im sure they will do good in P.rico..but not sure US... :confused: check this article from http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109103

REPORT: Chinese Geely to Invade U.S. via Puerto Rican Test Market
Date posted: 01-31-2006

BEIJING — John Harmer, chief operating officer of Geely USA, told Automotive News that his company elected to use Puerto Rico as a launch pad for Geely's vehicles because the company would like "to do our consumer research [in a place] where the cars can't migrate away."

Geely cars will be distributed in Puerto Rico through Amerito Estrada, which has primarily handled Isuzu in the past. Harmer expects to sell 3,000 cars in Puerto Rico prior to bringing the company's vehicles to the U.S. market in 2008.

Harmer says the company will be signing up dealers after the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. Geely hopes to sell 100,000 cars in the United States by 2012.

What this means to you: It seemed like a good bet that Geely would slide into the United States through another North American inlet — our money was on Canada instead of Puerto Rico, though

i WAS AT THE CHICAGO AUTO SHOW AND RUMOR HAD IT THAT THEY THEIR STOCK IS GOING TO CLIMB TO 2$ BY YEARS END OF 2006 AND KEEP CLIMBING THE CLOSER THEY GET TO COMING IN COUNTRY.... WE WILL SEE 10-20$ A SHARE BY THE END OF 2007. tHIS IS A BET AUTO... PRICE TAG MAKES IT.. QUALITY SEEMS LIKE IT IS REALLY EXCELLING BEYOND THE BIG THREE'S

TICKER SYMBOL FOR GEELY IS GELYF :)

Maybe you are correct CBA has already jumped in the last year

they are involved in many chinese cars

DETROIT — Geely, the Chinese automaker that turned heads with its display at the North American International Auto Show here in January, is inching closer to a U.S. market launch.

Chief operating officer John Harmer told the Society of Automotive Analysts that the company plans to enter the market in the fall of 2008 — or sooner.

The company is targeting a $7,500 sticker price for its first U.S. product and hopes to sell about 5,000 copies of what he calls a "very, very basic" small car that would nevertheless meet U.S. regulations for safety and emissions. The company turned over 12 cars for U.S. testing last July and Geely plans to start by selling cars in Puerto Rico as a test market for several months.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109661

2008 is in 1.5-2 years ....lets see

DETROIT -- Chinese automaker Geely wants to start selling cars in the United States by fall 2008, Geely USA Inc. COO John Harmer said Wednesday.

Harmer said his goal is for the car to have a sticker price of $10,000, not $7,500 as we reported earlier. In an earlier interview, Harmer said his sales goal for the first year is about 5,000 vehicles.

"It will be a basic, functional auto," Harmer said at a meeting of the Society of Automotive Analysts here.

LOL 7500$ STICKER....

americans arent stupid and gullible

these wont even come in 2008, maybe in 2080 lol

just waiting...

Geely's American website is up and running !

http://www.geely-usa.net/

There's information about Geely's products like scooters, ATV's and cars.

LOL 7500$ STICKER....

americans arent stupid and gullible

these wont even come in 2008, maybe in 2080 lol
There must be plenty of Americans who have never been able to afford a new car - now a some of them can and some of those will buy. To reach the 5000 figure only needs tiny percentage of Americans to purchase.

As to when they arrive, I will believe it when it happens - there seem to be a lot of "stupid and gullible" American car dealers signing up to sell them!

The price is expected to be around $10,000 not $7,500 as earlier stated.

i think american highway will be more and more crowd as china car imported~

Sorry to burst all your bubbles guys but you should lurk around american car forums more. No one is interested in chinese cars. :shrug: Over here in the states we like to live through car accidents... :D

Since I can't post links, some posts from bimmerforums.com members on the subject:

For the love of God, I would never purchase a Chinese car.

I wouldn't even buy a Chinese made BMW, Audi, or VW. I would pay the extra ~$10,000 to get one made in Germany.

Should I find the link to the Chinese made SUV that scored a "0" on crash test ratings? That's never been done before. Nobody has ever gotten a "0". In a 40mph head on collision, EVERYONE in the car would die. Compared to a VW SUV where you barely even get seatbelt burn.

