Archive for December, 2010
Luxury car sales explode in 2010
From Trading Markets: This year, in the Chinese automobile market, the final winners are luxury carmakers. The robust performance better than that of passenger cars, expanding production capacity, introduction and local production of new car models boost their sales volume to leap frog in China. Formerly, the best luxury car market is the US. However, [...]
SAIC to spend $1.5 billion USD on own brand models
The MG brand is still lagging behind Roewe in the sales charts, but with $1.5 billion USD to blow through in branding investment, MG might just rise from the ashes in China, Europe and beyond this coming year. From Reuters: Top Chinese automaker SAIC Motor Corp (600104.SS) plans to invest 10 billion yuan ($1.51 billion) [...]
Happy New Year, CCT readers!
2011 is practically upon us with only 6 hours to go until the clocks roll over into 2011 and yet another exciting automotive year awaits us. 2010 has been a roller coaster year for the Chinese car market and the future is looking like it will have a few more twists and turns as the [...]
BYD returning to 2011 Detroit Auto Show
BYD are already making small waves in the USA – they loaned a fleet of cars to the LA housing authority recently and also were in talks to set up their American HQ in Los Angeles where they expect to be making their electric bus series in the USA. BYD previously attended the Detroit Auto [...]
Brazil to prepare itself for JAC
From Cri English: Chinese carmaker Jianghuai Automobile Co., Ltd. (JAC) started shipping the first batch of 500 cars to Brazil on Tuesday. It signed a deal in August to export 620,000 ethanol-powered cars to Brazil in the next ten years. In a statement on Wednesday, the company said it will send the second and third [...]
BYD has a poor 2010
From Bloomberg: A missed sales target caps a tough year for shares of BYD, the Chinese electric car company backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.BYD tells Bloomberg that it will sell between 520,000 and 550,000 cars this year. That’s below the already-reduced target of 600,000. In August, BYD cut that goal by 200,000 vehicles. The [...]
Hyundai Accent to get update for 2011
The Hyundai Accent is a popular economy car in China and is trying to stay competitive for 2011 onwards. The face lift model has received a redone front end and also a new set of lights at the rear, this is the first update the car has received since its 2008 update. The Accent retails [...]
Dealers taking deposits for new Chevrolet Spark
The new Chevrolet Spark is already causing a storm in China, probably due to the Transformers affect, which took China by storm earlier this year. Prices for the Spark have already been announced – 77,800 to 88,700 depending on the gearbox which is either a 1.0L mated to an automatic or a manual gearbox. The [...]
MG readying MG3 Crossover version
The Rover Streetwise has been the most popular ‘Longbridge Rover’ under MG’s reign in China, although the Roewe 750 probably trounces them all. The Streetwise came to China largely unchanged, aside from new wing mirrors, in 2006 and has proven to be a reasonably popular small car for the MG range and has sold better [...]
Hawtai B11 sedan launched, priced to fight
Hawtai sucesfully launched its first sedan yesterday, the B11, and its pricing was announced at the same time. The B11 is Hawtai’s first sedan and is being aimed squarely at Brilliance’ models in terms of pricing and technology, Hawtai are launching the diesel and petrol versions at the same time which will be China’s first [...]
Korea’s Spirra car launched in Shanghai today – 980,000rmb and rising
The Korean super car maker, Spirra, made its official launch in Shanghai today almost a year after it said it was going to officially launch. The Spirra will come in four trims and will be priced from 980,000rmb to 1.88 million RMB depending on specification. The Spirra is produced by Oullim in South Korea, Oullim [...]
FAW to give B50 a new grill and logo for 2011?
FAW have managed to make a great, if different looking, car with the the Besturn B50 – what they have not managed to get just right yet is the branding, the Besturn name makes sense in Chinese (Ben Teng) but the English variant can be read as Best Urn or Bes Turn – neither of [...]
Three Chinese companies fighting for Pininfarina – BAIC in the lead
JAC, Brilliance and BAIC are three of the main competitors from a group of ten international companies that are looking to take over Italian designing company, Pininfarina. According to other media reports, it seems that BAIC and Pininfarina are working together on the next generation of Saab 93 based models that BAIC have plans to [...]
Chevrolet Malibu to replace Epica in China
The rumor mill is in full swing again, and this time it is Chevrolet’s turn. The Epica is a rapidly aging sedan that Chevrolet have managed to successfully sell on as a bargain bin alternative to rival competitors models. Now the Epica is going to be replaced by the Chevrolet Malibu and will be based [...]
Zhengzhou Nissan to produce new Paladin (Xterra)
The Nissan Paladin has been in production with Zhengzhou Nissan for several years where it has gained popularity with SUV lovers all over China, it was first introduced in 2006 and has not been updated for the past four years. The Paladin has since been modified and sold under Zhengzhou’s own AoDing model – the [...]
Beiijng BC301Z comes down the line in Zhu Zhou
Beijing Auto is back, and they plan to make a decent dent in the Chinese auto market as they did back in their early days of the Chinese car industry in the 1950′s. Beijing Auto got caught in a rut, it became synonymous with being a world war two jeep manufacturer and also a second [...]
Old British Leyland knackers turn up in Guangzhou to help the MG3
The MG brand has had one hell of a journey in its life time, its bounced from private to government to Chinese government ownership, now its being revived in the Chinese market by a very enthusiastic SAIC with its Chinese and UK design team putting in the effort to make sure that MG has a [...]
Suprise Suprise – Beijing Car Market Crashes Overnight
Due to last weeks government policy which saw car license plates being rationed to just 240,000 buyers in Beijing during 2011 it seems that the market has all but stalled: Car sales in Beijing [ Images ] have crashed overnight after new rules restricting the sale of vehicle to 240,000 per year were introduced this [...]
So who ‘won’ the Guangzhou Auto Show?
Guangzhou Auto Show is the second biggest car show in China after the alternate Shanghai and Beijing Shows, its a smaller show but with a nationwide punch, it doesn’t get the big concept car launches that Beijing and Shanghai get but it still does generate major headlines and big sales as the local dealers are [...]
Tail end of Guangzhou: Huatai’s game changing cars
Huatai, now known in English as Hawtai, has its eyes set on a high for 2011 – they plan to become a major rival to local Briliance who are based a little way over to the east in Shengyang whilst Hawtai are set in the heart of Beijing but with factories strategically located around China [...]
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