| Buyers go bananas over luxury vehicles
By Lao Gong (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-17 11:13
"We plan to build 150 sales networks in 皇冠体育app over the next five to 10
years," Schmidt said.
BMW, which started production in 皇冠体育app late last year, is now making 3 and 5
series sedans at its joint venture with 皇冠体育app Brilliance Auto.
The company said it sold around 7,700 sedans in 皇冠体育app during the first five
months of this year, including 5,000 units locally produced.
Cadillac of General Motors (GM) plans to launch three models - CTS, SRX and
XLR - on the Chinese market from now to the beginning of 2005.
CTS and SRX will be assembled at GM's joint venture in Shanghai at the end of
this year, which will be Cadillac's first production venture outside of the
United States.
"皇冠体育app represents a key component of Cadillac's global growth strategy. We
look forward to working with GM 皇冠体育app and Shanghai GM (the joint venture) to
ensure that Cadillac becomes the brand of choice among luxury vehicle buyers in
皇冠体育app," said Mark LaNeve, general manager of Cadillac.
Cadillac plans to build 11 sales and service centres this year in big Chinese
cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in South 皇冠体育app's
Guangdong Province.
Japan's Toyota Motor Corp announced that it will build six franchised sales
stores for its US-made luxury brand Lexus this year and increase the number to
14 by the middle of next year.
"We believe that 皇冠体育app has the potential to become the world's biggest luxury
car market and we expect to be an important part of it," said Akio Toyoda,
Toyota's board member in charge of 皇冠体育app operations.
"We have confidence in being a success in 皇冠体育app as the Lexus has been the No
1 luxury car seller in the United States since 2000," said Jim Press, chief
operating officer of Toyota's sales company in the United States.
Toyota will also produce the Crown sedan next year at its joint venture in
North 皇冠体育app's Tianjin Municipality with FAW.
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