Chery, China’s No 1 car exporter for 23 consecutive years, hopes to enter the US at a “suitable time”, Chery International president Zhang Guibing has told reporters, according to a Reuters report.
“When we find a good and suitable time in the future, we definitely hope to enter it. Everyone knows the American car market is huge… we definitely have the idea of selling cars in the United States. Everyone definitely has that idea,” Zhang said, adding that any move would depend on Chery’s own readiness as well as auto industry policies in both countries.
Some Chinese carmakers run R&D and design labs in the US, where some Chinese-linked companies have set up or expanded a manufacturing presence through non-Chinese brands. Geely global communications chief Ash Sutcliffe told reporters in January that the carmaker could make an announcement regarding its US expansion within the next two to three years. Geely-owned Volvo has a plant in South Carolina.
Although BYD does build EV buses in Lancaster, California, it has said it has no plans to sell passenger cars in the US, and neither does Xiaomi, according to Reuters. However, BYD, Chery, Geely and GWM have explored or expanded operations in Mexico and Latin America – regions seen as potential springboards or alternatives for US market access.
“If they (Chinese carmakers) want to come in and build a plant and hire you and hire your friends and your neighbours, that’s great, I love that,” US president Donald Trump said in January, but there has been backlash from industry groups and lawmakers. Chinese cars already face tariffs of around 100% in the US.
Which of the Chery Group’s many, many models across its many, many brands do you think would be most suited to the US? We’re speaking hypothetically, of course – at this moment in time.
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