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Chinese cars no immediate threat to Europe
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-09-14 07:29 FRANKFURT - The Chinese "dragon" is coming to
Europe, one of the new affordable cars made in China by manufacturers who honed
their skills working for western car makers. Now the wheels have turned but
analysts see no immediate threat from this new Asian competitor. AFP
reported.
Various models of
Chinese carmaker Geely sit on the lot of a dealership in Beijing. Chinese
car makers are set to be the alternative stars of the 2005 Frankfurt Auto
Show with Geely presenting five models, featuring a sportscar dubbed CD
for 'China Dragon'. [AFP] | Far from the usual
auto show-stoppers like the luxury Mercedes sedan or Porsche sportcar, three
Chinese car makers are set to be the alternative stars of the 2005 Frankfurt
Auto Show, which officially opens Tuesday.
The Chinese line-up includes Geely with five models, featuring a sportscar
dubbed CD for "China Dragon".
Importer Landwind is unveiling a four-wheel drive vehicle by Jiangling, a
joint venture with Ford in China, and Brilliance, a Chinese venture with BMW, is
showcasing its sedan Zhonghua, which should be on sale in Germany by the end of
the year starting at 18,000 euros (21,000 dollars).
The three Chinese companies are "the second cut," unlike the big
manufacturers such as Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), noted Ferdinand
Dudenhoeffer of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR).
But this third wave of Asian car makers is just getting revved up.
A German journalist in Automobile News Europe drove home a warning to western
automakers not to "underestimate" the Chinese competition as they did in the
past with the Japanese and the Koreans.
Many European consumers need "cars to simply go from point A to point B.
That's exactly what the Chinese cars arriving in Europe offer," Jens Dralle
wrote in an recent article.
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