Chery's millionth car to roll off assembly line in August

The millionth Chery automobile will roll off assembly line by the end of August, making Chery the first homegrown automaker to reach this milestone in China's auto history.

Since the production of the first Qiyun in 2000, Chery has spent less than 8 years (93 months) to achieve this milestone.

It took FAW Volkwagen 13 years and Shanghai GM 8 years to make one millionth vehicle.

Chery's 'conservative goal' for 2007 was to raise its sales by 10,000 units, said Yin Tongyao, chairman and general manager of Chery. "Annual sales would rise to a million automobiles by 2010 from 305,000 last year."

In addition, Chery's exports account for 13% of its sales volume and the automaker is committed to promoting sales volume by establishing new partnerships with automakers worldwide.

Last year, the Anhui province based automaker signed a deal with DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler which allow Chery to build compact cars and export them under the Chrysler brand name.

Chery has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy's Fiat Auto to supply the Italian maker with 100,000 gasoline engines for cars produced both in China and abroad.

Auto experts say Chery's market sensibility has contributed to its success in the highly competitive auto market. The automaker has launched 10 series models in all market segments with products covering sedan, SUV, MPV and etc.