Not that it's much of a surprise, but It didn't take long for Steve Saleen to find a new job. Less than a month after leaving his eponymous specialty manufacturing company, AutoWeek is reporting that Steve has landed a new gig. The somewhat surprising part is that he is the new CEO of ZX Automobile Company of North America (ZXNA). ZXNA is a subsidiary of China America Cooperative Automotive (Chamco), and the New Jersey company has started the process of bringing Chinese vehicles into the States.
ZXNA plans to bring two Chinese models to these shores later this year, a pickup truck and an SUV that will probably be sold in Mexico at first because they don't currently meet U.S. emissions and safety standards. Their pricing will start at around $13,000. ZXNA is trying to establish a network of 150 U.S. dealers, though, and it's at 20% of that goal so far. Eventually the company plans to build an assembly plant in Baja, Mexico that will build those vehicles intended for sale in the United States. They've set a goal of 30,000 vehicles a year by 2009, which is about four times what they produce currently. There's no word on whether the Chinese vehicles will get the trademark Saleen slats, fins and rockers, but we doubt the bumpers will accommodate a serialized production number of up-to five digits.
[Source: AutoWeek]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
More crap on the road @ Jun 7th 2007 4:20PM
Wal-Mart will sell them and they will kill us just like the PeterPan peanut butter Wal-Mart sold.
David @ Jun 7th 2007 4:36PM
All they have to do to succeed is offer better cars at that price than any of the other low price producers do currently AND make sure those cars are a better deal than three year old used cars. Given the likely reaction to the first major recalls, the first poor crash tests or bad CR reviews, they'd better get this right the first time. In this market any share they get has to be taken from someone else and no one has much room for error anymore. And of they fail the entire Chinese car industry will suffer because of it.
Big Mike Wood @ Jun 7th 2007 5:27PM
I'm not sure how much of a window of opportunity remains for the Chinese. 30 years ago American made cars were poorly built and got bad gas mileage. Capitalizing on that was what allowed the somewhat less sucky Japanese companies to get a foothold. Now All cars sold in the U.S. are pretty darn good and cheap parts come from around the globe to all manufacturers. Maybe the Chinese can build a better car for less money but it won't be shooting fish in a barrel like it was for the Japanese.
Barney @ Jun 7th 2007 8:01PM
Good point but the Japanese were also intoducing a small car and frankly, pretty tinny. They improved their quality quicker then the locals and their prices if not on par, is higher. The Chinese may fill the same niche that the Japanese filled in the eighties.
Don @ Jun 7th 2007 5:46PM
Well, there goes my opinion of Steve Saleen.
Dinger @ Jun 7th 2007 5:55PM
I can't wait to get a Happy Dragon Flying Coupe!
James @ Jun 7th 2007 7:33PM
What the heck??! Malcom isn't in the middle of this?! Is it me, or does that one SUV in the foreground have a totally ripped off Toyota front end? Steve, why?
Tony C @ Jun 8th 2007 1:18PM
Yep! That it does! Sort of a Highlander/GX470 mashup... And the pickup truck looks unsurprisingly like an older Tundra, too. The Chinese automakers are notorious for making near-carbon copy clones of popular mass market vehicles.
KJC @ Jun 7th 2007 8:31PM
Ugh..I am ashamed Americans would buy a Commie Chinese car. Proof Americans will buy anything that's cheap.
Aprime1 @ Jun 7th 2007 9:57PM
I have yet to see any sold?
Timsvtgen1 @ Jun 7th 2007 9:12PM
Yea with every one you get a handful of hot mustard and soy sauce packets that you always throw away and a fortune cookie.---
haha no- but seriously, thanks but no thanks.
Azrael4h @ Jun 7th 2007 9:26PM
It ain't sold yet. I doubt it will go over, look how well Daewoo did. Heck, how about Isuzu or Suzuki? The only thing they have going is that they appear to be willing to offer the only compact truck in America, which might garner a sale or two from fleet managers. If it turns out to be mid-size, then it will fail.
Honest-T @ Jun 7th 2007 10:48PM
Wow, Suzuki had BEST sales ever last year, nearly 101,000 units. Not a lot, compared to others, but Mitsubishi only sold around 118,000 last year(and lots of people and editors are "raving" about Mitsu's cars now, and recovery... not many more units sold than Suzuki).
In-laws had 2 older Suzuki's, (well, Trackers, but, go do a net search... they are Suzuki's, rebadged for GM)... 90 and still have a 97... the 90 got 219K, and was traded in for the 07 SX4(in Oct....06, now has 20K on it! Runs smooth as any Toyota, and as quiet, maybe better interior than their cheaper models, like Scion xB?)... the 97 has 107K... no issues in 11 years.
The GM-DAT cars(Reno/Forenza..rebadged Daewoo's) Suzuki's dropping them, according to the dealership. The next "Verona"... to be seen at the SEPT autoshow.... will be out next year, ALL Suzuki, from Japan. No Daewoo.
Isuzu is lucky to sell 5000 vehicles a year....
PS:Hey, people: Go to Motorweek.org, look up Suzuki SX4 test.... I trust them... I can see the test on tv.Plus, knowing the owners of one makes a big difference!
Thanks. have a great weekend.
take care/not offense(and please try not to be offensive).
PS(again) The old Trackers were more like Tractors in NVH,,, but solid as a rock in reliability. SX4 seems to be the same, but up to others in quality these days(for NVH and looks).
Bryan @ Jun 7th 2007 11:51PM
Don--my thoughts exactly...James...my first thought too...total Sequoia rip off..why? Why would you copy a Toyota for styling? Azrael..the Ranger ring a bell? Duh! Colorado is pretty compact as well. I really do not think this is going to work out. They will probably suffer like Daewoo and have to be bought to stay alive.
Azrael4h @ Jun 8th 2007 1:57AM
Ranger is no longer in production, Colorado is a mid-size with an optional V8. There is no S10/Mighty Max/P'up sized vehicle in the U.S. While some may call the trucks compact, the smaller trucks are larger than my '88 Dakota, the original mid-size. All of them are getting bigger and bigger.
As to Suzuki, they still have very little presence in the U.S. Yes, they are turning around, but look how hard it was to get on track. They almost didn't make it. They've just recently got going good. Isuzu may never have a solid U.S. operation. Daewoo failed, and it was a GM subsidiary.
Mike @ Jun 8th 2007 11:21AM
This could really be big. You go to your dealer, buy one of these chow-mein specials and an hour later you feel like buying another one!
cxvargas @ Jun 8th 2007 4:22PM
I saw some Great Wall China pick up trucks in Iraq and they look just like the old Toyota Tacoma. The silent invasion has just begun.