We attended the official introduction of the Geely 7151 CK, the first Chinese manufacturer to participate in the NAIAS. The show organizers even gave the company Chairman a plaque commemorating the event. I wonder if it was made in China.

The first thing I noticed in the Geely press materials was the tag line "Happy Life With Geely" - hence the title. Will there be some product placement in an upcoming Partridge Family reunion reality show?

The company's name is Geely (sounds like "really" - as in "Are you REALLY going to offer that 1970s avocado-green exterior color option that's in the press material for the HK hatchback?" The color is called "Nature Green," a shade certainly not found in nature). The name is derived from the Chinese phrase meaning "I am lucky." But looking at the completely anonymous styling, I don't think anyone is going to get lucky in this car.

If the car's reliability is poor, owners may start their day by saying "I am lucky if this thing starts and gets me to work on time."

My colleague, Jon Linkov, spotted this gem in the Geely press material, which, admittedly, probably received a horrible Chinese-to-English translation: "No effort is being made at this time either to establish dealerships for Geely." Which could be further translated to mean "Not only do we not have any cars for sale at this time, we might not have a dealer network in place before the next time the Boston Red Sox win a World Championship."

The company also says that there is a karaoke machine in their "sports car," which is named the "Beauty Leopard." I am not making this stuff up.

But if the Beauty Leopard pulls up lame, will owners say "I am lucky that I have my karaoke machine to amuse me while I wait for the tow truck"?

But I think the main question in our minds is will the Geely be the next Toyota or the next Yugo?