What do Youngman have up their sleves? Youngman-Lotus 007 spotted out testing!

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Youngman-Lotus was originally a tie up between Malaysia’s state owned Proton Motors and China’s very own Youngman Group who are more famous for their coaches and buses than they are cars. Youngman do have asperations to become one of the larger car makers in China, but they do have some catching upto do with their branding. Until recently they were assembling CKD kits from Malaysia, but they have since set up their own production facility in Jinhua (near Hangzhou). The below 007 model was spotted out testing in Beijing which is a far way from the Jinhua facility:

The 007 model appears to be a fastback styled hatchback and looks to be around the same size as a short wheel based Audi A4. The Chinese media is reporting that this will carry a 1.6L engine, but it is more likely that a 2.0L plus engine will be introduced at some point. The 1.6L will be a good choice for beating its way into the lower tax bracket with a good looking car like the VW Lavida and the VW Bora, but will be lacking in the power department.

Youngman are also working on another model named the 007B (a saloon model), the 007D (a high end SUV) and the 007E (a fastback styled hatch) and also the 008 series and 009 series of cars, all of which will carry the Lotus logo and Lotus engineering.

The above 007 is likely to launch at the Beijing Auto Show later this year, along with some other models. Youngman are currently selling their vehicles in second and third tier cities whilst they await the launch of better models which will most likely see them launch directly into first tier cities in late 2010.