Chery Automobile sold 305,200 cars in 2006, surging 61 percent
year on year, the highest growth ever recorded by a Chinese-brand
carmaker.
Chery, which was established nine years ago in eastern China's
Anhui Province, saw annual sales growth by more than 100,000 in
2005 and 2006, according to the company.
Chery ranked fourth in volume among passenger vehicle
manufacturers in China last year, according to the China Auto
News website.
Sino-foreign joint ventures, including Shanghai GM, Shanghai
Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, were China's top three producers of
passenger vehicles in 2006.
Auto sales in China have been booming since its accession to the
World Trade Organization in 2001. Car sales in China were up 40
percent last year, according to figures from the China Association
of Automobile Manufacturers.
The US Chrysler Group confirmed last week that it had reached an
agreement in principle with Chery to distribute Chery-made small
vehicles internationally.
Chrysler Group officials said the Chery-made vehicles, which
would be sold under Chrysler Group brands, would attract new
customers among the young and entry-level buyers, two areas in
which Chrysler does not currently compete.
Chery exported 50,000 cars last year, a 178-percent surge from
18,000 in 2005.
(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2007)