( L - R ) Chery Eastar and Chery QQ
NEW LINE Motors, which launched a dozen years ago as a seller of used cars, has been named the exclusive distributor in Jamaica for China's Chery Automobile Company.
New Line was actually the first company on the island to import new cars from the fast-growing Asian country, starting with a line of buses.
Two other Jamaican firms, China Motors and Worldtron, also import Chinese-made vehicles for the local market.
Established in 1997 in Anhui Province's Wuhu Economy and Technology Development Zone, Chery is among China's largest vehicle makers, last year producing over 100,000 vehicles, more than 40 per cent of which were exported.
Under the agreement signed in May, New Line will distribute five of Cherry's seven marques - starting with the Chery QQ, a five-seater economy car, and the company's flag ship, the Chery Estar, a five seat sadan.
New Line's boss, Dr Harry Benjamin, said the first set of vehicles should hit the market by June.
His company will soon be opening a new location in Kingston for the Chery dealership, Benjamin said.
"We at New Line are honoured to be the agent for this very reliable and beautiful line of vehicles," he said.
With current list prices as low as J$695,000 for the three cylinder QQ 800cc and 1100cc and J$1.995 million for the 2000cc, New Line has boasted that its cars will be far more competitive than comparative vehicles in the Jamaican market.
In fact, price is the significant advantage held up by Jamaican importers of Chinese vehicles attempting to break the stranglehold on the market by Japanese manufacturers.
"Chinese vehicles can be 20 to 40 per cent more price competitive than equivalent models, and with their high quality, more Jamaicans are beginning to add them to their line up," Oliver Townsend, a director of China Motors told the Financial Gleaner earlier this year.
