals hurt by ship shortage [Xinhua]