Moving units in China, but counting pennies nonetheless

NEW BUSINESS: "China: Booming Car Sales, Tiny Profits; The small, inexpensive autos favored in the soon-to-be No. 1 market make it tough to make a buck," by Ian Rowley, BusinessWeek, 7 September 2009.

Analysts say China has overtaken the U.S. already and for here on out as THE big global car market.

But big surprise: selling to the bottom of the pyramid means you sell many units at low rates of profit. Many of these cars earn manufacturers only $100.

Then again, low margins have been a hallmark in the U.S. for a while. So where is the profit? Maintenance and financing, the former for the dealers and the latter for the car companies.

Evolutions to come, winners uncertain.