Kia started out making much better products than these chinese manufacturers are. Now, Kia is actually doing pretty well. I am happy when I get to ride around in one of the Kia taxi cabs here. They are the "nice" ones. Although they do have some mercedes cabs in Shanghai. The VW cabs are old, and the Chinese ones just really suck ass (not to mention that they are just an EXACT copy of a VW, right down to the window control buttons.)

im chinese and i would never ever touch or buy a chinese car.. pos

As far as Chinese cars go, they are utter crap. Especially what is being put out by Geely and Chery.

Not to mention, a lot of Chinese manufacturers are into ripping off designs (and in some cases, entire vehicles) from other non-chinese manufacturers. It's not uncommon.

Some of these cars, namely Chery and Geely will be making the move to the US very soon. Clearly they will be offerred as extremely cheap vehicles (in terms of price, then again, the same can be said for quality).

You guys have a long way to in terms of safety, and by the looks of the track preformance of some of your cars, handling and power too. :nono:

hi fm., yes you say we have a long way to go!!

but chinese cars are expected to be in the US in 2 years

thats enough time to meet all those ratings..

and then bam...we are bigger than kia after 5 years...and then we compete directly with GM and honda and BMW's!:)

hey , theres always a chance....look what hyundai and kia achieved

china will do better, since they have more means,, more cash, more resources etc

look what hyundai and kia achieved

china will do better, since they have more means,, more cash, more resources etc
Actually Kia is not selling real Kias; they are just rebadged Hyundais.
Real Kia died in 1997; its scraps were sold to Hyundai, who is using Kia factories and sales network to move Hyundais.

9 Japanese companies tried to enter the US market and only 2 prospered(Toyota and Honda). Nissan's doing well but only after French takeover. Even Daihatsu, a Toyota company, withdrew.

3 Korean companies tried to enter the US market and only 1 prospered, and the other two(Kia and Daewoo) went bankrupt.

As you can see, success ratio is rather low, and only those with compelling product and a deep cash reserve to lose money in the US market for 10 years managed to take a root in the US market.

Hyundai was able to establish itself for one simple reason; it could draw tens of billions of dollars in R&D money from its parent company while it was still an underdog, and this was the deciding factor.

I just don't see tens of billions of dollars needed to build an R&D base flowing into Chery or Geely. Thus these two cannot really compete against established global players.

The last time a new brand successfully entered the US market was in 1985, all others since then failed.

hi fm., yes you say we have a long way to go!!

but chinese cars are expected to be in the US in 2 years

thats enough time to meet all those ratings..
Barely meeting crash test regulation is not good enough. There is another independent crash testing done by IIHS(Insurance Companies), and their testing is more severe. Cars that passed government testing will fail in IIHS crash test, as was the case with Ford Fusion(Mazda 6 chassis). Passing government crash test will make the vehicle legal to sell, but doing poorly on IIHS crash test means a jacked up insurance bill and bad rap in publications.

I am certain Cherys and Geelys will fail the IIHS crash tests.

PS. I am the real I_Hate_China. The person posting by I_Hate_China is Ash.

ZHEJIANG - Chinese carmaker Geely Automotive Holding denied reports that it delayed its ambitious plan to sell cars to the US market because it failed to pass vehicle tests.

"Our plan has not changed yet," said Geely Chairman Li Shufu, who owns 60 per cent of the company.

Geely has only conducted rollover tests so far in the US and has passed them, said Li. A rollover test is required by the US market to check vehicle safety.

Over the weekend, a Beijing-based newspaper quoted John Harmer, vice-president and chief operating officer of Geely-USA Inc, as saying the company failed to pass US emissions examination due to problems with Geely's engines.

"The report is groundless. We have not even begun this kind of test there," Li told China Daily.

But he said it is difficult to predict when Geely's vehicles will be shipped to the United States, as the company plans to conduct further market research and make vehicle improvements to suit the market demand.

In January, Geely estimated it would sell 25,000 cars in its first year in the United States.

Geely aims to raise its exports to two-thirds of its total production by 2015 when his company is expected to produce 2 million cars a year.

By then, Geely's market share in China will be around 10 per cent, said Li. The company hopes to also capture at least 2 per cent of the markets outside of China.

In addition to the US market, the company is also conducting market research in Europe for possible overseas opportunities.

Geely recently began exporting to countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Geely's first overseas assembly plant in Asia is expected to start operation soon in Malaysia.

Last May, Geely signed a deal with Malaysian manufacturers Information Gateway Corporation (IGC) to produce Geely vehicles in IGC's plant.

