Gasgoo.com (Shanghai January 17) - Reports of top-level restructuring have been commonplace among the Chinese automobile industry as of late. "The Chinese automobile industry has entered a restructuring phase," China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Secretary General Dong Yang was quoted as saying in a report appearing on Caijing today. Mr. Dong added that he predicts more such management changes in the future.

Mr. Dong attributed the recent changes to the lackluster sales performance by most domestic manufacturers last year, with most manufacturers seeing the rapid increases of the past few years replaced by virtually no positive, or even slight negative, growth.

Among the recent changes, JAC Motor's Chairman of twenty plus years Zuo Yan'an stepped downed from his post earlier this month. Soon after, SAIC Group Chairman Hu Maoyuan's (pictured) retirement was announced. Mr. Hu, who is 61 years old this year, was not expected to leave the company this year. It remains to be seen when he actually leaves his position.

Among other manufacturer's, last August, Dongfeng commenced on the largest staff restructuring program it has witnessed in eight years, in which Dongfeng PSA Head Liu Weidong was shifted to Dongfeng's own sedan brand, Fengshen.

According to statistics from the CAAM, own brand automobile sales in 2011 fell 5.42 percent, and their overall market coverage also fell 3.37 percent. Some of those manufacturers saw their sales drop dramatically, CAAM Deputy Secretary Zhu Yiping pointed out.