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Geely is racing with at least one other Chinese automaker, Chery Automobile Co., to break into the U.S. market. Chery’s effort is led by longtime U.S. auto executive Malcolm Bricklin, who has delayed his launch plans amid difficulty signing up dealers and other hurdles.
“We don’t care who’s first,” Harmer said. Instead, Geely cares about developing a car U.S. consumers will embrace and the Chinese Government will clear for export, Harmer said. He insisted Geely “will not be embarrassed” by a poorly executed export.
Geely has talked to more than 200 U.S. dealers or interested entrepreneurs who have approached the company about selling its vehicles. Harmer said Geely is close to establishing West Coast and East Coast ports, after which the company will start mapping its retail network.
Geely also is initiating talks with auto-parts suppliers with U.S. operations about sourcing parts to China for U.S.-bound automobiles.
Harmer said the company is poised to eventually move beyond the U.S. to market vehicles in other developed countries, including Canada. For now, though, Geely is focused squarely on the United States, he said.
Harmer said Geely chairman Li Shufu told him recently, “if we can qualify for the American market, we can qualify anywhere.”
The potential emergence of Chinese car companies in the United States adds to the concerns facing Detroit automakers.
Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. are in the midst of decade-long market-share slides at home that are leading to multibillion-dollar losses in North American operations. Asian automakers have eroded Detroit’s former U.S. market dominance, and Chinese automakers could tighten the race further.
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