But not just yet, as the chairman of BYD Auto, Chaung-Fu Wang is quoted as saying that it would take about "three to five years" to accomplish this.

One problem is the recent spate of recalls of Chinese goods across a wide spectrum, which has raised questions in the minds of some about quality. BYD plans to introduce a dual-mode hybrid vehicle capable of travelling for 60 miles on battery power only and the company says it has over 500 engineers working on the project, with the vehicle scheduled to go on sale in China later this year.

Another Chinese company – Geely – said that it would begin selling vehicles in Mexico at first, moving to the U.S. at a later date. No timescale was suggested. Yet another company, the Chery Automobile Co., has signed an agreement with Chrysler for the joint production and export of small cars to North America. Chrysler executives are reported as saying that they could begin selling Chery cars in eastern Europe and Latin America next year, but there is a long way to go before the vehicles comply with the tougher rules on safety and emissions to be found in Western Europe and the U.S. (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)