As I got on the plane to Chengdu on 30th August I had two main concerns. Firstly that my left cheek still looks like I am storing nuts for the winter, and aches enough to keep me awake, and secondly that the first ever show with our new partners San He would go smoothly. I felt guilty that I hadn't been able to do more to guide them in the process due to my surgery and post op distractions. In June I had reached out to the UKTI and asked about good potential dealers for Morgan in the west of China. This was based on a hunch that if the Chengdu motor show can attract 500,000 visitors each year, there must be a market for cars there. UKTI introduced me to San He Group. I visited there briefly in June after Jason Huang, Chairman, had visited the Luxury China event and had confirmed interest in a Plus 8. It was with great excitement that I went to Chengdu to this event. San He is the largest auto group in west China and had taken on Morgan as a result of my meeting there. This event is the largest trade show at which Morgan cars have been represented in China, and also an event being entirely managed by a partner. The Chengdu Motor Show press day attracts both automotive and general media, and both sections were present at the press briefing hosted by Morgan and San He Group at 09:30 - held early by China exhibition standards and well attended in spite of the drizzle and heavy traffic. Over 30 media came to see the Plus 8 unveiled by Zhang Depeng ［张德鹏］, Director President of the San He Group and myself. 
Zhang Depeng said that he was confident of the success of Morgan cars in Chengdu; with the Aero range for the young performance seeker, the Classic range for the more established businessman community, and also for businesses such as property developers which may want to promote their businesses using the eye catching cars. The Chengdu motor show is a 7 day event which claims to attract over 500,000 attendees and over 1,200 media. This is the first time that Morgan cars had been on display in west China. I need not have worried about San He - they were very professional and a delight to work with. Our corporate identity kit prepared for Luxury China was sent to them and formed a great template. The lesson learnt is of course that in China, as with everywhere, choosing the right partner is key to success. To view more images of the day:
Zhang Depeng said that he was confident of the success of Morgan cars in Chengdu; with the Aero range for the young performance seeker, the Classic range for the more established businessman community, and also for businesses such as property developers which may want to promote their businesses using the eye catching cars. The Chengdu motor show is a 7 day event which claims to attract over 500,000 attendees and over 1,200 media. This is the first time that Morgan cars had been on display in west China. I need not have worried about San He - they were very professional and a delight to work with. Our corporate identity kit prepared for Luxury China was sent to them and formed a great template. The lesson learnt is of course that in China, as with everywhere, choosing the right partner is key to success. To view more images of the day:
