Geely and BYD Cars in Europe Starting in 2010

Austrian car dealer Denzel will be the first to sell Chinese cars in Europe as the dealership will begin importing cars built by Geely and BYD Auto from 2010. The three parties signed partnerships in 2008 but the Chinese manufacturers are still encountering difficulties when trying to comply with European safety regulations.

According to gasgoo.com quoting Austrian newspaper kurier, the dealership is awaiting for the two automakers to launch a series of models tweaked for the European markets that would pass Euro NCAP crash tests. This could happen in 2010, dealership officials said.

Chinese manufacturers are getting more and more involved in non-Chinese auto sectors, with Geely and BAIC the best two examples in this matter. Both companies were deeply involved in selling processes of important European brands, including Saab and Opel, but failed to reach a deal due to a number of issues, including intellectual property rights.

Geely on the other hand is currently hunting Volvo whose owner, Ford, insisted the Swedish brand needs a new investor to stay in business. According to various reports, Geely has already submitted a takeover proposal through which it is offering up to $2 billion for the Swedish unit but a decision is yet to be made.

Furthermore, it might seem like parent company Ford intends to delay the selling process and wait until General Motors finally sells Opel to one of the two interested suitors, Magna or RHJ. The reason is quite simple: it wants to invite the losing bidder to buy Volvo and thus, gain more money by bringing Geely a powerful company to fight against.