• USA Today/AP, Thursday, July 5, 2007 11:20 AM

Chery Automobile, China's biggest automaker, signed a deal Wednesday with Chrysler Group that gives it a chance to realize its longtime ambition of entering the U.S. market. The first cars will reach Latin America or Eastern Europe within a year, and models should be exported to North America and Western Europe in 2½ years, says Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda.

The first Chrysler-Chery export will be based on Chery's A1 compact and sold under the Dodge brand, LaSorda says. A 1.3-liter version of the A1 retails in China for about $7,100 to $7,900. The companies will jointly develop future models, probably with Chrysler styling on a Chery platform.

LaSorda says he has "no concerns at all" about convincing U.S. consumers that Chinese-made cars are safe at a time of warnings about seafood, tires and other goods imported from the country. Chrysler will work closely with Chery to ensure the cars meet U.S. and European safety and emissions standards.

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