Last year, Mercedes-Benz used airplanes to transport 100 Chinese customers to Germany and Los Angeles to advise on the company’s automotive exterior finishes and internal functions, including the S-Class luxury sedan that will be unveiled in 2013. What makes them particularly interested is the customer's opinion on the back seat.

China is Mercedes-Benz's third largest market after Germany and the United States, but it is the largest market for its top flagship model, the S-Class. And more than half of the Chinese owners of this model are equipped with full-time drivers.

Klaus Maier, head of Mercedes-Benz China, said: “The back seat must be backwards – this is very important. It is also important that there is an opportunity to work in the back seat – there must be a personal computer connection Lines and storage space for things."

As China’s demand for luxury cars soars, Chinese customers’ preferences are determining the appearance, comfort, and functionality of German automaker products—whether sold in Beijing or in Berlin. Chinese customers prefer the largest and most expensive models.

Mercedes-Benz's unit sales in mainland China grew by 115% last year, up from 74% last month. The brand's parent company, Daimler, is building an engine plant in China, which is part of its 3 billion euros (US$4.3 billion) investment in China and also the establishment of the company outside of Germany 125 years after its founding. The first engine factory.

Volkswagen's Audi brand added temperature-controlled cup holders to its hatchback Q5 after sending design team members to potential customers in California and China. It did so partly because Chinese customers like to bring tea cups wherever they go.

BMW's sales in the luxury car market ranked first in the industry. Nomura estimates that 39 percent of the company’s operating profit of 1.7 billion euros in the fourth quarter of last year came from the Chinese market. Considering the Chinese customers who appreciate the BMW brand and the company's growing profits, its Chinese name (BMW) may be very appropriate - the Chinese meaning of the word is "a precious ride."

Chinese tastes are becoming the most influential factor in the design of luxury cars. In this market, due to its own strong brand and relatively small sales, German manufacturers often produce almost identical models for different global markets.

However, the prosperity of the Chinese auto market is also affecting some of the popular models. When General Motors, a popular Chinese company, designed LaCrosse, a new model for the Buick brand, it focused on the Chinese market and designed a spacious, comfortable rear seat space.

Analysts pointed out that as China’s share of global auto sales continues to grow, it may have a far-reaching impact – not only on the configuration and finish of the model, but also on the core technologies that drive the car.

Analysts said that China's energy and environmental challenges will push demand for electric vehicles. The congested road environment will accelerate the industry's shift from high-power engines to smaller, more energy-efficient engines.

Bill Russo, president of Synergistics, a Beijing-based automotive consultancy, said: “Automotive cars traveling on European national highways do not have to be designed to be the same as the cars here. The cars here never go to 200 km/h.”