Geely Comes to America!

jchan2

"The Chinese are coming, The Chinese are coming!"

Geely revealed its plans to enter to US market sometime this Fall. (I think that's when)

Discuss the first wave of "Made in China" el cheapo automobiles here.

merc1

I saw this pitiful little thing in Detroit a few weeks ago. Since then I've read where the car on display isn't the one that will go on sale in late 2007 as a 2008 model. I would hope not because the car on display at the Detroit autoshow was gawd-awful in just about every respect. It looked like a 20 year old Japanese car. In its current form it would be a huge flop in the U.S. market, an even bigger one that Yugo was.

M

jchan2

It looked terrible to me too, but if they were selling them brand new for $500 I'd take one. If it broke down, who cares? I'd throw it away and find myself another one.

Just like computers...

How were you able to see it? I was in Detroit and I didn't catch it. Granted, I was there for the public show. Did you go on one of the industry preview days, or did you have press credentials?

merc1

On the day I was there they had a little stand outside of the main hall with it on display. It was in a corner outside the main hall at Cobo. On the second day I was there they had it behind a curtain. Why I have no idea other than to be ashamed of it...lol!!

M

jchan2

What day were you there? I was there the first Sunday and no Geely in sight!

merc1

I was there right after you, that Monday and Tuesday. It was Tuesday I saw the Geely behind a curtain at the end of the hall. It was on the opposite end of the Saleen display. I wonder why Saleen doesn't get a spot inside? Pretty cold and miserable place to be looking at cars in that hallway/door area.

M

jchan2

They must have rolled it back out or something because in the airport waiting for my flight home Sunday evening I was reading the Detroit paper and they reported that Geely had wisked away their display before the public was let in.

merc1

Yeah I saw a program in which their name had been covered up, but the car was still there. They weren't really excitied about showing it. Just a few of us were like standing around and took a peek. Trust me you didn't miss a thing!

M

anythngbutgm

Maybe Geely found out that visitors would actually have to sit in the thing and it might collapse under the load of a 10 yr old child? Or they were scared that "Car nuts" might actually be able to place the regurgitated motor from the 76' Monza that was duct taped to the tin frame underneath?

Nah, they must have changed their mind about entering the N.A. car market and scaled back their efforts to prove they could make a better flower box than a Yugo at half the price instead.

bigworld2000

Japanese cars were a joke when they first entered the market. So were the early German imports for that matter. Give Geely a few years.

jchan2

Which corner of the entrance hall was it in? Where was it exactly?

And in the airport that article in the Detroit Free Press was just ripping Geely apart.

merc1

Like at the opposite end of where Saleen was.

M

anythngbutgm

Yes, but with 30 years of improvment and proven quality/durability/reliability, Honda/Toyo deserve the respect they've earned. But look at other "first timers" Even in 2006, there are people who won't give Hyundai a second look based on the 86' Excel. They are making inroads yes, but Toyo/Honda like success and respect is still being earned even by Hyundai Motor.

Opposite results for some of the other transplants like Yugo, Fiat, Alfa and more recently Daewoo. Heck even Kia has a black cloud over its vehicles that they are even trying to shake.

If Geely believes that a similar approach to the market is a good one, and that falters will be forgiven over time, good luck to them... The current market is brutal, some of the most reliable products are coming from the current crop of car makers here in the U.S. and I HIGHLY doubt there will be many risk takers for these new Geely cars.

jchan2

Well here's a risk taker.

If they offer a brand new car at under $6000 my son might be a taker also depending on how cheap it is and how long the warranty is

anythngbutgm

Doesn't safety play a part in your decision? 6k can get you a lot of safe preowned choices out there. Choices with a PROVEN track record.

