Zotye Automobile International Co. plans to start selling a vehicle in the U.S. starting in 2020, despite the trade war happened between the two countries. Zotye has no plans to sell electric vehicles in the U.S., but that may change in the future.
Zotye Automobile International Co. plans to start selling a vehicle in the U.S. starting in 2020, despite the trade war happened between the two countries, reported by The Wall Street Journal. Zotye is now working with HAAH Automotive Holdings, their exclusive distributor in the U.S and setting up its dealership network. A small crossover and midsize sport utility are Zotye's first two Chinese-made vehicles, which will compete for entry-level buyers with incumbents in the U.S. with a relatively low price.
Ford Motor Co. agreed in Nov 2017 to set up a joint venture in China with Zotye to produce electric cars for the Chinese market partly due to the double-point policy which published by the Chinese authority last year and will take effect officially in 2019.
Talking about EVs (Electric Vehicles), Zotye E200 is a popular model in China NEV(New Energy Vehicle) market, sold 12,618 YTD September according to EV sales blog (see more in this article).
Zotye has no plans to sell those electric vehicles in the U.S., but that may change in the future, according to Duke Hale, chief executive officer of HAAH, also pointed out they hope there won't be any tariffs but that won't obstruct their way.
The Trump administration imposed a 25% vehicle tariff on Chinese imports that took effect in July, Ford abandoned its plan to ship the Ford Focus vehicles to the U.S. from China in September as a result, which could have saved about $500 million compared with building the vehicle at an existing plant in the U.S.