Two Chinese brands whose initial attempts at a European market entry were thwarted by disastrous crash tests conducted by Germany’s ADAC are making renewed attempts at gaining a foothold in Europe.
Brilliance is BMW’s partner in China. In 2007, the German automobile club ADAC tested the Brilliance BS6, awarding it only one star. Despite the vehicle being quickly reworked by Brilliance, and scoring much higher in later tests, the company’s reputation had been ruined. Two years later, ADAC tested the BS4 and gave it an even lower score: zero points. The company’s European sales were insignificant, and a short while later, in November 2009, the company’s European importer HSO went bankrupt.
According to Autohaus Online, the company has decided to make a renewed attack on the European market, and is establishing itself at new headquarters at Ginsheim near Frankfurt under the name Shenhua Europe GmbH, taking its name from Shenhua Holdings, Brilliance’s parent company. The new company’s CEO is former Hyundai Europe manager Eberhard Niering.
The name Landwind is synonymous with Chinese cars performing badly in crash tests in Europe, after ADAC tested the Jiangling Motor Landwind X6. The results were so bad – zero points were awarded - that Jiangling Motor, one of Ford's partners in China, was forced to pull the vehicle out of Europe. That was in 2005.
This week Landwind Europe, the company’s European importer, began sales of the Italian design studio IDEA-designed Landwind CV9 MPV in the Netherlands. The vehicle has European type approval, Euro 5-compiant engines, and Landwind Europe CEO Peter Bijvelds is targeting a three star rating when the vehicle is tested by EuroNCAP. The vehicle is expected to go on sale in Germany next, followed by Belgium and Italy.