Geely hit a few obstacles before the Malaysian Government agreed to allow the carmaker to sell a "very small" portion of its vehicles in Malaysia.

The first Geely car to be produced in Malaysia will be the 1.6-litre Freedom Cruiser.

Two new models, larger than the Freedom Cruiser, will be introduced at the Malaysian plant later, according to Geely sources.

In Hong Kong, plans to establish an auto development and research centre and develop a new sedan series are going on smoothly, Li said.

Last year, the Zhejiang-based company, which entered the auto sector in 1997, sold more than 140,000 cars.

hi fm., yes you say we have a long way to go!!

but chinese cars are expected to be in the US in 2 years

thats enough time to meet all those ratings..

and then bam...we are bigger than kia after 5 years...and then we compete directly with GM and honda and BMW's!:)

It will be 20 years before you can compete with bmw's... if that. I think the only car really shooting for the BMW mark and out for blood is lexus and they've been at it for 10 years and still fall far short. However, getting to the kia level is entirely possible. I think Chery may have a chance, but the 2008 goal is... optimistic.. especially considering what Chery wants for it's cars (in terms of price). All the other brands? No hope. :D

It will be a long time until China can really compete with the higher marques like BMW, Lexus, and Benz.

If I had $7,500 to spend on a car, I would buy a used Civic over a new Geely anyday.

Thats assuming these super fast growing and new companies stop improving and stay at the same point in their business development structure as they are now

dont forget these new companies are improving and growing at a exponential rate...things can change 50-100% in 1-2 years

Very true. For example, Chery only produced its first car in 2000. That was SIX YEARS AGO! I mean, a 6 year old Honda wouldn't even be considered that old. But thinking about how far it has come in SIX years, that's crazy.

I personally think European cars like BMW and Benz are overrated anyways. They constantly have problems and engine failure. Japanese cars are FAR BETTER in quality any day.

Ok, so it's cool in china just to simply deny facts? Does he think that makes it true? There is another thread on this forum confirming the flunked test "rumor" but apparently the fact that his cars actually did flunk the tests is no object in his quest to deny everything? Hmm.. :D

Very true. For example, Chery only produced its first car in 2000. That was SIX YEARS AGO! I mean, a 6 year old Honda wouldn't even be considered that old. But thinking about how far it has come in SIX years, that's crazy.
So where is a Chery that rides on a Chery-engineered chassis and engine instead of somebody else's stolen engineering?

Very true. For example, Chery only produced its first car in 2000. That was SIX YEARS AGO! I mean, a 6 year old Honda wouldn't even be considered that old. But thinking about how far it has come in SIX years, that's crazy.

I personally think European cars like BMW and Benz are overrated anyways. They constantly have problems and engine failure. Japanese cars are FAR BETTER in quality any day.

The BMW inline six is arguably the best engine in the world. It can be beat to hell and still keep on chugging (or purring, imo) for 200,000 miles. BMW gets a bad reputation from it's 7 (and 6) series line up and it's v8 engines (reliability nightmares), but 3 and 5 series BMW's especially with the I6 are very reliable, and Japanese cars are losing their edge. A friend of mine is a tech for Lexus, and he'll tell you the only thing reliable about the car is people's propensity to believe the myth. They go in for electrical problems all the time, and their reliablity rating is plummeting.

I posted a poll on bimmerforums.com, just to get an idea of how many miles BMW's really last. 56.4% of people's daily drivers (i.e. not their broken down project cars in the garage) have over 100,000 miles on them and are still running strong. Even my 540i with the notorious V8 has over 135,000 miles on it and runs like new. All I've had to do so far was get new front tires (the tires were worn out when I got the car) replace a rubber hose in the heating system and replace a cracked serpentine belt (which was original).

Thats assuming these super fast growing and new companies stop improving and stay at the same point in their business development structure as they are now

dont forget these new companies are improving and growing at a exponential rate...things can change 50-100% in 1-2 years

And companies like BMW, Lexus, Chrysler, and Audi are all going to stay still and wait for chinese companies to catch up? Chinese companies not only have to improve, but they have to improve FASTER than all the companies I just listed. I seriously doubt that's possible in the long term.

I think Geely is making a huge mistake if they bring that steamy pile of dung shown in Detroit to the US market. Not only is it ugly, its MBZ wannabe front end is shameful.