Geely HAS no record at the moment. Wouldn't want to be a guinea pig no matter how cheap it is. Hey, it's your choice though.

gilbynziggy

think about it. safety is a concern for everyone. and geely will obviously have to meet if not exceed national regulations. i am so proud of geely for wanting to take a stand in the states.
i love kia. their cars today are amazing. more reliable than anything a US automaker offers. yes they are still trying to make end meet. they always have something about them that is a decade behind honda/toyota/nissan. but i thik the majority of people out they, if given a choice, would rather buy a kia/hyundai than a mitsubishi/suzuki/isuzu/subaru. kia/hundai beats all of them, and honestly, i think they might have surpassed nissan.
kia/hyundai are on the coat tails of honda & toyota, and good for them. i love the new rio5, the Rio Cinco was a better name, but whatcha gonna do? the Cinco had a horrible interior, and not the rio5 has a great interior (for its price) the only problem is the stupid black cladding lined above the bumpers, the cinco beats the new model in exterior styling just for that. and, i've read in several place that the new rio5 beats the new fit and versa, so more props out to kia.
yay.
from,
--Rob.

jchan2

Any new news on them?

The more times I visit Malcolm Bricklin's Visionary Vehicles website, the more aggressive he gets in trying to get people to sign up and sell his cars.

merc1

For some reason I just don't think this venture will ever come to be and if it does it will fail if the cars shown so far are the ones he intends to sell here.

M

jchan2

I think that his idea of having each dealer put up 2 million dollars up front as an investment into Visionary Vehicles is scaring some dealerships from jumping on board.

His reputation with the Yugo doesn't help either.

That hardtop convertible looks nice, especially if he can do it at the promised $19K starting price.

dialm4speed

Americans have proven they will buy any imported crap over domestics. :confuse:

geely1

I just wanted to add in since so many people put down the Geely car that the motor in the Geely cars is a Toyota motor. the blue print of the motor and other parts were sold from Toyota to Geely holdings.

jchan2

seen Malcolm Bricklin's site? He's changed his story from the Chinese cars over to plug in Hybrids.

I wonder what happened to the few dealerships that signed on to sell the Chinese cars...

ricardohead

Here's a pic of their new car from their marketing campaign....

cybersavage

Let's hope it's built better than this pos:

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/22/brilliance-bs6s-adac-crash-test-is-anything-b- ut/

jepontiac

Maybe I am crazy, but the Geely Tiger coupe is really growing on me. It has some classic coupe lines, but yet some bold, new, and orginal stylings. I can't believe I am saying this, but I actually may have found the first Chinese car that I might be willing to consider buying.

P.S. When I here Tiger, I think GTO, and I wish the latest iteration had looked more like this tiger. It is cutting on the razor's edge.

paisan

got a link?

-mike

jepontiac

These pics are from Edmund's InsideLine:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/MediaNav/articleId=125361/firstNav=Gallery/- photoId=53463

enjoy.

torino17

I live in Toronto, Canada, and recently saw a yellow Geely Panda with badging from the Zenn motor company parked in a lot near yonge and eglinton (midtown). I don't know if this is genuinely Chinese-made, but it looks identical to the white panda usually seen in press photos, except for the ZENN badges, and I know that the ZENN motor co does not make anything like this. What is going on?

hugo_diego007

i am not sure, but maybe you can find some pics in gochinaauto

jepontiac

0patience

Well, if you think that the US will allow a vehicle to be released into the US without meeting the safety standards, that won't happen.
As for people buying the panda, if it is released into the US, they will.
The $4,000-$6,000 price range that is to be expected will mean that these cars will flood high school and college parking lots, not to mention metro areas.
As for the looks, the Smart Car has proven that a large amount of people don't care about looks.

People have tried comparing the Geely to the Yugo, but the big difference is that the Geely is made by a country that knows how to manufacture. The Yugo wasn't.
There were those who declared that Hyundai and Kia were doomed to failure in the US too. Look at them now.

Believe what you want, but if the Panda hits the market at $4-$6k, then I see it selling well, regardless of what one believes.
From an economic standpoint, if the vehicle sold for for around $4800, on a 48 month loan with high interest (8-9%), the payments would be just over $100/month. That would make this vehicle very appealing in a lot of people's eyes.