Just as the coronavirus pandemic was plunging the U.S. auto industry into crisis and stripping millions of car sales from stunned retailers, Duke Hale was searching for American factory space to assemble Chinese crossovers for his Southern California startup.Hale, CEO of HAAH Automotive Holdings, partnered with China's Chery Automobile Co. this year to bring a new U.S. brand — called Vantas — to life, even as pandemic uncertainties swept across the industry. But just as remarkable, HAAH and Chery are aiming to succeed at something that half a dozen Chinese brands have failed at since about 2005: entering the U.S. market.
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