Archive for December, 2010
Honda aiming for higher than 10% growth in 2011
From Bloomberg: Honda Motor Co (7267.T) said on Friday it would target sales in China of 730,000 units in 2011, for growth of more than 10 percent from the 650,000 estimated for this year. “We expect the overall (Chinese) market to grow by an average 10 percent,” Seiji Kuraishi, head of Honda’s China operations, told [...]
Greatwall Hover M3 to launch next year
The Hover M3 SUV was first shown at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year and was very much in the concept stage, however the M3 is expected to become a real car for Guangzhou Auto Show and will be on display. The M3 is GWM’s first compact SUV and is based on a platform [...]
GM to widen gap over Chinese domestic brands
The launch of self developed brands by joint venture companies such as GM and Nissan have fired a volley of warning shots across the bows of several independent Chinese car makers. Brands such as GM’s recently minted BaoJun brand will take away GM’s old platforms and restyle them for economy consumers that demand good looks [...]
MG3 to launch in Guangzhou – sneak pictures
The MG3 super mini is set to launch in Guangzhou later this week and take the Chinese market by storm. The MG3 will be the first small MG since the MG ZS was launched in 2001. From what we can see from these photos, the MG3 will be big on personalization as was stated with [...]
FAW-VW to set up its own brand too?
In recent months there has been a spate of joint venture companies setting up their own brands with their foreign partners help, now it seems that VW are trying to get into the action. Nissan came first with their own brand, Qi Chen, in partnership with Dongfeng but then it sparked rumors of Honda planning [...]
Brilliance to launch new sports sedan in 2011
Brilliance are a much under-rated Chinese company, they are a car company that follows the Western ethic of having a product in each segment, i.e. a sedan, a wagon, a compact hatch, an MPV etc but has failed to grab the attention of the Chinese consumer in the way that Geely or Chery have thanks [...]
Do BYD have IPR issues with their technology?
According to this report from the Wall Street Journal, BYD maybe stalling the launch of the BYD E6 and F3DM in Europe and the USA due to a lack of patents for its self developed batteries, any launch in the US market would lead to lawsuits due to the type of lithium powder used in [...]
Greatwall setting up European shop in Bulgaria
From The NY Times: Sometime next summer, a brand-new assembly plant here should begin turning out the first Chinese-branded cars in the European Union.Why build a factory in this goat-trodden village in the foothills of the Balkans? Credit a local tycoon who wants to provide jobs for his neighbors — and a desire by Chinese [...]
Fisker bringing its luxury hybrid models to China in 2011
American sports car manufacturer Fisker will be bringing its luxury hybrid sports models into the booming Chinese market in early 2011 according to a press release released yesterday. Chinese company automotive services company, China Grand Automotive, will be heading up Fisker’s operations in the Chinese market. China Grand Automotive (CGA) is one of the largest [...]
GM sells one millionth vehicle in China this year
Shanghai-GM have seen explosive growth in the Chinese market over the past two years, which has made it the king of the Chinese auto market despite its turning fortunes in its own home market. GM has become the first car marker in China to sell one million vehicles in a single year. The lucky one [...]
Chevrolet Cruze spotted out testing in China
The Chevrolet Cruze has been the major proponent behind Chevrolet China’s brand revival, Chevrolet was cursed to be Buick’s little brother was receiving Buick’s hand me down models rebadged as Chevrolet’s, but the Cruze changed this. Chevrolet suddenly went up market with the introduction of the Cruze and also the face lifted Aveo and Sail [...]
Chinese Small-displacement Luxury Club Growing Rapidly
Nothing beats displacement except even more displacement. Although most Chinese people never heard this English saying, they always agree with this view. Luxury cars should have a large displacement, while small-displacement engines are just for cheap cars. However, the world is changing. Displacement needs replacement. More and more small-displacement turbocharged engines were introduced into Chinese [...]
Europe to be the next big target of Chinese tyre makers
Now that the WTO has made it clear that the US imposing tariffs on Chinese made tires is perfectly fine, it is likely that Chinese tires will find a new home in Europe and will no doubt begin some tit for tat trade war with the USA. The Chinese tire export business to the USA [...]
More than half of Chinese hoping for lower car taxes in 2011
From China Daily: More than half of the Chinese public have voiced the hope that taxes would be reduced on vehicles and boats as the country’s top legislature discontinued soliciting opinions for the draft law on vehicle and boat taxation. According to a statement released Tuesday by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, 97,295 [...]
Chinese auto makers betting big on the Sub Continent
The Chinese market will be approaching saturation point in the next few years as the government introduces various anti car policies at national and local level which will ultimately put Chinese consumers off buying cars in the large numbers that they have been doing in the past few years. The next big market that is [...]
Mazda8 MPV priced from 219,800rmb and rising
The Mazda8 MPV recently came down the production line in FAW-Mazda’s Changchun factory and has now received its pricing levels. Engine power will come from a 2.3L inline four engine which will keep costs low and is thus priced from 219,8000rmb to 249,800rmb which will make it extremely competitive against other business use MPV’s such [...]
BAIC’s C30 to be produced on 28th December
Beijing Auto are celebrating their reassurgence as an automotive giant with the launch of their first car, the C30 MPV. The C30 has been spotted out testing in China several times and we will see it coming down the production line on December 28th this month. The BC30 was self developed by BAIC and measures [...]
BYD working with LA’s Housing Authority department on fleet testing
BYD has delivered a series of BYD F3DM hybrid sedans to Los Angeles Housing Authority (HACLA) which will see the F3DM’s under go road testing in the USA. The F3DM will be able to travel for 40 to 60 miles per day on its electric power pack and can also be charged up overnight and [...]
Hyundai Verna hatchback to launch in Guangzhou Auto Show
Hyundai are set to give the Hyundai Verna hatchback at the Guangzhou Auto its first global airing, the Verna sedan has already launched in China and is proving to be a popular model. 4085/1700/1460 The Verna hatch will measure in at (LxWxH) 4085 x 1700 x 1460 and will have a wheelbase of 2570mm. On [...]
China will become Audi’s biggest market in 2011
From Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG’s Audi luxury unit said China will replace Germany as its biggest market in 2011 “at the latest” as sales in the country boom, Audi Chief Financial Officer Axel Strotbek. Audi aims to deliver one million vehicles in China, where it outsells rivals Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, over [...]
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