Chinese brand Zotye signs 19 US dealers.

Last Updated:

Chinese car maker Zotye might be the first Chinese brand in the US.
After so many years of claims, teases etc from so many others…

This completely unknown name to most of us could end up being the very first one here.

They have signed 19 US dealers, and plan over 300 more eventually.
The first ones will be in California and Maryland.

What’s a “Zotye”???
Here are a couple of models that could end up over here in 2020:

This one is called the T700.
And it looks fine. Nothing very special, but at least as good looking as many other SUVs.
It came out in 2016. So nothing all new. (But better than their T600 model that is 3 years older)
Not a small car, since it is about 7 inches longer than the Mazda CX-5.
It is a mid-sized SUV powered by a 2.0 Liter engine and a 6 speed automatic.

They also have this newer and slightly smaller T500.
Powered by a 1.5 Liter engine.
They also have many other models, but most of them much older. Or super boring looking sedans. (Which I am sure they will not bring over here.)
Not sure what to think of this yet. 

If they don’t offer something new, it’ll be really tough for them. Especially these days where more

people might have a negative view of Chinese products in the US.
(Which is ridiculous since every single electronic product we buy has a Chinese connection)
Maybe the price would be the incentive. At least at first. It was for Hyundai with the “$5000 Hyundai Excel” a long time ago.
What do you think?
Will Zotye really be the first Chinese brand sold in the US?
( I do not count the Chinese models imported by GM or Volvo)

Conversation 8 comments

  1. So, how big is it?

    Using a CX-5 as the SUV to be measured against is silly.
    I live in a snow area.
    I don't remember the last time I saw a CX-5.
    There's a Mazda dealer about 8 miles from me.
    The only thing I do see are CX-9s.
    And not a lot of those.

    So, a little bigger than an Ford Eco Sport?

  2. It's not terrible, a little derivative like Korean manufacturers. Looks better than the XT6, haha. I'm curious how repairs/warranty servicing would work.

  3. I see Explorer, Evoque and Jag put together into an unholy mess. Good luck with that…. Not sure what I would trust less, a Fiat or a first time in North America Chinese car company launch experiment,

  4. But why?? About the only thing a totally unknown Chinese brand could bring to the (crowded) table is low price. Anyone remember the Hyundai Pony? It took Hyundai years to recover from that disaster. Even though the average consumer has never heard of Geely, at least they could market their Volvo connection. Zotye, they got nuttin.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *