HAPPY LIFE WITH GEELY At least that’s what it says on the Chinese carmaker’s press kit, a one-page extravaganza unaccompanied by the customary CD filled with images and specs. Geely, of course, is the latest in a rash of contenders to be the first Chinese-manufactured automobile sold in the United States. In a refreshing change of pace after the Chrysler intro that involved elaborate stage production, an artificial snowstorm that left a good 2 in. of confetti on the show floor, and most of the journos here attending.By contrast, Geely was relegated to a modest booth in the hallway, and its simple presentation was brief and to the point. The car exhibited was equally modest, a bland four-door propelled by a 1.6-liter four-banger. Of course, this car, is not designed to meet current emissions or crash standards and will never see our shores–nor will Geely’s next generation, already close to production. That says to us that we can’t possibly see a Shanghai-based Geely here for at least five years. Management isn’t even recruiting a dealership network yet, and claims it won’t until it has a product that’s actually legal to sell. Well, at least that means they’re being realistic and serious. And maybe we’ll actually see Geely cars here eventually.This is entirely different from that other Chinese car we’ve seen in the papers. Malcom Bricklin’s Visionary Vehicles has run into a few snags with manufacturer Chery—starting with a failure to come up with enough investment capital to actually develop a car for U.S. consumption. Seems Bricklin has signed up only half the dealers he needs (at $2M a pop) to underwrite the operation. Sounds like a giant chain letter to us. To compound his difficulties, General Motors has successfully blocked the selling of cars bearing the Chery nameplate in much of the world, contending that one of the Chinese vehicles is an outright copy of a GM product. Also, GM asserts the Chery name sounds too much like Chevy (well, maybe in Chinese), and customers may be confused. Uh, huh.–MIke AllenDetroit 1: Dodge Challenger ConceptDetroit 2: Ford Edge, Shelby GT500, Sport Trac and Reflex ConceptDetroit 3: Infiniti Coupe ConceptDetroit Live 4: Car and Truck Of The YearDetroit Live 5: Hyundai Santa Fe and Talus ConceptDetroit Live 6: Dodge Challenger and Chrysler Imperial Concepts Revealed, Plus Mercedes’ GLDetroit 7: Ford Super Chief and Lincoln MKS Concepts, Plus Lincoln MKXDetroit 8: Chevy Camaro ConceptDetroit Live 9: Mazda Kabura and Toyota F3R ConceptsDetroit Live 10: Honda Fit and GM’s ‘Staff Meeting’ Press ConferenceDetroit Live 11: Buick Enclave ConceptDetroit 12: Jeep Wrangler and CompassDetroit 13: Nissan Sentra and Urge ConceptDetroit Live 14: Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder and Concept-CTDetroit Live 15: Lexus LS 460/460LDetroit 16: Chrysler Aspen and Dodge CaliberDetroit Live 17: Acura RDXDetroit Live 18: Aston Martin Rapide Concept, Kia Optima and Soul ConceptDetroit Live 19: Audi Roadjet Concept, S6 and S8Detroit Live 20: BMW M RoadsterThe Geely Ziyoujian (Free Cruiser) sells in China for less than $5000. PHOTO COURTESY EDMUNDS.COM
