Archive for January, 2011
Multi nationals growing their design centers in China
As the largest car market in the world, China has attracted more attention from multinationals. They realized that the direct introductions of American or European models are no longer enough. The best way to captivate Chinese hearts is to deliberate their characteristics, ultimately establishing a local design center is the best way forward. Recently, Ford [...]
Porsche’s Cajun to be made in China
The forthcoming Porsche Cajun luxury crossover is likely to be based on the Audi Q5′s Quattro platform, and it just so happens that the Audi Q5 is already produced in China at FAW-Audi factory in Changchun in North East China. Porsche CEO Matthias Müller recently told the German Economics Magazine Forbes that Porsche will make [...]
BMW to improve Chinese production rate, to introduce Chinese BMW’s to the world
In a recent interview between media portal Sohu and BMW’s Ian Robertson it was reveiled that BMW have quite the plan for the Chinese market. China is now BMW’s third largest market with sales reaching 168,998 units in 2010 for combined BMW and MINI sales, 158,489 BMW’s were sold whilst 10,509 Mini’s were cleared from [...]
Dealers begin the long road out of Beijing market
Beijing based car dealers are starting to close up their dealerships across Beijing and are begining to leave the market for other markets on the outskirts of Beijing. Beijing Municipal Government recently introduced a new license plate policy that has seen license plates limited to just 20,000 being made available per month or 240,000 per [...]
BYD cuts 100 dealers from its network
From the China Daily: Following dealer pullouts last year, carmaker BYD has admitted its sales network grew too fast and has cut the number of dealerships by 100, domestic media said. The report said Wang Chuanfu, board chairman of BYD, disclosed the information at the North American International Auto Show underway in Detroit. Beginning in [...]
Jeep Cherokee makes it into production as the BAW S12
The Jeep Cherokee was the first foreign car to go into production in China in 1984 after New China’s founding in 1949, and it seems to have struck a chord with Chinese consumers. The Cherokee is a timeless classic, it seems AMC hit the design note on the head the first time around and thus [...]
VW Amarok sighted in China
Volkswagen’s Amarok pick up truck has been sighted out in China sparking rumors of its imminent launch in the Peoples Republic of China. The Chinese pick up truck scene is mostly controlled by domestic manufacturers such as Greatwall, Huang Hai and ZX Auto, all of whom control the low end of the market for trucks [...]
Kia bringing Picanto China, to be known as Kia Morning
Kia are readying their Picanto small car model for the Chinese market, although it will be referred to as the Kia Morning once it launches in the Middle Kingdom. Kia are without a small hatchback model in the Chinese market other than the popular Kia Soul, the Picanto will fill out the bottom segment of [...]
Chinese cars exports among the lowest in the world
China maybe produced 18.27 million cars in 2009, but only 2.98% of that made it to foreign ownership according to statistics released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). China exported 544,900 units in 2010, a number that is disappointingly low when compared to other great automotive nations such as Japan, Germany and South Korea, [...]
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-01-16
Who needs a twin axle Ford Super Duty in China? The urban cowboys are getting a little silly now… # AshAsh came to China at 18 on a whim and never left. Some 10 years later he collected a degree and a family along the way and now focuses his time on watching the Chinese [...]
Commenting system: To be open, or closed?
China Car Times has grown in popularity at a rapid rate in the past six months, you can see it, we can see it. Not a month goes by where we don’t crack two million page views, the downside to this sort of traffic is that we have gained quite a couple of uninvited guests [...]
Ferrari aiming for 100% growth in 2011, aiming for 600 units
Ferrari sold 300 cars in the Greater China region in 2010 – that’s the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, but for 2011 Ferrari are aiming to double that number. The Italian super car manufacturers sales were just under 300 units on the Chinese mainland alone in 2010, an increase of 50% over 2009, [...]
Dongfeng-Honda to use Civic platform on own car range
Dongfeng Auto and Honda are teaming up to produce their own range of sub brand, named Everus, that will sit under the Dongfeng-Honda lineage and will be aimed squarely at the economy market which is largely made up of third tier cities and rural areas. Honda have already unveiled their first Everus branded car at [...]
Chinese car companies still aiming for large growth in 2011 despite missed sales goals in 2010
According to earlier reports, both GM and VW are aiming for growth of between 10% and 15% in 2011 due to the national government removing preferential taxes for sub 1.6L cars which has seen tax jump from an all time low of 5% in 2009, to 7% in 2010 to 10% in 2011, the car [...]
BAIC’s B40 spotted out naked again, to launch soon
BAIC seemed to have learned quite a bit from ex-partner Chrysler about Jeep production, BAIC’s B40 looks rather like a Jeep Wrangler although it doesn’t have the same power plants as the Wrangler, the B40 could be considered the thinking mans Wrangler due to the similarities between the two vehicles. Engine power for the B40 [...]
Fisker coming to China in second half of 2010
Fisker Automotive are coming to China in the second quarter of 2010 according to earlier reports that say the Karma model will be one of the first Fisker models to hit the Chinese market, China Car Times has learned that Fisker are planning for sales of around 3000 units in China once market entry has [...]
Chinese women also shopping for super luxury cars
From Business Week: Beijing resident Lily Liu has always liked driving fast, and she doesn’t mind spending to indulge that passion.Liu, 44, bought a gray Porsche AG 911 Carrera S two years ago for 1.2 million yuan ($182,000) and is shopping for an Aston Martin, the sports car made famous by James Bond movies. The [...]
10 types of drivers that need to be taken off the road
Driving in China is fun, in the West it becomes a chore as everyone happily sits in their lanes and nothing out of the ordinary happens on the journey from A to B. In China the roads are organized chaos, its a high speed, high risk ballet, cars under take, cars over take, they come [...]
More on Chery’s truckin dreams
Chery is planning to expand its Karry sub brand quite extensively over the next few months with multiple light pick up trucks making the entry, the first one being a bread van based light truck that will weigh in at sub 800kg but with the addition of a twin cab, something the Chinese market is [...]
Bubble Trouble: Is an over capacity bubble brewing in China?
From CCN: More cars were sold in China last year than in any other country at any time in history. And industry officials only expect those sales to grow.But the rush to build more cars in China to feed that growing market could soon become a big problem. The more than 30% sales growth achieved [...]
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