Geely appears to have some better cars in China. Bring one of those instead plz.

It will be a long time until China can really compete with the higher marques like BMW, Lexus, and Benz.

If I had $7,500 to spend on a car, I would buy a used Civic over a new Geely anyday. I have to agree, given how nasty that Geely CK is.

But some may be tempted by that new car smell and the 10 year warranty.

The Geely will sell in the United States if it has an automatic transmission available and a good warranty. I as a U.S. citizen am sick of the gas wasting S.U.V's that a lot of people have here. It's time to have a choice of low price, high gas mileage regular cars and small trucks to choose from.

You guys have a long way to in terms of safety, and by the looks of the track preformance of some of your cars, handling and power too. :nono:


really. toasted any FERRARI's lately mate?


http://www.fightingtorque.com/video/f430vschery384.wmv

Sorry to burst all your bubbles guys but you should lurk around american car forums more. No one is interested in chinese cars. :shrug: Over here in the states we like to live through car accidents... :D :nono:

I wouldn't expect to see american car forum people posting that they want to buy chinese cars. People who hang out on car forums are the sort of people who, as you found, are enthusiasts for cars and are willing to pay extra to get what they think is the best.

These are the people who would by a 20k USD car, junk the suspension, brakes, half the engine, interior etc and spend another 10-20k hotting it up. These are good people, but they aren't representative of the majority of the new car consumer base, otherwise all new cars would come factory fitted with 19 inch rims, coilovers, 6 pot alloy brake calipers, K&N induction kit, user programmable ecu, 4 inch stainless exhaust, 1000W audio system with screens and a playstation, carbon fibre bonnet etc.

The question is whether or not ordinary people in America will buy chinese cars.

I think there will be people who will be interested to buy something cheaper if it is backed by a convincing warranty, a few good reports from early pioneering owners and a decent dealer network. These people may be the sort of strange people you meet who don't know and don't care if their car is front or rear wheel drive, don't know how many valves or cams it has, aren't sure how many gears their auto transmission actually has but know it goes both backwards and forwards etc. Not really my kind of person at all, but these people exist, there are lots of them, and they go to work, get paid and then spend their money just like the rest of us.

How to get the first pioneers to give people confidence is the key. When Daewoo entered UK as an unknown, they offered a great deal to the first set of buyers with free servicing, including collection from your home, courtesy car during the servicing, and provided you documented everything like how much gas you put in and when, there was an agreement to buy the car back at a fixed price at the end of the first year or replace it with a new one, which gave the consumers confidence as well as giving the distributor early control of the secondhand market and hence resale values. This is what a new entrant needs to do and this will be the hard part that may take 1-2 years or may take 5-10.

Whats screwing things for american cars is Geely, after toyota rocked GM over, GM sticks to selling cars with cheep price, why?, because they cant build cars as good as toyota and honda. But now that Geely came in, the vechical are priced with a $7000 sticker. What does that mean? GM is screwed because there vehicals are not as good as toyota and honda, and their price is not as cheep as Geely. I lived in Canada all my life, and been to the states many of times. Americans may say they would never buy a chinese car blah blah blah but when it comes to them actually reaching for their wallet things change alot. (just as demonstrated by the loads of americans buying honda and toyota's)

really. toasted any FERRARI's lately mate?


http://www.fightingtorque.com/video/f430vschery384.wmv

It looks like the chery followed the ferrari the whole time until he... gave up? Was bored? I didn't see him behind you...? Secondly any car, with enough money and aftermarket parts can made to be fast/handle well. That doesn't mean the base car is any good.

I wouldn't expect to see american car forum people posting that they want to buy chinese cars. People who hang out on car forums are the sort of people who, as you found, are enthusiasts for cars and are willing to pay extra to get what they think is the best.

These are the people who would by a 20k USD car, junk the suspension, brakes, half the engine, interior etc and spend another 10-20k hotting it up. These are good people, but they aren't representative of the majority of the new car consumer base, otherwise all new cars would come factory fitted with 19 inch rims, coilovers, 6 pot alloy brake calipers, K&N induction kit, user programmable ecu, 4 inch stainless exhaust, 1000W audio system with screens and a playstation, carbon fibre bonnet etc.

Actually, this is not the case on the BMW forums. I'm a huge BMW enthusiast, but my car, and the cars of a lot of people on the forums are stock or close. My car hasn't had any major mods and doesn't really need it.

