May A Tata Or A Chery Be In Your Future?

Chery Automobile Sales Company announced that Chery S16 will be marketed under the names “QQme”, pronounced “QQ mi”. This name sounds smart and fashionable, was from thousands of recommendations of Chery employees, QQ drivers and vendors. Chery QQme was designed by Enrico Fumia, the chief designer of Lancia, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari F90. Pricing in China is only about $2, 940. Caption and Image Credit: chinacarfans.com

May A Tata Or A Chery Be In Your Future?

The Tata, made in India, or the Chery, made in China, may actually become names that American's get to know if 15% of car purchasers can have their way.

That's right, in a newly released study, fifteen percent of new car buyers in the United States say they would consider purchasing their next vehicle from China, and eleven percent or so would consider buying a car from India. The people surveyed were all were so confident, that they even would purchase a car made from these countries without knowing specific brands or vehicles before hand.

If you think this is far fetched, the same study measured found that even though Korean manufacturers like Kia and Hyundai have been selling cars into the US market for about a couple of decades, the American consumer would buy a car model sight unseen at about a sixteen percent response.

As the flagship of all Chinese automakers, Chery have passed its 11th year, and Chery cars had become the first choice of many Chinese people. Until recently, Chery did not have any high-end brand names, but this status changed last March 19th, 2009 when Chery’s high-end brand Riich was introduced. the Chery high-end sedans and commercial cars will be produced using the Riich brand added to the Chery, Rely and Karry brand names for cars to be marketed by the company. Caption and Image Credit: chinacarfans.com

Based on a national survey of more than 30,000 new car and truck buyers, AutoPacific’s 2009 Research Suite database reveals insights into the willingness of Americans to consider cars and trucks coming from China and India. The just-released study – “Opportunity for Chinese and Indian Brands in the USA” –provides new insight into who these consumers are and what they’re looking for in their next car or truck.

“Not only are a significant number of people willing to consider Chinese and Indian brands, this group consists of highly desirable buyers who would be coveted by any manufacturer. They tend to be young, well-educated, and affluent for their age and have good jobs in administrative, health care and middle management positions,” added Peterson.

Tata Nano - The world’s cheapest car, measuring at a mere 10.2 feet in length, goes on sale next month in India. (And I thought the Smart car was small… geez.) Manufactured by Tata Motors, the Nano will retail for just over $2,000.00, making new car shopping affordable to a whole new demographic in India. Caption & Image Credit: carsdiva.wordpress.com

The study shows Chinese and Indian considerers are more likely to currently own a Japanese or a Korean brand car, indicating that these brands may have the most competition from the new entries, rather than domestic brands like Chrysler, Ford and GM. The study also revealed that while those who would consider a car from China and India rate reliability and durability high, they are not as interested in the dynamics of a vehicle like handling, braking and acceleration.

George Peterson, president of automotive research firm AutoPacific and author of the study states, “With so many premium and high-tech non-automotive products already being made in China and purchased by Americans, why not automobiles too? It appears that buyers in America are willing to give Chinese and Indian vehicles a chance right out of the box. Understanding these consumers will be critically important to the success of any newcomer.”
(ht: AutoPacific)

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