Subaru, Isuzu and Daihatsu importer IM Group is to import vehicles from Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall from 2011 in the UK.

As reported by AM in a story in October, IM Group had been sizing up a deal with Great Wall earlier this year. The deal will see IM Group import vehicles to the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania next year and then the UK and Scandinavia will follow in 2011.

The entry of Chinese models into the UK will be much quicker than analysts predicted, with many citing at least five years before manufacturers from China broke through.

It’s unclear what models Great Wall will be bringing to the UK but it insists all have been built to meet EU approval standards which will deliver the “crash-worthiness equal to European and Japanese vehicles”.

IM Group has operated in the Chinese market for over 15 years and employs a team of 40 at its Beijing office.

The UK-based importer said it would reveal further details about the deal next year.