With President Clinton in China this week, we thought it would be a good time to post some information on Beijing Jeep Corporation (BJC), a joint venture between Chrysler and Beijing Automobile Works.

Chrysler owns 42% of the partnership, with Beijing Motor Works owning the balance. BJC currently manufactures two models, the Jeep Cherokee BJ2021 Series, and the BJ-2020 (similar to the Wrangler). Surprisingly, BJC markets their Jeeps not only in China, but through their dealers in countries such as South Africa, the Philippines, and Mongolia, although over 97% of the vehicles are sold within China.

BJC's production capacity is less than 100,000 vehicles per year of which about 2/3 of the vehicles are BJ-2020s. By comparison, Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly plant, which assembles the Grand Cherokee, has a capacity of almost 300,000 cars per year.

BJC was created in 1983 in an agreement between Beijing Automobile Works and AMC. The first Cherokee rolled off the BJC assembly line in 1985 and the BJ-2020 was introduced in 1993.

For more information about Beijing Jeep, visit the web site or check out the book " Beijing Jeep: A Case Study of Western Business in China".