To increase or not to increase prices has been the most frequently asked question by marketing managers of bus&coach manufacturers in China recently. Consumers worry that soaring iron and steel prices may have a huge impact on raw material costs in the industry and in turn have a knock-on-affect on the price of the end product. Analysts believe the price rise may influence the market, and automakers should find alternatives to easing the cost pressure other than increasing prices.

However, according to a survey of China buses & coaches market, 32.2 percent of consumers surveyed refused to accept price rises. Some 29.5 percent believed that even if prices rise in 2008, they would eventually drop after the year.