China won’t flood U.S. with cars, says ambassador
date: November 13, 2007
SOURCE:Automotive News
By: Charles Child
DETROIT — Chinese automakers
will not flood North America with cheap automobiles, says Zhou Wenzhong, China’s ambassador to the United States.
In the coming years, China’s growing market will absorb
the vast majority of the vehicles produced by the nation's auto industry, he
said today at a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club.
Detroit’s
automakers are working on inexpensive autos to compete in low-end segments of
the U.S market, he added.
Various Chinese automakers, such as Chery Automobile Co. and
Geely Automobile Holdings Group, want to export vehicles to the United States.
Chery has signed a deal with Chrysler LLC to assemble cars
that will be sold with a Chrysler brand in the United States. The cars are
expected in 2009.
Some analysts in China
have suggested that the central government, to prevent a Yugo-like flop of
Chinese cars in America,
will rigorously inspect exported cars.
Not true, Zhou said. Instead, Chinese automakers will be
responsible for meeting quality standards, he said, because they have the most
at stake.
“The manufacturers will be very responsible,” he said. “They
will do everything correctly.”
He also said that Chinese automakers will not receive
subsidies to export cars to North America.
“We have a market economy,” he said. “That won’t happen.”