The Chinese in Detroit: they who laugh last, laugh best...

Geely CK 7151

Detroit, Michigan - A boring presentation, a Chinese guy who barely speaks English, journalists with a mock smile, a door handle that doesn't want to hang in place... There's one word to describe what Changfeng, the first-ever Chinese automaker to unveil a vehicle in Detroit, inspired: condescension.

But they who laugh last, laugh best...

Let's go back to the 2006 NAIAS: for the first time ever, a Chinese automaker -- Geely -- attended a North American auto show. But they weren't in the main exhibition hall, with GM, Toyota and the likes. Rather, they had their stand in the lobby, separated from everyone else. Anyhow, the CK 7151 sedan caught our attention... even though its representative spent most of his time picking up the indecipherable Chinese badging that fell from the trunk to the floor.

Historic unveiling

"We plan on selling our first few SUVs in North America by 2009," said Changfeng's GM.

Fast forward to Detroit 2007: this time, there's a Chinese manufacturer in the main hall. And despite being in the basement with a bunch of accessory retailers, Changfeng still was optimistic about launching the first-ever Chinese car on our shores.

Before admiring the Liebao CS6 and Feibao CT5, we had to endure a long speech by the president of Changfeng, JianXin Li, who kept butchering Shakespeare's language. We still managed to learn that the Hunan-based automaker (the same province where Mao Zedong was born) started its operations in 1950 with the military defense.

China's SUV market: virtually non-existent...
The company made headway 10 years ago by signing an agreement with Mitsubishi. Changfeng now builds the Mitsubishi Pajeros to be sold in China in addition to their own Liebao SUVs (including the Black Giant CFA and the CS). In fact, they brag about being one of the top domestic SUV manufacturers, with 33 percent of market shares.

Only problem: in China, the SUV market is virtually non-existent, accounting for barely 5 percent of all vehicle sales. Actually, it was the only market segment to lose ground in 2006.

So, 33 percent of that small market would mean that Changfeng only had to sell 40,000 units last year. The entire Chinese auto industry represents over 7 million units!

Recalcitrant door handle

Changfeng representatives try to glue back in place the recalcitrant door handle of the Feibao CT5 pickup truck.

We could laugh at Changfeng, who wants to increase their "global" production capacity to 200,000 units by 2010. After all, Toyota will be rolling out twice as much vehicles from their Ontario facilities alone (when the second projected plant is built).

We could also laugh at Changfeng's goals in North America when seeing that new yellow Liebao CS6. The sides are reminiscent of the Toyota 4Runner and the tailgate, of the Honda CR-V.

Finally, we could laugh at their black Feibao CT5 pickup truck, of which a door handle fell into the hands of journalist. Long, awkward minutes were necessary for the Changfeng representatives to glue the recalcitrant piece back in place...