Chinese brand cars shining at US auto show

Shanghai, January 13 (Gasgoo.com) On the night of Jan. 11, one of the biggest North American auto shows kicked off at Detroit. Two home-grown Chinese automakers BYD and Brilliance have come to the global auto event and attracted much attention.

On Day one, the plug-in hybrid electric F3DM (F3 Dual Mode) model launched by BYD Auto in the China market in December 2008 was the most viewed new car model at the show, said xinhuanet.com today. The BYD F3DM is China's first mass-produced plug-in electric car model.

As Mitsubishi, Porsche and other global auto companies have pulled out of this auto event amid the financial crisis, the two Chinese automakers are able to display their cars for the first time on the main floor at Cobo Center for the 2009 Detroit auto show.

Besides its recently released first Chinese-made plug-in hybrid electric car F3DM, BYD is showcasing its hybrid F3DM, all-electric E6, CVT and F0 models at the event. Representatives of global automakers such as GM, VW, Toyota and Honda have visited the BYD new-energy vehicles carefully. BYD may sell its hybrid cars in the U.S. by 2011.

Four Brilliance car models - BS6 (Zunchi), Zhonghua Junjie, Brilliance Coupe and Junjie FRV - are also displayed at the Detroit show. Brilliance Auto is speeding up its entry into the U.S. market, and this auto show is a chance to gauge the market interest and approach local distributors.

Brilliance Auto sells its Zhonghua brand of vehicles and builds, among other lines, the 3 Series and 5 Series for Germany's BMW AG to sell in China.