|
First Chinese cars arrive for sale in W. Europe
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-06 09:20
The first Chinese cars for sale in Western Europe arrived in the Belgian port
of Antwerp on Tuesday.
Dutch car dealer Peter Bijvelds said he had already found buyers for the 200
Landwind five-door sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and was confident of selling
about 2,000 of them this year.
A car made by
Jiangling Motors Group is on display in the Beijing International Auto
Show in this picture taken on June 6, 2002.
[newsphoto] |
Bijvelds said he was selling the cars, made by Jiangling Landwind Motor of
Jiangling Motors Group, for nearly half the price of their nearest competitor.
"I think there's a big market," he told reporters.
Bijvelds has a five-year exclusive deal with Jiangling to sell the SUVs in 27
European countries, and said he was holding talks to set up a distribution
network in Belgium before expanding across the continent.
Priced at about 17,000 euros ($20,220) after taxes in the Netherlands, the
SUV will be the last thing Europe's car makers want to see on the road as they
grapple with weak consumer spending, high raw material and fuel costs and
relentless price competition.
Bijvelds' dealership, based in the southeastern Dutch village of Erp, is
making slight alterations to the Chinese vehicles to meet Europe's strict
emissions standards.
One version of the SUV has a 2.8-litre diesel engine made by General Motors
Corp. . It is also available with a 2-litre or 2.4-litre petrol engine made by
Mitsubishi .
Japan's Honda Motor Co Ltd began exporting Chinese-made Jazz compacts to
Europe on June 24, but the first shipment of 150 cars will not arrive until
mid-July, a spokesman said.
Honda's joint venture in Guangzhou with Guangzhou Auto Group Co Ltd and
Dongfeng Motor Group Co Ltd plans to build some 10,000 Jazz units this year
exclusively for export to Europe.
|
 | | | Special police detachment established in Xi'an | | |  | | | Panda cubs doing well in Wolong | | |  | | | Suspect arrested in Taiwan | | |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Today's
Top News |
|
|
|
Top China
News |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
