Posted on 07/06/2007 2:22:31 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The first shipments of Chrysler cars built by China's Chery Automobile Co. could reach the U.S. or Europe within 30 months, Chrysler said on Wednesday, opening the door for Chery to be the first mainland auto maker to do so.
"The first product within one year, and then into the United States and western Europe within two to 2- years," Chrysler Group chief executive Tom LaSorda told reporters.
The first auto built by Chery Automobile Co. for Chrysler could be exported to North America, but not the United States, said LaSorda, who made the forecast at a Beijing signing ceremony marking a strategic alliance between the two auto makers.
Chrysler -- which is being sold by DaimlerChrysler AG to Cerberus Capital Management -- and Chery will develop, manufacture and distribute Chery-made small and sub-compact cars in North America, Europe and other major automotive markets, they said.
The deal was first announced last year but had been delayed by the sale of Chrysler.
The companies said the first auto would be a Dodge model, and as the cooperation developed the partners would look at other Chrysler brands.
"I would say there are endless possibilities," said LaSorda. "We are looking at multiple approaches."
Chrysler has said it needed to find a partner to develop a new small car because of the costs of designing, making and marketing a vehicle in a segment where margins are narrow and consumers expect a low sticker price, Reuters reports.
Chery sold a little more than 300,000 cars last year -- roughly the output of one large U.S. assembly plant. But like other Chinese automakers, Chery has long dreamed of a big presence in the United States, the world's largest and most lucrative car market.
At the same time, the Chinese government has aggressively supported the expansion of its automakers. Its goal is for Chinese cars to make up 10 percent of the world's auto trade in the next decade.
Chery's efforts to break into the United States have proven troublesome. Two years ago, it announced that it had teamed with Malcolm Bricklin, a veteran auto entrepreneur, to sell 250,000 cars here by this year. The deal fell apart.
Chery's move to break into the U.S. market follows the successful efforts of a number of Japanese and South Korean automakers over the past three decades. After years of exporting cars for sale in the United States, those pioneers built auto plants throughout the country. From that base, their U.S. sales expanded sharply.
Chery will still manufacture its cars in China, but by tying itself to a partner with thousands of outlets in the United States, it might be taking a shortcut, the Washington Post reports .
LOL! Great title. I think in a few months we'll get to read:
"Chinese Chery's detonate on impact in American market..."
The "return of the Pinto", IMHO. They're probably poisonous, too.
Hehe...No doubt close to Japanese quality of the early 70’s ?
If they are anything like the Pinto, they will become cherry bombs.
Yeah, but if they’re priced under a Hyundai or KIA, many will snap them up & not give a hoot where they come from.
We are headed towards a dollar store mentality in this country amongst the working & middle class. The rich can pay cash for a Lexus, Mercedes, BMW or Jaguar, but the rest of society is being squeezed.
BTW, next time you go to an ethnic, Indian, Chinese or Korean restaurant, take a look at the cars in back of the building. Indians and Asians don’t normally look for work when they immigrate here (except the professionals), they start a business or work for a relative until they can start a business. That’s why they are among the richest people in our society (as a group) even though most are first or second generation.
I was thinking the same thing, but the Japanese weren't actively trying to poison us at the same time.
I think there are different dynamics driving the Chinese as opposed to the Japanese. In addition, didn't the Japanese get a tremendous boost from that American efficiency expert who taught them all about quality and excellence? It was a natural fit for the Japanese who are pretty much perfectionists at heart and are always looking to perfect an art.
I don't believe the same cultural traits apply to the Chinese. They are definitely naturals at being entrepreneurs. Yet the QA concepts aren't as defined within their current productive capabilities.
Yes, give it time, they will certainly improve.
But not at my expense. : )
Taxis? Why? I may be a little slow here.....
You mean, like the 1970-71 Datsun 240Z that was stronger than dirt? You'd better hope not. (Hint: I've still got mine. That tell you anything about quality?)
Maybe you're thinking instead of the Toyota Toyopet of the 50's, that turned out not to be tough enough for freeway driving and tended to eat its own engine.
They came back, though, with better cars, and now Detroit is damn near history. GM and Chrysler are importing so many Asian cars already, they're starting to look like shell companies for the Japanese.
Yeah. It's called "the mandate of heaven" (TM).
We're devil-head barbarians. They want our DNA to stop. Don't forget that.
‘kicking stones at taxis’ is a phrase that means ‘on the street, unemployed, with a lot of time on your hands’.
I am sure you can in the toy department; but ban them anyway.
It will be called the Chely.
Time to update the old adage...
They will sell us the rope, which they imported from our own slave labor camps, which will use to hang them...
I hope their product is better than the tires that are being recalled. This car will probably fall apart at 50,000 miles. If it is under 10K, who will care.
The Brilliance is so good, it’s been banned from sale in Europe because the crash test results were so bad.
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/22/brilliance-bs6s-adac-crash-test-is-anything-but/
Several Chicom cars have been banned from Europe. They could not pass the crash tests.
And that was at 40 mph!
I don't eat food from China, and I won't get into one of those deathtraps.
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