奇瑞面向市场新战略

Chinese auto maker Chery Automobiles Co. is aiming to more than triple its total sales by 2012, in part by significantly boosting exports of vehicles from China to emerging markets such as Russia, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Zhang Lin, Chery's general manager for international operations said at a conference in Birmingham Thursday.

Chery is on track to more than double exports of its vehicles from China this year, compared to 2006, and will target emerging markets for further export growth, Zhang said during a presentation to a conference sponsored by J.D. Power and Assoc., the market research and forecasting consultancy.

Zhang said Chery will focus its efforts to expand sales outside China on fast-growing developing markets. Entering the European and U.S. auto markets is 'still an objective for us but more in long-term planning,' he said.

In response to a question, Zhang said Chery is continuing to evaluate the 'advantages of going public versus remaining a state-owned...company.' He didn't elaborate.

Zhang presented a chart that showed Chery sales growing to more than 1.4 million vehicles by 2012, from projected sales of about 500,000 vehicles in 2008. About half of the 2012 total was represented as coming from export sales.

As for the U.S. market, Zhang said Chery wants to be sure that its vehicles are ready to meet safety and regulatory requirements. Chery's image outside China has suffered in recent months in part because of widely distributed videos of one of its models faring poorly in a crash test.

'There's no question the U.S. is the most competitive and most demanding market in the world,' Zhang said. Until Chery is ready, he said, 'we are not coming to the U.S.'

Joseph B. White