A man looks at a Brilliance China sedan in Germany's Bremen. The Chinese automaker said it has clinched a deal with Germany's HSO Motors Europe to sell 158,000 own-brand sedans on the European market. [Xinhua]

According to the deal, which is worth 16 billion yuan (US$2.04 billion), Bremen-based HSO Motors Europe will be responsible for selling Brilliance's Zhonghua 2.0 and 2.4 litre sedans in one of the world's most competitive car markets.

The deal marks the biggest foray so far by a Chinese automaker into any Western market.

A Brilliance spokeswoman said yesterday the Hong Kong-listed company, which has plants in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, started to ship vehicles to Germany at the end of last month.

The carmaker plans to sell 3,000 Zhonghua sedans in Europe this year, and expects its annual sales to rise to 50,000 units by 2011, she said.

1

2

3

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)