Great Wall Cars to be Imported in Europe by U.K. Dealer

The much talked about Chinese-built passenger cars will make they way in Europe in the near future, as United Kingdom distributor I.M. Group said it will begin sales of the Great Wall models.After scoring some very poor results in crash tests according to the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) and its Australian counterpart (ANCAP) rumors started to spread about the poor built quality of Chinese passenger cars. People began to fear these cars won’t be safe at all and shouldn’t even be imported into Europe.

But as the price aspect is starting to show a growing importance in consumer demand and as you have to maintain a free market, the Chinese automotive companies seem keen on pushing forward with their car development in order to start penetrating the global markets.

I.M. Group didn’t mention which Great Wall models it will sell, but said the Chinese automaker has designed and built models specifically for the European market and its various technical, safety and reliability standards.

“This will ensure that Great Wall models deliver high standards of crash-worthiness, equal to those of modern European and Japanese vehicles,” I.M. Group said in a statement.

The company said it will first start distribution of Great Wall cars in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2010 and begin import for the U.K., Ireland and Scandinavian region from 2011.

According to a report by Autonews.com, I.M. Group was founded in 1976 and operated in the Chinese market for over 15 years. It currently employs 40 people at a Beijing office and started doing business in Great Britain as an importer and distributor for the Japanese brands Subaru, Isuzu and Daihatsu.