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First Chinese Model Launched Down Under

The fact that Chinese automakers are hoping to conquer the whole world with their incredibly affordable models is not a new thing anymore, so you shouldn't be too surprised to find out that the first Geely arrived in Australia.

On sale at John Hughes Geely in Victoria Park, the MK is powered by a 1.5-liter engine with a manual transmission and comes packed with features such as air conditioning, dual airbags, alloy wheels, power windows and a five-year warranty, as gasgoo.com writes. It is priced at $11,900 and is only the first of a 100-unit lot to reach Down Under.

But does a Chinese car have chances to succeed in such a crowded market? Owner John Hughes says it does.

"Let's say we're hopeful about that," he was quoted as saying by the aforementioned source.

And leaving the fact that a Chinese car has finally arrived in Australia aside, it's actually the first step Geely makes to conquer Down Under. The company that now own Volvo has longly emphasized its plans to expand its business in some other markets except the domestic one, and launch models in Australia is the first sign that it's really keen to reach its goals.

More models are expected to be launched during the course of 2011, including the LC, a city car powered by a 1.3-liter car that's already on sale in other regions under the name Panda. "It will have to be called something else here because Fiat owns the Panda name," Hughes said in a statement.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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