DR Automobiles sells 121 Chinese vehicles in 10 days
Luca Ciferri, Automotive News Europe
June 25, 2007 - 1:00 am

TURIN, Italy -- DR Automobiles Groupe, the Italian importer of vehicles built by ChinaÆs Zhejiang Gonow Automobile, said it sold 121 units during a 10-day event in a shopping mall. Buyers made a Ç990 down payment for the vehicles. DR Automobiles said they would be delivered in 20 days.

The sale underscores that there is considerable consumer interest in Chinese cars. DR Automobiles believes it can make a business out of that interest. Last December, the company announced ambitious plans to sell Chinese-built cars in Italy. It created a new brand, Katay, specifically to distribute these vehicles.

DR Automobiles said it sold 79 units of the Katay Victory -- a five-door medium SUV based on an old Isuzu Trooper design -- for Ç15,990 each during the mall sale in late May in Lonato, northern Italy.