Great Wall where are you?

4710 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by mememe, Jan 15, 2008

dragin

Discussion Starter · Jan 5, 2008

Five Chinese manufacturer's are scheduled to display their products at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. SUV makers Changfeng and Zhongxing will be there, along with Geely and BYD. Even newcomer Li Shi Ming Guang Auto Design company, with no more than a little eggshell lookalike EV, will be there. As for Gonow, it's realistic enough to know that it's no where near ready to go up against the big guys.

But what about Great Wall Auto? Why has this bright star of the Chinese 4X4 market, chosen not to exhibit its vehicles in Detroit?.

It's a bit puzzling to me. Perhaps Great Wall wishes to make all its mistakes elsewhere before making a plunge into The Premium Market. Or perhaps it's intimidated by the fierce 4X4 competition with oil nearing $100 a barrel. Or maybe its that perfect power-to-weight ratio that it's aspiring to. Then again it may want to wait until it gets the (controversial) passenger cars up and running before taking the big step.

Any ideas Micodelija?

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mememe

· #2 · Jan 5, 2008 (Edited)

lol what I notice is that, all of the Chinese auto names that will be at the Detroit Auto Show are no namers.

What are Geely and BYD planning to do there ? I haven't heard any thing from Geely recently ever since the Aoo design craze.

Chery hardly gets itself into this kind of thing because it knows that it is still nowhere to international level, so why bother going there.

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ash

· #3 · Jan 5, 2008

i think GWM knows there no real advantage in being in Detroit when it doesnt have any market there for at least 2-3 years

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Joest

· #4 · Jan 5, 2008

I 100% agree with mememe. The Chinese manufacturers in Detroit are mostly small players. Byd may be onto something with the F8, as long as it lands a real engine for it. There's also the F6 EV which might attract some attention.

Geely already came in 2006 and they realise back then that they were nowhere near ready to enter US market. Do they have a secret weapon that they'll show at Detroit? I don't think so.

I guess those manufacturer are also in Detroit to make Chinese believe that they are "international" player.

About Great Wall, my opinion is that they're first aiming for Europe, with the Pery. Great Wall may not come to USA until they have a 4-door sedan.

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jmsteiny

· #5 · Jan 6, 2008

Here's a question.......

First of all, Great Wall just isn't QUITE ready and they know it. What do they REALLY have to show? The Hover? In the USA the competition is WAY too intense - AND oil prices are right about $100 a barrel right now. The Peri or any of the small car concept cars? Scion (Toyota) and Fiat would scream bloody murder (yes, I know Fiat isn't in the USA but they'll STILL scream). Their new minivan? No way - not in the country that made the minivan a staple of everyday life. Anything else? Final Answer? NO! Great Wall is smart not to be there yet......same with Chery - and Chery DOES have a wider array of cars to show if they wished to. They know the US market is still a few years away so no need to spend the money now.

Speaking of Chery, HERE'S a question - we know that Chery isn't going to be at the Detroit show. HOWEVER, will Dodge show a version of the (Chery) A1 or maybe even the A3 under a DODGE nameplate????? Dodge says they're going to start selling the A1 in Mexico in 2008 with a target date for the US market of 2009 - might NOW be a good time to start showing these new products? Anyone out there have more info on this??

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ash

· #6 · Jan 6, 2008

Joest said:
I 100% agree with mememe. The Chinese manufacturers in Detroit are mostly small players. Byd may be onto something with the F8, as long as it lands a real engine for it. There's also the F6 EV which might attract some attention.

Geely already came in 2006 and they realise back then that they were nowhere near ready to enter US market. Do they have a secret weapon that they'll show at Detroit? I don't think so.

I guess those manufacturer are also in Detroit to make Chinese believe that they are "international" player.

About Great Wall, my opinion is that they're first aiming for Europe, with the Pery. Great Wall may not come to USA until they have a 4-door sedan.

well in general GWM is much more conservative in their marketing methods. they arent as much in PR's about little things like geely, hafei etc

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micodelija

· #7 · Jan 7, 2008

First great wall is a manifacture of trucks and suv's, i think that we can't expect from somebody who sold only truck's and suv's to be active in the advertising like gelly or some other brand, now when great wall have passeger car's i think that they will invest much more money in advertising, also lot's of things depends of european homologatin progress and euroncap test's.

The chepest truck in china from great wall i think that cost over 6000 dollars,single pick up 4x2 which have nothing, if you buy some normal truck with 4x4 and eqipment he will cost between 8-9000 dollars,and for example the chepest model of cherry QQ, maple, gelly of some other brand cost between 4000-5000 dollars and i think that lot of thing depend when great wall put the prices of passenger cars and start to compete with other brand of carmekers, not truck makers

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