Changfeng Motor paved a new path, becoming the first Chinese automaker to debut a vehicle at the Detroit auto show 
with its Liebao SUV (pictured right with Changfeng Chairman Li Jianxin, right, and an auto show executive).
Changfeng — with a marketing slogan of “Never Makes You Disappointed” – joins a growing list of Chinese automakers who have announced plans to enter the U.S. auto market.
The Wall Street Journal said the Chinese government is pushing hard to establish the country’s industry as a global player.
But the company’s marketing materials supported the view among some analysts that the next wave of imports will face an uphill battle in the near term marketing to skeptical U.S. consumers.
For example, the translation for the Black Giant SUV alerts buyers that “strong power drives the mighty body. You will feel full of momentum and great dignity.”
Of the vehicle’s interior, it features a “true leather seat … designed according to human engineering so you feel very comfortable.”
Changfeng also attempts to explain the SUV’s performance in cold weather and high altitude: “It can ignite under low temperature and anoxia.”
(PHOTO: Reuters)
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Yes - sometimes translation of marketing slogans or engineering concepts sounds awkward when dealing with Asian companies who target English speaking markets. This is certainly true, even today, of Japanese literature I have seen for high quality / well designed vehicles (Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan, …). But don’t be fooled as these awkward words don’t reflect the fact that the products produced can be very competent.
I expect Changfeng to take at least 10 years to have a significant presence in the US, but if they follow Hyundai’s lead, they will eventually slice a respectable piece of the market. And then, the comparison’s to top Japanese manufacturers will be finally made by the media.
- Posted by Al W