Geely CK

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Geely wants to seel cars here in 2008.
So far they have been having problems passing our emission standards.

The car they want to bring over is this CK model. With a 1.6 Liter engine with 137hp, it is supposed to cost less than $9000.
They are hoping for about 20 000 sales the 1st year. Climbing up to 100 000 a few years later.

Would anyone take a chance with a Chinese car when you can get a small Kia for not much more?

UPDATE:
Geely is actually shooting for a $7500 price in the US. That would include a CD player, air, and power windows.

Conversation 17 comments

  1. My innitial reaction is that for the price i dont see why it would’t sell. But then you have to factor in things like reliability, and safety and both those could kill the deal.

  2. I would not personally jump for a Geely, but, I bet many people will. I have a gut feeling that Geely will pretty much be just like Hyundai when they first hit our shores…better than anything that Summer’s Eve and GM can offer.

  3. i wouldnt buy i could see the appeal, when japanese cars first came here people were very skeptical, when korean cars came here people were skeptical and for good reason the original hyundais and kias were horrible cars, its not that long ago kia was bringing the sephia over here with horrible reliability and horrible crash test scores as well as the sportage. it took a 10 year warranty for anyone to really even begin to risk buying a korean car. i think it may take some time, and if they can afford it constant changes in desighn in quality like kia and hyundai, but i think at some poing they will catch on….

  4. is it just me, or does that look like a mix between the mark iv jetta body, and the mark v jetta/golf front fascia?

  5. I noticed the dash too.
    I think the Chinese aren’t bothered too much about copying others…

    Unless you must have a new car, $9000 can buy you a really nice used car too.

  6. Geely may well follow the pattern of other Asian countries: the first Toyopets, Datsuns and Hyundais sold in the US were fairly horrid. And eventually, that will up the Reds’ game.
       What’s not on their side, as others have commented, is the price. Hyundai made inroads because the Pony was cheap as dirt. In fact, dirt was more expensive in some states. With this price, a second-hand car, nicely run in, certainly would make a better and more reliable proposition.
       If Geely wants to charge average prices, it had better be ready to provide some innovation beyond a commodity on wheels since it does not have a brand. Pity that the Chinese have not taken the opportunity to make a car that can take alternative fuels or some other innovation—how about solar-powered electrics? These “I think I am a western car” approaches killed the first Toyota Crowns and Bluebirds sold in the US as well.

  7. The first buyers of Chinese cars will suffer from poor quality, bad reliability, poor performance and technology, bad brand name stigma, poor service and poor after-sale service and warrenties, guarenteed. Is all this really worth over $10 000?

    If I needed a cheap car I would get the Kia.

  8. another car most americans have never heard of is proton. it’s a malaysian-based company partnered with lotus (which builds its suspension and steering). the cars themselves have some quirky designs but they drive fantastically. i think if the chinese could pull off something like that, maybe they could make it in the states.

  9. Two Comments. Ssang Yong is half owned by a Chinese company. Proton is in serious financial trouble and may go belly up soon.

  10. Anonymous, (newer) Protons may be good to drive (because of Lotus, as you correctly say) but the overall build quality is appalling. Here in New Zealand, most of the Mitsubishi-based sedans have bitten the dust.
       Good point, Autohistory. Do you feel SAIC is building up a bit of a conglomerate? It knows economies of scale and platform-sharing are the ways forward, so acquiring Ssangyong, whatever it could get from MG Rover, and knowledge from its foreign partners could form the basis of something pretty threatening come 2015.

  11. Looks like somebody tried to rip off a C-class, kinda like a fake louis vuitton. Hope this thing doesn’t fall apart after using it for 2 months.

  12. geely is definately moving up with big dreams..they are supposed to be in US by 2008…and chery should be here very soon with VV’s help…but watch out for LIFAN and Hafei which will move to US via Brazil/costa rica…and GWM is a big player too…there are just so many chinese companies trying to enter US market, but only 1-2 will make it in realitycheck https://www.chinacarforums.com/ too see all chinese owned companies and pictures

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