Jinan’s Armed Police Division were recently seen carrying out an anti terror excercise. The excercise not being the odd thing, but rather their choice of vehicles - Segways!
Chinese anti terror police - “We roll on Segways”
Published by July 3rd, 2008 in Chinese Police. 4 CommentsJudge orders German based Double Ring SCEO SUV’s to be destroyed!
Published by July 3rd, 2008 in Chinese Car News. 1 CommentMore bad news for Double Ring! We previously reported that the judge had stopped sales, but now he has gone one step further in asking for the cars to be destroyed!
The importers of the Chinese Shuanghuan CEO sports utility vehicle (SUV) that has a similar appearance to a model made by Germany’s BMW must halt all sales and destroy all its vehicles in Germany, a court in Munich ruled Friday, reported dpa.
The court ordered the importers, China Automobile, to pay compensatory damages to BMW, which is based in Munich.
BMW alleges that the Shuanghuan CEO closely resembles its X5.
“We are pleased that the court has agreed with our views,” a BMW spokesman said after the ruling.
Karl Schloessl of China Automobile Germany said he would launch an appeal against the ruling, which is not yet binding, saying he was prepared to take the case to the European Court of Justice.
It was impossible to ban a vehicle in Germany that was allowed to be on the road in the rest of Europe, Schloessl said, adding that there were more than 1,000 Shuanghuan CEOs on the road in Italy.
He added that the ruling was based on similarities to the BMW X5 dating back to 1998, describing it as “a very old car.”
Schloessl said the appearance of the vehicle could easily be altered by changing “five or six elements.”
BMW has not made clear whether it will seek the compensatory damages awarded by the court.
In the face of protests from German manufacturers, Shuanghuan withdrew its CEO from the Frankfurt IAA international motor show held in September last year.
While on a visit to China in August last year, Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Chinese carmakers for blatant copies of German makes.
Apart from the CEO, Shuanghuan has drawn criticism for its Nobel, which bears a resemblance to Daimler’s Smart, an ultra-compact two-seater.
Brilliance FRV - 6000 orders already
Published by July 3rd, 2008 in Brilliance/Zhonghua Auto. 0 CommentsBrilliance seem to hit the market right every time, first it was their BS6 - Probably the first good looking Chinese car ever made, secondly it was the smaller BS4; a runaway success. The Coupe seems to have found itself a niche market, but sales of that dont appear to be approaching critical mass yet, on the other hand, the Brilliance FRV will make up for any losses on the Coupe.
According to Shenzhen Automotive World News, total orders for the Brilliance FRV in the first month have reached 6000 cars.
The manual versions of the FRV will be delivered to customers in August, but those who opted for a manual version may well have to wait until September. Demend is reportedly greater than Brilliance’ can produce, leaving some customers with no choice but to wait. The base model of the FRV starts at 60,680rmb, which no doubt entices many younger customers who are on a budget.
The FRV is based on an entirely new platform from Brilliance, and will no doubt be a great seller in the coming months.
As for China Car Times, we think we’ll wait for the rumoured FRV GT - a 1.8 Turbo assisted model.
The Honda Fit has been a top seller in China for the past few years, it has proved to be popular with those that live in an inner city environment and need an automobile that combines good looks, with fuel economy and at a low price. The new Honda Fit was launched in China earlier this week, starting at at mere 80,680rmb to 120,980rmb depending on specification. The top end model for 120,980rmb is the 1.5l sports model, and the base model is a 1.3l model.
The slightly modified looks of the Fit are mostly certainly sure to guarantee that Honda will continue to have a hit on their hands for the forseeable future.
Great Wall have teamed up with the producers of the movie, Kung Fu Panda, to produce some cool little adverts:
The MGTF LE500 pricing has been announced for the UK, and its a little higher than most were anticipating.
With deliveries of the new MG TF Limited Edition due to commence in September, NAC MG UK Ltd have today, 2nd July 2008, set the price of this new sportscar at £16,399 on the road.
Sales and Marketing Director for NAC MG UK Ltd, Gary Hagen, said; “We are delighted to be able to bring in such a highly specified car at such a reasonable price. When you consider the level of specification that comes with the LE500, the package is extremely competitive.”
A new look, upgraded engine and a host of design refinements and extras have brought the MG bang up to date. A body coloured hardtop, sports styled leather seats and a piano black interior give the car a stylish new look.
