Detroit -- A Chinese automaker will begin exporting cars to the United States, with a goal of selling 250,000 in 2007, according to the Detroit News. Chery Automobile Co., owned by the Chinese government, has signed a deal with the privately held Visionary Vehicles LLC of New York to sell the cars in United States, said Malcolm Bricklin, Visionary's chief executive. It would be the first-ever deal to import Chinese-made cars to the United States, according to the news report. Chery is China's eighth-largest automaker. Founded in 1997, it sold about 90,000 vehicles in China in 2004. Bricklin said in the report that his company has an exclusive North American distribution agreement with Chery to bring five new models to the U.S. to go on sale January of 2007. Bricklin was behind the selling of the Yugo in the United States.