- Title: BELGIUM: FIRST SHIPMENT OF CHINESE 4 WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES ARRIVE IN EUROPE
- Date: 5th July 2005
- Summary: (BN16)ANTWERP, BELGIUM (JULY 05, 2005)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF "UNIVERAL SPIRIT" SHIP WITH CHINESE CARS DRIVING OUT OF SHIP. 0.05 2. VARIOUS OF CHINESE SUV'S SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLES OF MAKE "LANDWIND" DRIVING OFF SHIP. 0.53 3. VARIOUS OF CHINESE "LANDWIND" CARS BEING PARKED WITH CARGO SHIP IN BACKGROUND 1.02 4. CLOSE OF 4X4 SIGN ON VEHICLE 1.07 5. CLOSE OF ROW OF CHINESE CARS PARKED UP 1.08 6. CLOSE OF TURBO SIGN ON DOOR 1.11 7. SLV CHINESE OFFICIAL CHEN YIN SHEN MEETING DUTCH CAR DEALER AND IMPORTER PETER BLIJVELDS AND SHAKING HANDS. 1.21 8. ZOOM IN ON BLIJVELDS AND YIN CHEN INSPECTING CARS. 1.28 9. PAN FROM LANDWIND CHINESE CAR TO PEOPLE INSPECTING CARS. 1.35 10. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) DUTCH CAR DEALER AND IMPORTER PETER BLIJVELDS SAYING: "The cost of the car will be different in each country, because of VAT and luxury taxes. But for instance, like in Germany, prices will be starting from 15,000 to 16,000 Euros. And then you have a complete car with air conditioning, climate control, leather seats, everything electric. So a very complete car, we also want to keep it that way, so we can give the customer a lot of car with a lot of extras for a very low and reasonable amount of money.' 2.07 11. CLOSE OF CHINESE LETTERS ON ENGINE AND MOTOR COMPARTMENT 2.15 12. CLOSE OF ABS SYSTEM INSIDE VEHICLE 2.17 13. SLV BLIJVELDS AND YIN SHEN LOOKING UNDER HOOD/ BONNET OF VEHICLE AT ENGINE 2.21 14. CLOSE OF ENGINE 2.28 15. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) CHINESE OFFICIAL YIN SHEN ABOUT CRITICISM THAT CHEAP CHINESE PRODUCTS DESTROY EUROPEAN MARKETS, SAYING: "No, I don't think that Chinese products are too cheap. Chinese products represents real value in the markets. I think that European products ask too much money. Actually, it is too expensive. They should have reduced the margins sometimes and go into the real free market to combine each other. That is more important. The Chinese car is actually good quality and price is OK in the market." 2.53 16. ZOOM OUT FROM "LANDWIND" MARK ON DOORSTEP TO INTERIOR OF CHINESE CAR. 3.03 17. CLOSE OF SLOPE INDICATOR ON DASHBOARD. 3.06 (BN16) ERP, NETHERLANDS (FILE - MARCH 2005)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 18. WIDE OF "LANDWIND" CHINESE CAR ON THE ROAD IN THE DISTANCE 3.07 19. SLV "LANDWIND" DRIVING TOWARDS THE CAMERA 3.15 20. SLV THE CAR DRIVING AWAY WITH THE CLEAR SIGN "LANDWIND" 3.24 21. VARIOUS OF POTENTIAL BUYERS INSPECTING THE VEHICLE 3.43 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 20th July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ANTWERP, BELGIUM/ERP, NETHERLANDS
- City:
- Country: Netherlands
- Reuters ID: LVAAWYGS8CQFW118MM01ZKVX1NV
- Story Text: First shipment of Chinese 4 wheel drive vehicles arrives in Europe to
take on local car manufacturers.
The first Chinese SUV drove into Europe on Tuesday (July 5) after
the arrival of a cargo shipment ordered by an importer confident of selling
thousands of the model across the continent because of its cheap price.
The first of 200 Landwind sports utility vehicles (SUVs) drove off the
dock at the Belgian port of Antwerp where the shipment arrived earlier in the
day.
Peter Bijvelds, the Dutch car dealer who ordered the five-door SUVs,
said he had already sold them all.
The sales had taken only three weeks.
At nearly half the price of its nearest competitor, Bijvelds was
confident he could sell about 2,000 this year -- twice the number outlined in
his contract with the manufacturer, Jiangling Landwind Motor of Jiangling
Motors Group.
"Prices will start from 15,000 to 16,000 Euros. Then you have
a complete car with air conditioning, climate control, leather seats, etc. so
a very complete car. We can give the customer a lot of car with a lot of
extras for a very low and reasonable amount of money," Bijvelds told
Reuters.
Bijvelds has already sold another 100 of the model in the Netherlands
and is holding talks to set up a distribution network in Belgium before
expanding across Europe.
Priced at about 17,000 euros after taxes in the Netherlands, the SUV is
likely to be the last thing that Europe's car makers want to see on the road
given the weak demand for their own models and excess capacity at their
plants.
Bijvelds has a 5-year exclusive deal with Jiangling to sell the SUV in
27 European countries. The next shipment of 400 cars will arrive in
September.
His dealership, based in the south-eastern Dutch village of Erp, has
made slight alterations to the vehicle to meet Europe's strict emissions
standards.
To mark the first exportation of Chinese cars to Europe ever, as
representative of the mayor of Nan Chang (Jiang Xi province), Chen Yin Shen,
made the trip from his home city.
Nan Chang is home to the car plant of Jiangling Motors Group where
the Landwind is produced.
22,000 people produce over 100,000 cars every year in Jiangling
factory.
When asked about criticism that cheap Chinese products could destroy
local markets, Yin Shen told Reuters: "No, I don't think that Chinese
products are too cheap. Chinese products represents real value in the markets.
I think that European products ask too much money. Actually, it is too
expensive. They should have reduced the margins sometimes and go into the real
free market to combine each other. That is more important. The Chinese car is
actually good quality and price is OK in the market."
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