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Brilliance plans US sales as early as 2007
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-04-24 10:05 If these initial steps proceed smoothly, China's vehicle makers could become a force to be reckoned with in the global market, although they still rely heavily on low pricing to attract customers. Brilliance, which also makes BMWs and Minis in a venture in northeast China, is building a new plant for its own-brand cars that will double its capacity of 150,000 units. The group sold 200,000 vehicles, including BMW brands, in 2006 and aims to boost that figure to 300,000 units this year and to 500,000 by 2015, Liu said. "We are restrained by capacity already but we have decided to avoid ramping up too quickly. The best strategy is to grow with the market," he said. He added that Brilliance, having spent at least 10 billion yuan on research and development for its sedans so far, would follow up by investing a similar amount in the next five years. SAIC Motor Corp., a Chinese partner of both General Motors and Volkswagen AG, is spending $1.71 billion to develop its own brands. SAIC, the country's biggest car maker, last year rolled out its first brand of its own, the Roewe, based on acquired technology, and unveiled two more models -- the Roewe W2 and a Shanghai brand fuel-cell car -- at the auto show. Liu did not rule out the possibility that Brilliance would acquire competing brands, domestic or foreign, when the opportunity arises. "Some have already made big strides down that road and we would do likewise when we grow bigger," he said. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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