Quote from dragin -
"I share your opinion of Li Shufu as a man, and the current state of his company. The present quality standards, if not improved soon will surely bring it an early demise."
I also agree with the assessment of Li Shufu, his "rags to riches" story is truly inspiring! However, I must add that Geely's quality standards ARE improving - and fairly quick. My first viewing of a Geely in Dec. of 2003 (by that I mean actually going to a showroom and seeing the cars up close) was not a positive experience........poor workmanship, even worse styling (the fake wood grain finish was pretty horrible), 4 speed transmissions, in general just a very unappealing car. Fast forward to 2006...........in just 2 1/2 years Geely has managed to release a dearth of new models (and nice updated versions of the vererable Haoqing) with much better styling, better quality standards, better engines, 5 speed transmissions on almost ALL models (the entry level Haoqing for RMB 29999 is the only model left with a 4 speed), some nice new designs (the MR 12 is a good example of that - cute, good functional features and a VERY competitive price) and in general Geely has managed to update it's image significantly. However, the quest for quality standards is a long one - Geely still does have a lot of room for improvement. My point is that Geely isn't sitting around on their hands and continuing to market a poorly designed, poorly built product - they ARE working hard to improve and the current level of available products are an example of that. A case in point.......many of my friends had the image in their mind that Geely is still a very bad car, but when I took them to the showroom and SHOWED them the new Geelys (like the MR 12 and the Geely GT), their opinion changed - they now see for themselves how much better Geely is getting. Once Geely can change the perception of the general public (i.e the potential customers) I think that Geely will be very successful - much more so than they are now.
Hmmmmmmmmm.........maybe Geely should hire me as their new PR and advirtising person!!:lol: