Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Co Ltd (GAC) was a major newsmaker at the North American International Auto Show this week as it announced aspirationsto begin selling vehicles in the United States at the end of 2019.

GAC also announced at the Detroit, Michigan show that it will drop the brand name it uses for a car in China when it enters the US market because it could be confused with US President Donald Trump's surname.

The automaker headquartered in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, wants to become the first Chinese company to sell Chinese-branded vehicles in the United States.

GAC established an R&D center last April in Silicon Valley, California.GAC plans to open a second R&D center in the Detroit area in the first half of 2018 as well as a design studio in Los Angeles.

The automaker plans to establish a sales company and attend the National Auto Dealers Association's annual show in March to recruit potential dealers to sell GAC vehicles in the US.