As any mountaineer or ocean sailor knows, the only thing you really have to fear is fear itself!

This is a useful lesson for China's automakers, who are struggling with a fear of innovation. Despite their impressive achievements, they suffer from an inability to shake off the insecurity that leads them to copy instead of experiment. These companies are afraid to explore new avenues of design despite having all the means to do so.

In terms of attendance, this year's Shanghai auto show exceeded all expectations. China's enthusiasm for the automobile shows no signs of waning; if anything, it actually appears to be growing exponentially. Visitors to the show spent two hours on average waiting to enter each pavilion. In a truly global fashion, foreign marques jostled shoulder to shoulder with local carmakers in the world's most important automotive market.

In this gold rush atmosphere, domestic brands have worked feverishly to bring complete model lineups to their stands. They have developed numerous models almost simultaneously in a process that no European constructor would dare (or could afford to) undertake. However, a closer look at sales figures reveals that real profits come from just one or two models, and that other models often are produced in ridiculously small numbers that do not justify the respective investments.

Coming back to the issue of style, it appears that design has not been sufficiently exploited as a mature tool to help new brands. The fundamental values of a brand are its history, the image stemming from this history, the quality we instinctively attribute to the brand, and its formal language. This is true for a venerable consolidated brand, but for a recently established Chinese carmaker, it is obvious that history, image and psychologically associated perceptions of quality cannot yet be elements capable of generating appeal or loyalty. Therefore, development of an independent formal language should be the key to building and strengthening the brand.

So, rather than drawing inspiration from others, these carmakers should focus on a single design language, consolidating distinctive proportions and surface treatments, building a family feeling, and working on the details of exterior and interior trim.

They need to develop their brands with sureness and stability, with the courage to express their independence. They must evolve a new formal language, building their own image of perceived quality. Much work is still needed to persuade Chinese carmakers to find their own individual paths and define a design language of their own that will increase both sales and prestige.

For the designer who is passionate about his or her job, it is a remarkable experience to participate in the birth of a new Chinese brand. It is an exciting and challenging task to develop original style proposals that embody different market philosophies and anticipate new design trends, taking full advantage of the opportunity to create something new without the constraints of a brand with a century of history.

It is often frustrating, however, to see a Chinese client ask for something new, then get cold feet and push for a more conservative solution inspired by non-Chinese competitors. They do not feel strong enough, they say, to impose new formal languages on the market.

The paradox is that Chinese automakers, with their freedom from 'heritage' and economic might, are in a perfect position to write a new chapter in the history of the automobile. The Chinese know this, but when it comes to style, they are afraid. They find reassurance by following the lead of others.

They are afraid that their own consumers - who are fearful of the new and strongly tied to traditional images - will not understand them. This situation plays in favor of the strong European, American and Japanese brands and, more recently, the Koreans too, who innovate with confidence.

It is true that the creative process always requires maturity to create a sense of self-assurance. The great painter or composer will assimilate many classics before embarking on his or her own expressive journey. But Chinese car design needs to break out of this vicious circle that could hamstring the progress of the industry.

We must convince China's auto executives that the only thing they need to fear is fear itself. But are we certain that fear of innovation is a purely Chinese syndrome? I know that I'm not.