Our company owns some of their equipment for our road and bridge work and they make very good machinery. They are also considered a leader in diesel engine research in China. I wouldn't put them in the same class as our Caterpillar equipment, but they are close and the customer service they provide is outstanding. They also have a lot of innovative design features that have been copied and patented by US companies.
The only thing that concerns me is their plans to build a Hummer plant in Chengdu. Chengdu is in the heart of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake area and I've been told the Chinese government is giving money to those who build or rebuild in the area. Labor is plentiful and cheap there because of the many people still out of work since the quake.
http://autonews.gasgoo.com/auto-news...n-Chengdu.html