Chinese car manufacturer Landwind intends to have two models on sale in the UK by May 2008.
The X-pedition 4x4 and Fashion MPV have both received European type approval, a legal requirement for all cars that go on sale in Europe, and are expected to receive three Euro NCAP stars when tested next month.
This will be no small achievement for Landwind, which attempted to launch the X-pedition in 2005 but suffered a major setback when the Vauxhall Frontera-based 4x4 returned disastrous results in a safety test.
Landwind has taken two years to improve the X-pedition's crash-worthiness and bring it up to today's European standards.
Paul Williams, managing director of European distribution for Landwind, said that "investments have been made to ensure the vehicles meet Euro 4 emissions and crash test requirements."
Both the X-pedition and seven-seat Fashion MPV will be available at launch with 2.4-litre Mitsubishi petrol engines. The range will expand later with 2.5-litre diesel and bioethanol engines.
Landwind intends to open a chain of 80 dealers, shifting around 8000 cars every year, which sounds ambitious despite the company's intention to undercut rivals by at least £5000.
No official prices have been released, but expect both the X-pedition and Fashion to start at around £9000.
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