Big policy changes will need to be made before Chery can sell cars in the US. For now, the company is focused on expanding in Southeast Asia and Europe. US politicians are fearful that Chinese brands will hurt the local car industry. The United States remains the world’s second-largest car market in terms of volume, so no one should be shocked that Chinese brands are itching to set up shop here. The executives doing the itching are presumably waiting for tariffs to vanish and restrictions to ease, though whether either of those things actually happens, and on what timeline, is anyone’s guess. Read: One Chinese Automaker Is Closer To Selling Cars In America Than You Think Chery is one of the heavier hitters in the conversation. Its portfolio spans Exeed, iCar, Luxeed, Jetour, Omoda, Jaecoo and the namesake Chery brand among others, and all of them have the US somewhere on the strategic horizon. Speaking with reporters at the company’s Wuhu headquarters in China, Chery International president Zhang Guibing made clear that the question is not whether, but when. “When we find a good and suitable time in the future, we definitely hope to enter ​it,” he said. “Everyone knows ​the American car market is huge… we definitely have the idea of selling ⁠cars in the United States. Everyone definitely has that idea.” After growing rapidly in its home country, Chery has turned its focus to overseas markets, particularly throughout Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Chery is also putting the pieces in place to start selling its cars in Canada later this year, initially focusing on British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Tariffs Are The Ultimate Blockade Importantly, Guibing noted that any potential launch in the US will obviously depend on policies both in the US and China, as well as the company’s own readiness, Reuters reports. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump expressed his openness for Chinese brands to sell their cars in the United States, but only if they commit to building them on local shores and with local labor. However, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have fiercely opposed any idea of Chinese companies starting to sell cars in the US, even if they are manufactured locally. Last month, dozens of House Democrats sent a letter to President Trump asking him to “take any and all decisive action necessary” to prevent Chinese brands from selling their cars locally. They fear that these companies will pose a serious threat to local brands, potentially eroding major parts of the US’s manufacturing sector.
+57 others