The question is whether or not ordinary people in America will buy chinese cars.

I think there will be people who will be interested to buy something cheaper if it is backed by a convincing warranty, a few good reports from early pioneering owners and a decent dealer network. These people may be the sort of strange people you meet who don't know and don't care if their car is front or rear wheel drive, don't know how many valves or cams it has, aren't sure how many gears their auto transmission actually has but know it goes both backwards and forwards etc. Not really my kind of person at all, but these people exist, there are lots of them, and they go to work, get paid and then spend their money just like the rest of us.

There is some truth to that yet. A lot of people, especially women, will buy a car based on a color, or whether they like the salesperson, unfortunately. However, a car with a poor safety record wouldn't go over well with women, cutting out a huge section of the market for chinese cars. Now if chinese cars can bring the safetly level up to par, they may have a chance.

How to get the first pioneers to give people confidence is the key. When Daewoo entered UK as an unknown, they offered a great deal to the first set of buyers with free servicing, including collection from your home, courtesy car during the servicing, and provided you documented everything like how much gas you put in and when, there was an agreement to buy the car back at a fixed price at the end of the first year or replace it with a new one, which gave the consumers confidence as well as giving the distributor early control of the secondhand market and hence resale values. This is what a new entrant needs to do and this will be the hard part that may take 1-2 years or may take 5-10.

True. Strong dealer support can build good brand confidence.

the whole woman thing is repeatedly cited as a seriously overlooked factor in car design and promotion. you have probably hit on the answer there, the chinese should push the woman angle.

of course, if it goes that way, I might not be able to offer much support any more.

on your ferrari questions, I'll tell you the whole story - the final scene in my vid was in fact the start of it. basically the owner's mate took the car on the track and I followed him for a lap and then ate him. he brought it into the pits, and there was a ton of piss taking going on, so the owner got mad and jumped in, waited for me in the pit lane thinking he was going to leave me for dead, but after 3 laps he still hadn't opened a very big gap and pulled in again.

having said all that, of course I'm not trying to suggest that the chery is an everyday ferrari eater, and I don't claim to be a special driver or anything, it's just something that happened, and I always run the camera whilst on the track, so it would have been rude not to make a movie out of it really. just a bit of fun.

Oh, I understand now. It's all good then. :)

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=116171

Hi, this news is from this morning, and apparently, at least according to the writer Geely will no longer pursue marketing cheap inexpensive cars to North Americans, as it will now seek to make and sell mid level cars in North America. In addition, their entry into the U.S. may also be delayed until after 2008. Bad news on both accounts for investors no? Including me, seeing as I bought 19100 or so shares. damn, I was really banking on the cheapest car in North America hype! So much for the $9,000 and below wal mart car!!! Please share your opinions, thanks!

Here's the link:

edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=116171

it's not clickable as I do not have the 10 posts needed to insert a link or even url, just type world wide web before that.

Geely Confirms It Won't Bring Cheap Cars to North America

Date posted: 07-19-2006

SHANGHAI — Geely Automobile reportedly has backed away from an earlier plan to market inexpensive compacts in North America. Now the Chinese automaker wants to develop a larger model specifically for the U.S. and Europe and build it in a new assembly plant.

Geely's U.S. representative John Harmer was quoted in Automotive News as saying that plans to sell low-priced small cars in North America are "on the back burner" and that the company's entry into the U.S. market, once targeted for 2008, could be delayed.

In June, Geely said it would invest $1.25 billion over the next three years to set up manufacturing operations in the eastern city of Jinan, in Shandong province, with an annual capacity of 500,000 units.

Geely recently introduced its new LG-1, a compact sedan called King Kong in the home market, and is preparing to launch an even larger four-door designated FC-1. Both models were intended to lead Geely's export charge into the U.S., beginning in 2008.

In China, the LG-1 King Kong is priced from just under $9,000. The FC-1 is expected to start at just over $10,000. Both models are powered by four-cylinder engines.

Geely reportedly is looking for an outside supplier to help it develop a new V6 engine and automatic transmission for export markets, including the U.S. and Europe.

Geely Chairman Li Shufu has said he wants to challenge Toyota in the future with a Camry-size sedan, and intends to expand the company's product portfolio with more non-traditional body styles, including MPVs and SUVs.

