A U.S.-based vehicle distributer expects to sell a small electric SUV made by Zotye International of Zhejiang Province by the end of this year.
"We plan on having them road-ready by the fourth quarter of 2010," says Steven Fly, CEO of Green Automotive Co., based in Dallas, Texas. "They will be highway vehicles."

The compact Zotye electric SUV will be fitted with a lithium ion battery of 320 volts (25.6 KWH). The battery is made by a subsidiary of Zotye International called New Power Technology, says Fly in an interview conducted via email with Automotive News China.

The electric SUV will be followed by various other Zotye vehicles. "The Zotye electric SUV is the first model we will introduce for the US, and they have several other models to follow," says Fly.

In the U.S., the electric SUV is expected to sell for under $35,000. The vehicles will be shipped fully assembled from China and will be sold with a 3 year or 36,000 mile warranty.

The exports, however, are contingent on Zotye's vehicles passing U.S. crash tests. Such tests have hampered previous plans for Chinese automakers keen to sell in the U.S. market.

"We plan on doing independent crash tests of these vehicles in June 2010," says Fly.