Chinese Carmakers Not Planning Mass U.S. Sales

Washington DC May 17, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that Chinese automakers aren't likely to start selling Chinese-made vehicles in the United States on a mass scale anytime soon, China's vice minister of commerce said Monday during a visit to the Detroit area.

According to the Detroit News, Chinese car companies are too consumed with the ultra-fast growth in their homeland to focus on selling cars to Americans. The hurdles involved in creating a dealer network, setting up financing operations and building infrastructure make it unlikely that Americans will see Chinese vehicles in the near future, she said.

"I don't believe now is the right time for Chinese auto producers to export large numbers of vehicles into the United States," Ma Xiuhong said in an interview after a speech to the Detroit Chinese Business Association.

"Automobiles are a special kind of product. Going to market requires a more complicated and sophisticated approach than in any other industry." The Chinese are building their auto industry with an eye toward joining the Japanese and South Koreans as big exporters to the United States, which remains the world's most profitable auto market.