In the vast and booming Chinese auto market now dominated by foreigners, a small Chinese company called BYD Auto is barely noticeable.

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Then in 2008, BYD Auto Co. showed up on the show floor.

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It is potentially a big deal for BYD, the auto- and battery- maker he founded and runs.

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Luckily, BYD got into the auto market just before the door slammed shut.

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For one, the City of Shenzhen helps telecom-equipment maker Huawei, auto company BYD and their Pearl River Delta neighbors with their U.S. objectives.

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That will limit competition, helping BYD and other small, hungry Chinese auto firms like Geely, Shuanghuan and Chery.

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At the Beijing Auto Show in June, BYD's cars were an afterthought to its circa-1950s display booth, which featured two models wearing golden, shell-shaped bikini tops and matching mermaid tailfins.

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Chinese billionaire Wang Chuanfu told Bloomberg at the Detroit auto show yesterday that his company BYD will start selling a rechargeable car in the U.S. in the second half of 2010 one year ahead of schedule.

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By early 2003 Wang envisioned not only a share of the wealth from China's auto industry but also tantalizing synergies: BYD could use its expertise to develop rechargeable batteries for electric cars.

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He predicts somewhat crazily that by the end of the decade BYD will sell 1 million vehicles a year, including newly developed electric cars, and become the leading auto manufacturer in China.

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