What this means to you: Geely now appears to be following Chery's lead in moving upmarket as it lays the groundwork for a future expansion into North America and Europe

I am from the United States and I want a inexpensive car. If Geely is trying to compete with Toyota in the same price range with similar vehicles forget it. I would not pay the same price for a untested vehicle, but I WOULD take a chance on a cheaper model with a decent guarantee. :(

Since Geely has changed their minds on bringing cheap cars to the United States, will they still have cars at the 2007 Detroit auto show?

See the problem is that the US market is different than it was when Toyota of Hyundai first came over in 1957 and 1986 repectively. Automation means that low labor costs are less of a factor in cars' price and now there are tougher emissions standards/safety standards to worry about. On top of this there is more competition than ever and the profit margins on cheap cars are VERY small. The up-end portion of the car market is the only part that is growing.

I won't be surprised if they pulled of a Geely Zx or a geely FX or Geely XP car at the end of the year :P

geely will be there for sure,
they were there last year, they still want to create geely hype around US

so im sure theyll be there

I also think this is a good move.

Come into the market where the pie is the largest and most profitable. Once established, then expand the lineup to include other cars, such as sub-compacts.

Yes it is definitely a different market than the one Toyota and Hyundai faced. Regulations are stricter, players are more numerous, competition is much more cutthroat, and low end margins are piddling.

But then again the upper end of the market is very unforgiving. If it's not done right the consequences are swift and final. Remember the Stirling's go at the US market in the late 80s. It was like a flash in the pan, never to be seen or heard from again.

On the low end, the bargain price is always the draw but then there needs to be substance and value behind it or the "Hyundai up-down-up scenario" will repeat itself.

I wish I had a crystal ball so I could see which Chinese brand will rise to the winners circle of the global market by say 2025, and which will suffer a fate like Yugo's or worse...

SHANGHAI — Geely Automobile, the largest independent Chinese automaker, is studying whether to assemble its cars in the United States, chairman Li Shufu told Reuters.

The company, which is based in Hangzhou, brought its compact CK-1 sedan to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year and still expects to begin exporting cars to North America by late 2008.

"We could do that in several ways, and [U.S. production] is an option," Li told Reuters in an interview. Initially, however, cars will be shipped from the company's assembly plants in China.

Malcolm Bricklin, whose Visionary Vehicles is the designated U.S. importer and distributor for Chery vehicles, has also said the Chinese parent is considering whether to assemble some future cars in North America.

Geely has an aggressive global export plan. Li said the company now expects to export nearly 20,000 cars in 2006, mostly to developing markets with no local auto industry, and that figure could double in 2007.

By 2012, Li has said he expects Geely to be exporting more than 1.2 million vehicles a year, to major markets around the world.

this will never happen, especially with geely

This Detroit News article implies that Geely will be at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007. But it's a little fuzzy about whether its really going to join GW, Changfeng, Zhongxing (and maybe Chery).

What can they show? Concept cars maybe......? just to keep that "brand name" in front of their would-be customers......

I hope you are right M14.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060705/AUTO01/607050364/1148

Geely to set up production unit in Mexico.

January 15, 2008 - Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd plans to build an assembly plant in Mexico with a local partner to make U.S.-specific models to enter the world's biggest auto market, the company’s president Li Shufu said on Monday.

Geely and its partner will initially invest $500 million in the factory, which will have an initial capacity of 50,000 units and eventually may be expanded to 300,000, Li Shufu said in an interview with Bloomberg News yesterday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Geely will build a medium-sized car for the U.S. market, which will be offered as a hatchback or sedan, Li said, but offered no details. Li also neither disclosed who the company's partner in Mexico will be nor did he offer a timetable for this project, according to the Bloomberg report.

Geely hopes to boost its market share through expanding in the oversea market. Last year Geely sold 181,500 vehicles, far short of its initial target. However, the automaker aims to sell 230,000 units, an increase of 27 percent from the 2007 sales.

Beside Geely, China FAW unveiled plans to build a $150 million plant in Mexico's Michoacan state with Grupo Elektra SAB, the country's largest electronic-goods retailer, in November.
source: Gasgoo.com


Geely was also present at 2008 North American International Auto Show.
More than 20 years after Japanese automakers first appeared on the scene and began eating away slowly but steadily at the Big 3's market share, a new group of Asian vehicle manufacturers is lining up to try and take advantage of both their own growing domestic market as well as the large North American sector.

