UPDATE 2-Chery Auto says has no immediate plans to enter US

(Recasts first paragraph, adds quotes, details, background, byline)

By Jui Chakravorty

BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Nov 15 (Reuters) - Chinese auto maker Chery Automobile has no immediate plans to enter the U.S. market but is working on meeting safety and quality standards, the company's general manager said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at an industry seminar in Birmingham, Michigan, Dr. Lin Zhang also said Chery's partnership with Chrysler LLC to bring a small car to the U.S. market is in the "conceptual stage" of product development.

Zhang declined to comment on a timeline for launch in the U.S. market, but said the process typically takes three to four years to get a product from that stage to production.

"We don't have a definite timetable yet," Zhang said at the seminar on the Chinese automotive industry, hosted by industry research firm JD Power.

"The key is to continually assess our products and capabilities. Until we are ready, we won't come to the U.S. market."

Chery, the largest independent automaker in China by market share, signed an agreement with Cerberus Capital Management [CBS.UL] affiliate Chrysler in July to develop, manufacture and distribute Chery-made small cars in North America, but industry experts have remained unclear on a timeline.

"There is no question the U.S. is the most competitive and most demanding market in the world," Zhang said. He said the company must meet several challenges to enter the U.S. market, such as safety and emissions requirements and "a very high expectation of quality."  Continued...