S&P Global Ratings said a purchase deal between Guangzhou Automobile Group (HKG:2238, SHA:601238) and FAW Group signals acceleration in China's auto industry.
The ratings agency expects widespread industry restructuring over the next two to three years, according to a Tuesday report.
While consolidation among state-owned enterprises (SEO) in the sector has been difficult, "the FAW-GAC transaction shows cross-region SOE integration is feasible," according to Claire Yuan, a credit analyst at S&P Global Ratings.
Guangzhou Automobile Group had, on Monday, agreed to acquire a partial equity stake held by state-owned FAW Group in an automobile-manufacturing joint venture.