Chinese agency views carmakers' image issue.

Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

[Xinhua "China Focus": "Chinese Automakers Aim High But Have No Illusions About Their Global Competitiveness" by Xinhua Writers Cheng Yunjie and Ma Yang

Changchun, July 18 (Xinhua) - Becoming world famous could be a double-edged sword for a Chinese auto maker. Geely, for instance, became famous overnight after signing a binding deal worth 1.8 billion US dollars in March to buy the near-bankrupt Volvo from Ford Motor Co.

Then a video spread by Chinese users of the Internet revealed how the China brand had been mocked by foreign audiences. A comedy advertisement on the BBC TV show 'Top Gear' pretended to display an inferior "Made-in-China" brand auto, portraying itself as a cheap "knock off" looking like the venerable British Rolls-Royce.

Yang Xueliang, public relations director of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Co. Ltd., downplayed the harm of a burgeoning Chinese brand being ridiculed by Western media at the ongoing China Changchun International Automobile Trade Fair.

"I know they do model comparisons and make fun of us. But I don' t think we Chinese should be distressed or be self-conscious. Japanese and Korean auto …