Export or Die -- Chinese Automakers are Taking a Hard Look at Europe and the U.S.

The startup Aiways for instance plans to export its midsized U5 electric SUV to Europe for leasing early next year and the US after thatamp160 Like many Chinese automakers it has recruited experienced European executives in this caseamp160the Germanyborn Dr Alexander Klose pictured below whose title is Senior Vice President of Overseas Business OperationsKlose the former CEO of Volvo Cars China was at the Shanghai Motor Show this year and talked about the task ahead with MediaVillageamp160 quotThere is no tradition of leasing in China so we don39t do that here but it will work in Europequot Klose saidamp160 quotWe can also have an electric vehicle with less range in Europe because people don39t travel great distances by car therequotamp160 In March Klose showed off the U5 at the Geneva Motor ShowPrice will be a big sales point for Chinese companies like Aiways in export marketsamp160 That39s especially true when selling electric cars which tend to be expensive because of battery costsamp160 quotLook at our features listquot Klose saidamp160 quotThese are not entrylevel carsamp160 They offer what you39d expect from a premium model but the price is comparable to a similarly equipped internalcombustion carquotThe U5 which begins China sales in September carries a big 65kilowatthour battery pack and delivers 312 miles of range in optimistic European testingamp160 Down the road the company will like Tesla offer battery packs in a range of sizes Klose saidKlose predicted the company will sell only 2000 U5s in 2019 and less than 50000 in 2020amp160 quotWe plan a slow rampupamp160because we want to be sure the quality of the product is therequot he explainedamp160 That39s crucial for export because quality has been the major factor preventing Chinese auto manufacturers that make everything else from establishing beachheads abroadThis was an auto show so Aiways made its bid to get noticed with the U7 concept car a combination SUVvan with such features as an onboard robot 12 screens a refrigerator a table headlights that can shine images reflecting the driver39s mood onto the road and hot and cold drink holdersNio which has been called quotChina39s Teslaquot is a very aggressive Chinese electric brand and has been courting the western press with rideanddrive events in Chinaamp160 Its Shanghai showroom is exclusive with guards who shoo away visitors without appointmentsamp160amp160At the Shanghai show it had one of the largest booths showcasing its EP9 supercar which set record lap times at the Namp252rburgring race track in Germany batteryswapping technology on the current ES8 there39s also a lessexpensive E6 and a new model the ET Preview sedanamp160 That one was shown as a concept but a spokesman said the prototype was 80 percent similar to the upcoming production versionThe ES8 seems ready for discerning western buyersamp160 Its interior is very high tech with an electronic dashboard and a tablettype information screen The infotainment system is excellentNio39s initial focus is the huge Chinese market but it also said it is targeting the US and Europeamp160 A spokesman said there39s quotno clear timetablequot for such exports right nowamp160 The company is currently producing 8000 ES6 and ES8 models per month for domestic consumptionamp160 Itamp160launched an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018 but has run into some headwinds in the form of a lawsuit recently filed in New York alleging that the company mislead investors by among other things not publicizing the fact that its crossovers will be built by Chinese automaker JAC instead of in its own factoriesamp160Nio is touting its ES8 as a Tesla with a Toyota price That would seem to be a slogan that would appeal to western buyers if and when the automaker gets around to exports Though Nio is now being cagey about dates at one time it said it would be selling an allelectric car in the US by 2020 the automaker is certainly making a lot of moves that indicate it wants to be a player beyond its own Chinese bordersWey the luxury brand of the Chinese Great Wall giant was launched in 2016 and is also building SUVs that look exportreadyamp160 Li Yan the company39s marketing chief a veteran of Audi and Volvo said the company will be showing its VV5 and VV6 cars off in Frankfurt in SeptemberYan described the brand as China39s first to concentrate on luxurious SUVs and said that the brand is targeting younger buyersamp160 quotYoung people want the luxury experiencequot she notedamp160 Wey has been selling about 5000 of its VV6 models per month in China and Yan is convinced its cars can compete abroadamp160 quotWhen it comes to quality we are at global levelsquot she saidamp160 quotAnd our price is an advantageamp160 We can control costs very wellquotChinese cars lagged on styling for decades but judging by this year39s Shanghai show that39s changing rapidlyClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers amp160

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Export or Die -- Chinese Automakers are Taking a Hard Look at Europe and the U.S.

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Jim Motavalli

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Export or Die -- Chinese Automakers are Taking a Hard Look at Europe and the U.S.

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