Chinese manufacturer Changfeng Motor was back at the Detroit show again this week and chairman Li Jianxian said the company was looking to set up SKD manufacturing in Europe as well.
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He wouldn’t give any details, but confirmed that Changfeng was now looking at launching in Europe as well as North America, perhaps as early as late 2009. It is looking for a partner to assemble the cars in Europe.
At Detroit, two new models were unveiled – a new SUV called the Liebao CS7 and Chenagfeng’s first passenger car, a compact MPV called Kylin, styled by Italy’s Pininfarina.
More significantly, this year Changfeng toned down the hype. Last year the company showed a rather laughable ‘propaganda film’ of its operations – this year it had a much slicker presentation, while the new models appeared to be better built and finished than the ones shown in 2007.
Li said the company wanted to become a global player.
“Changfeng must step out of our comfort zone into global competition,” he said. “It is the only way to establish ourselves as a truly global player.”
Both the CS7 and the larger Liebao CS6, shown last year, are now on sale in China, and Li said the company planned to launch two new models every year.
Li said Changfeng would make a Detroit appearance a regular event – and promised to reveal exact details of the company’s US launch plans at the 2009 event.
“We are investigating how best to come to the US,” he said. “We are hopeful we could be present in the market within two years.”
