First Chinese cars to hit U.S. shores .............. (coming in 2007)

[cthrumatrix]

First Chinese cars to hit U.S. shores

Malcolm Bricklin, the man behind the Yugo, to lead new import wave in 2007.

By Bill Vlasic / The Detroit News
Robin Buckson / The Detroit News

Malcolm Bricklin sealed the deal with Chinese automaker Chery in mid-December. "What I do best is import cars ... I'd like to look at it as being the next Toyota."


NEW YORK -- A newlyformed company led by auto entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin and the investment banking firm Allen & Co. has signed the first-ever deal to import cars made in China for sale in the United States.

Bricklin, known best for bringing the ultra-cheap Yugo car to the U.S. market in the 1980s, is expected to announce the agreement today between New York-based Visionary Vehicles LLC and Chery Automobile Co., one of the fastest-growing players in the fledgling Chinese auto industry.

The deal to import up to 250,000 Chinese-made cars annually beginning in 2007 was finalized Dec. 16 at Chery's corporate headquarters in Anhui Province in eastern China, Bricklin told The Detroit News in an interview.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0501/02/A01-47455.htm


GM and Ford are on "borrowed time"...their healthcare costs (per car) alone will cost as much as one of these cars

[aden_nak]

1. How many "Chevy mispronounced with an Asian accent" jokes will this spawn?

[Career Prole]

2. The man behind the Yugo to lead new import wave in 2007

"What I do best is import cars ... I'd like to look at it as being the next Toyota."

...and praying it's not the next Yugo. :eyes:

[FloridaPat]

3. Maybe lightning will strike twice in this case.

[Warpy]

4. Dunno, but if those cars are any better than the Yugo

you can bet they'll be cheap enough to destroy what's left of the US based auto industry.

They won't need to be much better than the Yugo, just more reliable and with body panels that don't rust in the showroom.

[VTMechEngr]

5. Hmm, after seeing all the other great "quality" stuff China imports...

I think I'll just pass.