Brilliance Plans to Begin U.S. Sales in 2008

Brilliance is looking to begin exports of its BS6 D-segment sedan to the U.S. market by early 2008 at the latest, according to President Zhingang Liu. Speaking to Reuters, Liu said, "We are making preparations currently and hope to ship the first batch of BS6s to the United States late this year or in early 2008." However, there was no further information as to whether Brilliance had signed a deal with a local importer, or on the BS6's pricing in the U.S. market. Brilliance launched the BS6 in Europe at March's Geneva Motor Show (Switzerland), having agreed a deal with HSO Motors Europe to act as the company's European importer (see Europe: 9 March 2007: Tata and Brilliance Auto to Launch Cars in Europe ). The first BS6 models should go on sale in mainland Europe in the next few weeks priced between 19,000 euro (US$ 25,831) and 23,000 euro.

Significance: Chinese carmakers face considerable obstacles as they look to achieve significant sales in either the U.S. or European marketplaces. There are concerns over Brilliance's ability to meet the latest emissions standards in either market, although the company has recently announced the production of its own self-developed 1.8-litre turbocharged gasoline (petrol) engine. Customers will also be wary about safety, reliability and quality standards. However, Brilliance is a hugely ambitious company, and while the BS6 currently lags behind U.S. and European standards in terms of quality, the model may find buyers if it is priced aggressively enough. However, developing a dealership and service network of sufficient quality to maintain customer satisfaction in these markets will be a formidable challenge.