DETROIT -- Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. next month plans a display on the main floor of the 2017 Detroit auto show, a notable addition in a year in which several global brands will skip the show. 
The state-owned automaker is returning to Detroit after skipping the 2016 event, joining mainstays such as General Motors and Ford Motor Co. on the main show floor for the first time.
"I think it will be a nice touch because that's kind of where things are headed over time," said Rod Alberts, the Detroit auto show's executive director. "We'll have to make space for more Chinese companies, as well as other brands." 
GAC, which announced its plans to return in May, has said it wants to introduce the Trumpchi brand to the U.S. over the next several years.
Trumpchi is marketed in the Middle East, South America and Russia. The carmaker, which operates manufacturing joint ventures with Toyota Motor Corp. and Fiat S.p.A., started the marque in 2010. 
In 2013, GAC displayed the Trumpchi GS5 crossover outside the main hall of Cobo Center, where the Detroit auto show is held. To test demand, the automaker also placed the GS5 in the movie Transformers: Age of Extinction in 2014.
Chinese automakers often have expressed their intention to enter the U.S. In 2006, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. exhibited cars in Detroit, followed by BYD Co.
Geely, BYD and Great Wall Motor Co. claimed they wanted to enter the U.S., without result. But Fiat Chrysler could prove helpful to GAC.
In April during the Beijing auto show, GAC General Manager Wu Song told Reuters that he hoped Fiat Chrysler would help it enter the U.S. 
"Chrysler's development in China required our support," Wu said. "Now for GAC Motor's development in the U.S. we also hope for Chrysler's support and help."
Wu did not elaborate on what type of support he sought, and FCA did not comment.
GAC has taken initial steps to evaluate the U.S. According to Reuters, the company has held discussions with potential dealership partners, and it has tested two models in China to meet U.S. standards.