So many of the everyday items that we use are now made in China, from our underpants to our computer monitors, but one thing that companies hadn’t yet exported from China to the United States were cars. Yet. A Chinese automaker is entering the U.S. car market, but as an existing familiar brand. Volvo will export 1,500 Inscription sedans made in China.

Don’t expect a flood of cars with a virtual “Made in China” stamp to flood American roads, though. While cars from Asian automakers are a huge part of the market here, it’s very expensive to ship entire assembled vehicles across the Pacific. CNN consulted an expert who pointed out that about 70% of cars sold by Japanese and South Korean automakers are put together in this country. Volvo still assembles cars in the United States under its new owners, Geely Automotive. The high-end Inscription sedans come from a Geely plant in Chengdu, China.

China is now the world’s largest market for autos, and Volvo sells about 25,000 Inscription sedans in that country annually.

Volvo to be first to export Chinese cars to U.S. [CNN]

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