Geely CK

Chery is not the only Chinese carmaker dreaming of conquering the American market. Geely, from the Zhejiang province of China, is the first Chinese builder to actually have an exhibit at any North American car show.

The company began in 1986 and their original speciality was refrigerators followed by motorcycle parts. It only seems logic that building cars was to be the next step... Geely has actually established trade relationships with many European and Asian countries. It has even done the same with the United States. This company has been exporting cars since 2003 to the Middle East, Central and South America as well as Africa.

The displayed model is a 5-door hatchback with a 1.5L 4-cylinder, which has a city rating of 25 mpg. Its outer dimensions position it between the Toyota Yaris and the Hyundai Accent. The company is not scheduled to make its way onto the US market until late 2008 or early 2009.

The founder, M. Li Shufu, wants to make all models conform to american standards within the next 18 months.  The future models would be sold by already established dealerships.