Poor Deers

Chad Bryan, Gleaner Writer

They came with the 'Made in China' label and, to varying degrees, held the interest of Jamaicans for a few years. However, Chinese-made vehicles such as the Great Wall Sailor and Deer pickups, as well as the Admiral pickup and Chery QQ sub-compact car seem to have done their time.

So, while the Chinese have been heavily involved in road construction and repair in Jamaica, through the China Harbour project, it is hardly likely that great numbers of Chinese-made private vehicles will travel on them.

Great Wall Motors, which manufactures the Sailor and Deer, was established in the 1970s and was named after The Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The company is China's leading manufacturer of SUVs and pick-ups. The Sailor has been discontinued and the company now focuses on three main vehicle categories, which include the Haval SUV, Great Wall PC and the Wingle pickup.

The Chery QQ, which is a city car, has been produced by Chinese manufacturer Chery Automobile since 2003. The little five-door vehicle bears some resemblance to the Daewoo Matiz. Unlike in Jamaica, in China the QQ has achieved some longevity and has had a few things to boast about, holding the distinction of being one of the cheapest cars in the world.

Current vice-president of Kia Motors Jamaica, Ian Lyn, previously served as general manager of the now defunct New Line Motors, which distributed the Chery QQ in Jamaica. He explained that several factors were responsible for the vehicle's discontinuation in Jamaica.

According to Lyn, there wasn't "after sales to match the importation of these vehicles. This means that the Great Wall, Chery QQ and all of these Chinese vehicles came in and people bought them by the hundreds and the QQ was selling an average of 30 a month, but these cars were not made for our roads and the parts were not readily available".

"I know New Line in particular could not get the parts from the manufacturers fast enough and the training in how to service these vehicles and keep them going wasn't adequate. The vehicles began to get a reputation as no good, and people stopped buying them and the dealers stopped importing them," he said. Lyn, however, pointed out that the tourist industry still utilises Chinese-made buses.

Kent LaCroix, chairman of new car dealers' group, the Automobile Dealers Association, pointed out that Jamaicans have taken a liking to vehicles from Japan, Europe and the United States and have become comfortable with them. "The populace prefers Japanese, American or European vehicles. You will find that there are other brands of cars that have come and gone because people haven't been particularly pleased with how they operate," he said.

LaCroix thinks the tourist industry still uses Chinese-made buses because they are cheaper than Japanese, American or European ones. He also mentioned that, generally, the Chinese vehicles have not done well in Jamaica.

President of the Loss Adjusters Association of Jamaica, David McKay, underscored the low worth of the Chinese-made vehicles, saying that they lose value quickly and getting replacements parts for them is difficult. For this reason