It seems inevitable that eventually a Chinese auto brand is going to live up to its promises and actually sell cars in the US market. Given the stigma that some buyers have towards the country's products, though, questions remain about how to lure customers into dealerships. Would a 30-percent discount compared to segment rivals be enough to get you interested?
If your answer to that question is yes, then there might reason to look forward to the arrival of the Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Company (GAC) here. Wu Song, the automaker's US general manager, laid the strategy out to Automotive News. "Considering the low price, it should be competitive," he said.
According to Song, the company's first US product is slated to be the GS4 crossover, and GAC has a goal of putting the crossover on sale here by 2017. In China, the CUV is offered with 1.3- or 1.5-liter turbocharged engines and is priced at the equivalent of $16,245 and $24,088, according to Automotive News.
Of course, the huge hurdles remain of finding dealers to actually sell them; not to mention all of the necessary government certifications. GAC has been taking baby steps towards greater international recognition for a while, though. The GS4 actually debuted at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show, and the company's vehicles appeared in Transformers 4. Song told Automotive News that he's "90-percent confident" the company can launch its CUV in the US.
Still, launching in the US as an unknown brand from China is sure to be a struggle. Have your say in the poll below about you likelihood of buying a cheap, Chinese vehicle.
If your answer to that question is yes, then there might reason to look forward to the arrival of the Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Company (GAC) here. Wu Song, the automaker's US general manager, laid the strategy out to Automotive News. "Considering the low price, it should be competitive," he said.
According to Song, the company's first US product is slated to be the GS4 crossover, and GAC has a goal of putting the crossover on sale here by 2017. In China, the CUV is offered with 1.3- or 1.5-liter turbocharged engines and is priced at the equivalent of $16,245 and $24,088, according to Automotive News.
Of course, the huge hurdles remain of finding dealers to actually sell them; not to mention all of the necessary government certifications. GAC has been taking baby steps towards greater international recognition for a while, though. The GS4 actually debuted at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show, and the company's vehicles appeared in Transformers 4. Song told Automotive News that he's "90-percent confident" the company can launch its CUV in the US.
Still, launching in the US as an unknown brand from China is sure to be a struggle. Have your say in the poll below about you likelihood of buying a cheap, Chinese vehicle.
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