If automotive industry experts are right, the first Chinese manufactured cars will be distributed in the United States in 2010. Of course, whether the vehicles will succeed is unknown.
More certain is that it will likely take awhile for the American public to grow accustomed to the cars' names.
The Chinese car companies scheduled to soon have a presence in the United States include: Chery (not Chevy), Geely Group, Zhongxing (also known as ZX), and Nanjing.
Some industry experts think it may take longer than two years for the Chinese to do a proper job on product attributes, safety, emissions and infrastructure.
"They're starting from scratch in a hyper competitive environment, so they're going to study how the Japanese entered, how the Koreans entered, and then they're going to draw lessons from those strategies," said Tim Dunne, director of Asia-Pacific market intelligence for J.D. Power & Associates in Agoura Hills, Calif.
Most of the Chinese companies are less than 10 years old, but they are moving quickly and aggressively, Dunne said. "Their accomplishments are remarkable, considering the limited time they've been doing it, but they are a work in progress in every aspect."
George Peterson, president of AutoPacific Group in Santa Ana, Calif., agrees.
"These guys are really several years off from being able to understand, and produce, the kind of product that would be competitive in the U.S. market, especially from the safety standpoint."
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Chinese car companies have been saying for years they wish to get into the US/EU markets but little has been done so far, and what little has been done has brought great brand damage to the Chinese companies involved (Im thinking of Brilliance, and Landwind here)
Chinese motorcycles are selling well all around the world, especially in the USA so it is just a matter of time before cars join them.
You can find out more about chinese cars at http://www.chinacartimes.com
Posted by: ash | September 23, 2007 3:14 AM | Permalink to Comment