Qi Yumin, the President of Brilliance Jinbei Automobile Co. Ltd., told the press on January 10th that the new Brilliance A model will be delivered from the plant on March 18 and will go on sale in May.

Designed by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Brilliance A model is developed on the company’s A platform, a platform dedicated to developing compact cars, and it’s the first economy model of Brilliance’s lineup. Qi noted that the upcoming new model represents the company’s determination in entering the compact market and the launch of its compact model strategy.

(Click through to read more about Brilliance's future plans.)

Brilliance will also introduce a wagon version of its sub-brand Zhonghua Junjie, illustrated above, at the end of 2008. The new Junjie will be powered by a 1.8-liter Mitsubishi 4G93 engine with a maximum output of 147 horsepower and torque of 121 pound-feet. The wagon will be priced around Rmb 90,000 – 120,000 (about $12,000 to $16,000.)

By December 26, 2007, Brilliance sold 300,369 vehicles, making a profit of about Rmb 260 million (about $35 million), which includes 82,000 Junjies, a year on year increase of 128 percent. The company is planning to enter the North American market by 2009 with a joint venture in the U.S.