China Invades Small Caucasus Town
China’s Geely has joined other manufacturers such as Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Kia, and Toyota, and launched a production line in Russia. Geely opened a plant in Russia’s Caucasus republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, China’s state news agency Xinhua reports.
Russian car company Derways has already started assembling Geely-brand vehicles, and wants to have finished 1,100 units by the end of February. The annual production of Geely will be no lower than 12,000 units. Derways was launched by a local vodka producer in 2004, and is turning into a manufacturing hub for the Chinese.
A year ago, the company started CKD production for Lifan cars. Derways is also scheduled to manufacture for other Chinese brands such as Great Wall Motors, Chery and Haima. The total annual output of the Derways company is estimated to reach 100,000 units.
If you want one of the cars for cheap, move to Cherkessk: Local residents get a discount.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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A car builder owned by a vodka concern? This brings a whole new meaning to the term "Drink-Drive" ... Given the area, I wouldn't be surprised to see buyer's incentive promotions like "Buy a car, get a fifth of 150 proof."