BYD Auto Company and Brilliance Jinbei will have to themselves around 11000 square foot of exhibition space on the main floor. The space was allotted to Mitsubishi who backed out from the following their plans of cutting down their expenses.

BYD and Brilliance have been participating in the Detroit Auto Show for several years now but have always occupied the Michigan Hall which is the lower level of the Cobo Hall.

BYD and Brilliance are not yet selling cars in the US. The latter is planning to kick off their US campaign in the United States in 2009.

Brilliance partners with BMW but has gained notoriety in Europe when one of its cars failed a car crash test that earned it a rating of one star. Enhancements were made but the car company got a dismal improvement of 3 stars.

As of present, no Chinese car makers have sold a vehicle in the US soil. Chery Automotive tried back in 2005 but deals with the US distributors did not work out as planned.

Chinese cars can be sold in very competitive prices attributed to low cost of labor and little design efforts.

Aside from Mitsubishi, other car companies have expressed their withdrawal from the Detroit Auto Show. Skipping the event are big companies like Nissan, Land Rover, Suzuki, Ferrari, and Rolls-Royce.