This year, there will be five Chinese automakers displaying a variety of vehicles at the North American International Auto Show which opens to the public Saturday at Cobo Center.

Joining Geely International Corp., which is making its third appearance, and ChangFeng Motor Group, which exhibited last year, are BYD Auto Company, China America Cooperative Automotive Inc./ZXNA (Chamco) and Li Shi Guang Ming Auto Design Co.

Despite this accelerated incursion, most analysts don't expect the first Chinese car to hit North American showrooms until late this year or perhaps over the next two years.

Tony Faria, an auto analyst at the University of Windsor, said China's increased presence is "all part of their plan to test the waters even though their products are nowhere near ready in terms of design, technology, workmanship and fit and finish for a North American consumer."

But Faria said their first goal is to get reaction from the public and the media.
"They've learned from the Yugo experience whose vehicles were really so bad that it destroyed the Yugo name when they started selling before they were ready for this market," said Faria. "The Chinese are smarter than that and won't make that mistake."

Faria said there's a possibility some vehicles would be ready for the North American market later this year but "I expect it will be 2009 or later before we see any in large numbers."

According to Chamco, which already has North American headquarters in New Jersey and an engineering centre in California, the company expects to begin shipping SUVs and pickup trucks into the U.S. market by the end of this year with a price expected to be around US$13,500.

They expect to roll out similar vehicles in Canada early next year.
Chamco chairman Bill Pollack said "Detroit may not believe this but we are well on track to meet our goal of starting to export vehicles by mid-2008.

Pollack said he's confident that Chamco will be the first company to sell Chinese-made vehicles into the North American market.

Within a year, Chamco expects to follow with a line of sedans and crossovers and plans to open assembly plants in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Canada, although exact locations have not been announced.

A year ago, Chamco displayed vehicles in the Renaissance Center but wasn't officially part of the auto show.
Faria said that, unlike the Japanese automakers, China's are further along at the same point in their history because of the number of joint ventures they've forged with global companies such as Volkswagen, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, GM and Chrysler.

"One Chinese company plans to start selling vehicles in Mexico this month and while those aren't ready for the U.S. and Canada, it's a start," said Faria.

Last year, auto sales in China reached more than 8.5 million units, second only to the U.S. and ahead of Japan as more and more Chinese find themselves financially able to buy cars as incomes rise and prices decrease.

There are as many as 100 auto companies in China all vying for a piece of the huge pie including Roewe, Landwind, First Automobile Works, Great Wall, Beijing Auto Works, Dongfeng Motor, Fudi Auto, GonowAuto, Brilliance China Automotive, Hafei Auto, Huatai, Qingling Motors, Zhengzhou Nissan, Polarsun Motors and Changan

Other Chinese automakers include Chery Motors, which is the largest in the country and now has a working relationship with Chrysler LLC, along with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. and Nanjing Auto, a pair of state-run companies which announced a merger late last month.

Ackowledging that his company's strength is price in an interview with Business Week last year, Geely Holdings' executive director Lawrence Ang said "our target is to put our car in the U.S. market by 2010."

In efforts to position themselves close to worldwide markets, other Chinese automakers have built assembly plants in Russia, North Korea, Egypt, Vietnam, Iran, Uruguay and Indonesia.

"There's little doubt in my mind that they'll build assembly plants in North America because the Chinese government, which still exerts major control over this industry, has said it does not want to export cars to North America in mass numbers but rather it wants to have a global presence by building assembly plants where it sells cars," said Faria
source: driving.ca

http://www.moj-album.com/slike/4219952/Dlhdu1MGH53MvrUq.jpg
Despite having one of the smallest exhibits Chinese auto maker Geely managed to turn a few heads with its low cost vehicles at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Tuesday.

More about Geely attending 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

Geely Automobile is ambitious. The Chinese company produced 2 million cars in 2006 and aims to produce 20 million cars in 2015. It's not quite ready to sell in the U.S. but the company says it is inevitable.

http://www.moj-album.com/slike/4219952/gKOyV78_yV_hgOD7.jpg
The LTI pictured above is exactly what it looks like -- a London Taxi. Not a clone of a London Taxi, but the real thing. Geely entered an agreement to produce it in China as part of a joint venture.

http://www.moj-album.com/slike/4219952/pjx8EmxX3EjLnfyb.jpg
Aside from the LTI, Geely produces cars comprised of Chinese intellectual property, and that includes powertrains -- it doesn't borrow major hardware components from other manufacturers.

