The Caterham Seven - that icon of lightweight British performance motoring - is to be sold in China for the first time after Caterham Cars signed an exclusive deal with new importer, Courtenay Trading International (CTI).
The plan is to appoint six retailers in key provinces of China over the next year, and Caterham and CTI are hoping to shift between 30 and 50 Sevens in the first year of the operation.
All Caterham's current Euro5-compliant cars will be sold - which means the Roadsport 120, Superlight 120, Roadsport 175, Superlight R300 and CSR 175 are all heading to the People's Republic - with the first Sevens scheduled to arrive in China in January 2012.
Although Caterham has had a presence in the Far East for a while, notably in Japan, this will be the first time the Seven has been sold in China and represents Caterham's continuing expansion into new growth markets.
"Our entry into the Chinese market is another tangible sign of how Caterham is striving to become a truly global brand," reckons Caterham Cars' international business manager, David Ridley.
Global brand, eh? That's quite an ambition for a company that produces fewer than 1000 cars per year from a small factory in Dartford...good on 'em, we say...
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