The mid car configuration for the 1.8 16v EU4 compliant 136ps engine combines with rear wheel drive to ensure the LE500 delivers an authentic British sportscar driving experience. Parking sensors, a Pioneer MP3 compatible CD / radio unit and last but not least unique LE500 badging, graphics & trim complete the package. Full details of the specification are available at www.mg-uk.co.uk.
Gary concluded; “The backing of SAIC, China’s largest car maker, and the fact the LE 500 has been designed, engineered and is being built in the UK, will play a major role in the car’s success.
“When it was last available, the MG was the UK’s best selling small sports car. We are confident that the indicated demand for the return of the marque from dealers, enthusiasts and most importantly new customers will see it reclaim that position”.
SOURCE: NAC MG UK Ltd
As there will be only 500 of these models made (From our understanding) it shouldnt be that hard for MG UK to sell the models as a stop gap to getting proper mass production up and running. But that price, £16,399, is very high, although we guess it is the price you pay to drive in class and style.
Chrysler and Great Wall to get in bed with each other
Published by July 2nd, 2008 in Chery Automobile. 0 CommentsChrysler has reportedly been making moves on Great Wall in a bid to cut back their massive losses in their home territory.
Chrysler and Great Wall signed a memorandum of understanding in the middle of June which if it leads to greater things, will see Chrysler products in Great Wall dealerships, and vice versa. The deal could also see Chrysler and Great Wall working together in various technological areas, previously Great Wall invested several billion RMB in a R&D center.
Since the Chery-Chrysler deal seems to have only produced a rebadged Chery A1 to date, Chysler seems to be looking for other cars to fill up its line up. The rebadged Chery A1, now named a Dodge Breeze, is going to be aimed at the South American market which will give Dodge a more competitive edge in those areas.
Dongfeng to buy Volvo? The rumor mill goes on, and on!
Published by July 2nd, 2008 in Dongfeng Automobile Company. 5 CommentsAccording to Chinese media reports earlier this week, SAIC was in talks with Ford over buying Volvo. SAIC later issued a denial, but that does not stop the automotive rumor mill from running.
Dongfeng is the latest suitor that is involved with Ford in taking over the ailing Volvo, although Ford say it will be in profit in 2009. Dongfeng currently have a joint venture partnership to build Volvo heavy trucks in China.
Dongfeng have been itching to launch their own brand of passenger vehicles for quite some time, although they havent always been very successful on the design front. Acquiring Volvo, and Volvo technology would must surely propel them to the forefront of automotive technology in China and would raise Dongfeng’s game quite a bit.
Scrap car industry to get new standards.
Published by July 1st, 2008 in Chinese Car News. 4 CommentsThe Chinese car industry is currently booming, but the industry of recycling cars has yet to be developed.
By the end of 2008, experts predict that China will have 2 million scrapped vehicles, or end of life vehicles. This is in contrast to the 55 million cars that will be on Chinese roads by the end of 2008. Obviously there will be a massive increase of end of life vehicles in the next 5 to 10 years.
Currently only 10% of end of life vehicles are recycled, leaving a huge defecit in vehicles. Sometimes end of life vehicles are fixed, their bodywork repaired and then they are resold in other areas or counties to unsuspecting buyers.
Guangzhou Honda has reportedly begun to recycle end of life vehicles, as they believe that they can recycle almost 90% of the cars they receive. Other car companies, such as Chery, JAC, FAW, and Jianghui have also initiated plans to introduce automobile recycling into their businesses. The rising prices of base raw materials may force many more Chinese automobile makers to look more closely at automobile recyling in the coming months and years.
The new guidelines on automobile recyling are expected to be announced later this year and are expected to shake up the recycling industry.
Citroen C5, hatchback Elysee both to made in China next year
Published by July 1st, 2008 in Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile and Dongfeng Motor Company. 0 CommentsThe beautiful Citroen C5 will be produced in China from 2009 onwards, alongside a recently announced but yet to be developed Elysee hatchback.
The Citroen C4 was announced in China several days ago, and will officially hit the market in September priced from 140,000rmb and rising. The C4 was given the name Citroen C-Quatre for the Chinese name, or in Chinese: 世嘉, lit ‘world winner’
The C-Quatre will be powered by either a choice of 1.6 or a 2.0l engine, paired with VVT technology. Dealers will begin accepting deposits on the C4 in August, and the C4 will be available for pick up from Sept 08 onwards.
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