Taking a gander at the FC sedan pictured above, it's pretty clear the company won't have GM or Toyota in a stranglehold anytime soon. However, caution would state that other automakers keep their eyes on Geely, else be blindsided by a Hyundai-like ascent into maturity.


Article at Autoblog:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/01/10/geely-makes-history-at-detroit-auto-show/

http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/01/IMG_4029.jpg

Geely's cars in Detroit
http://www.autobild.de/artikel/naias-2008-teil-4-522073.html


MK (King Kong hatchback):
http://s2.mojalbum.com/4219952_17502961_19287435/avt013/19287435.jpg

Coupe (Leopard):
http://s2.mojalbum.com/4219952_17502961_19287432/avt013/19287432.jpg

CK:
http://s2.mojalbum.com/4219952_17502961_19287431/avt013/19287431.jpg

FC (Vision):
http://s2.mojalbum.com/4219952_17502961_19287433/avt013/19287433.jpg

SMA was also present at Auto Show:
http://s2.mojalbum.com/4219952_17502961_19287434/avt013/19287434.jpg

Well at least Geely is talking some sense now.


China's Geely sees US market entry no sooner than 2013

DETROIT, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The head of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (0175.HK: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it would take the Chinese automaker at least five years to begin selling cars in the United States, stressing there was no room for missteps in entering one of the world's most competitive markets.

"(The timing) depends on changes in the auto industry, in Geely, and in the global economy," Chairman Li Shufu told Reuters in an interview at the North American International Auto Show.

"If nothing goes wrong, then maybe we will be ready in about five years."

Geely's timeline is conservative compared with those of other Chinese upstarts such as Changfeng Group and Zhongxing Automobile.

U.S. venture Chamco Auto said this week it wanted to begin distributing Zhongxing's cars in the United States some time this year, in what will likely be the first entry by Chinese-made cars.

But Li, whose company began building cars just 10 years ago in rural China, said Geely's edge would be its technologically advanced cars, while the company also needed more time to study the needs of the local market.

"Being cautious is essential for the very survival of our company," he said. "No failure is allowed. Long term, it will be good for the company."

Asked at a news conference on Monday when Geely would enter the United States, Li had said he was not sure yet whether his cars were welcome in the market

Geely returned to the Detroit auto show for the third time this year, bringing its newest models, including the CK, FC and MK sedans. The Detroit show is a global automotive showcase.

Geely also produced a video on a stability system designed to keep vehicles from rolling over in the event of a tire blowout in a bid to demonstrate its focus on innovation.

Li said he expected to make money in the initial stage of selling in the United States despite the investments that would be needed to develop a sound sales and after-sales network.

Geely is also preparing to build a factory in Mexico. Li declined to disclose how much the group would invest on the project, but said the automotive side alone could cost roughly $500 million.

"It's a group action, so it will require a lot of money," he said.

Geely expects to have production capacity of 1.7 million vehicles by 2015 in China through nine factories. It now has two plants overseas and four more in the pipeline. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, Editing by Peter Bohan)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN1542862120080115?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

Another Geely's hype or is it real ?

China's Geely plans export of 100,000-yuan car to US, Europe - report

14 Jul 2008
Xinhua Newsfeed

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd plans to begin exporting a hatchback model priced at around 100,000 yuan to the US and Europe next year, the South China Morning Post reported.

"We don't have a detailed timetable for landing the models in the mature markets, but we've prepared well by planning the launch with vehicles that match the quality and standards of those markets," said Daniel Dai, Geely's vice-president of international business.

The four-door FC-2 was designed to meet emission and safety standards in the two markets, as well as regulations covering recyclable components.

(1 usd = 6.85 yuan)

http://www.quamnet.com/newscontent.action?listSectionCode=NEW_HK&articleId=891164
http://www.gasgoo.com/auto-news/7091/Geely-to-export-100-000-yuan-car-to-U-S-Europe.html

http://www.gasgoo.com/resource/editor/Geely%20FC-2(2).jpg

Geely's FC-1 C-ncap crash result was very surprising, the highest score for any Chinese model, beating Suzuki, Honda and Nissan.

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd175/02bigbaby/c-ncap1.jpg

But can you still trust Geely on this ? the question remains unanswered.