It’s the latest effort to bring passenger vehicles
designed in China to the United States, but
other efforts so far have seen limited success.
GAC Motor of China has appeared at the last
two Detroit auto shows to tout plans to enter
the American market. But its plans have been
delayed until June of this year.
General Motors Co. and Sweden’s Volvo Cars
export Chinese-made vehicles to the United
States. China’s BYD Auto sells battery-powered
buses to U.S. transit companies.
Other Chinese brands have announced U.S.
sales plans but have struggled to meet safety
and emissions standards.
HAAH of Irvine, California, says it will sell
Geely-designed autos under the Vantas
brand name. The company will develop a
U.S. dealership network and have flexible
online sales. HAAH will be recruiting dealers
at the National Automobile Dealers
Association convention, which starts later
this week in Las Vegas.
Chery and HAAH are reviewing sites for a
U.S. factory but have not reached a decision,
the company said. It is considering existing
buildings as well as undeveloped sites.
Initially the SUVs will be assembled from
kits to hit HAAH’s on-sale target date. But
the plant will move to full manufacturing
over time, HAAH said. The company didn’t
give an estimate of how many people the
factory will employ.
HAAH also has a partnership with Chinese
automaker Zotye Auto, which plans to start
selling vehicles in the United States in 2020.