There is a shiny new name in the booming Chinese car industry. That name is Brilliance.

Brilliance China Automobiles first got off their feet in the year 2003, when they signed a deal with BMW to start manufacturing Chinese sedans for domestic sale. Based in Shenyang, Liaoning, Brilliance had existed previously as a car part manufacturer.

Thanks to their deal with BMW, however, it seems that Brilliance is taking things to the next step. Already, they have managed to develop a variety of top selling brand names in China, including JinBei, Granse, and Zhonghua.

In China, Brilliance tends to sell more minibuses than Sedans. In the year 2004, they sold over 60,000. Their total sales of sedans, both of their own make and BMW’s, numbered slightly over 19,000 during that year.

Observers in the Chinese car industry associate Brilliance’s success with their key network of minibus distributors throughout the country. The last time we checked, they had slightly over forty distributors for their new BMW sedans.

Brilliance China Automobiles makes several hundred thousand sedans and minibuses each year. Since their foundation, they have formed strategic partnerships with a number of associated industry players; besides BMW, these include Porsche, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and others. Brilliance China Automobiles also provides employment for some nine thousand individuals in the Liaoning area.

With the Chinese auto market visibly planning to take over the world, it is only a matter of time before we start hearing the word Brilliance mentioned in the same sentence as well known brand names such as Toyota and General Motors. Will they give these major firms a run for their money? Only time will tell!