Archive for April, 2011
Chrysler recalling Wranglers in China
From Xinhua: China’s top quality watchdog said Thursday U.S. automaker Chrysler will recall 464 JEEP Wrangler vehicles in the Chinese mainland over problems with bolts that could cause noise and even affect steering while the vehicle is running. Chrysler’s China company will conduct the recall, which is set to begin on April 8. The vehicles [...]
The Friday Question: What car would you import to China if you could?
Lets say you’re one of the few remaining Foreign Experts in China (seriously, they used to give those cards to anyone, not so anymore!) and you want to assert your government given right to import your own personal car into China from where ever you came from. What do you bring, and why? Let us [...]
BYD sales down in March, Xi’an factory construction to continue
BYD have had some good news and bad news in March, putting the good news first is that Xi’an City Government have returned the land confiscated by them to BYD this week. The land was confiscated when BYD attempted to build on it, the land was originally set aside for agricultural use but they have [...]
Misery at the gas pumps for Chinese drivers
The price of gasoline at the forecourt has risen again for the second time this year under a pricing mechanism that sees prices adjusted within China if the cost of oil on the global markets change by more than 4% over a course of 22 days. The unrest in the Middle East, especially Libya, has [...]
This is the 4000th piece of news on China Car Times
Wow! Where does four and a half years go? It doesn’t seem like last week when I was sitting on the sofa with a rather beat up Lenovo laptop burning my legs, that date was November 25th. Everything went live the next day. I bought a new laptop a few months later. In that time, [...]
Passat CC to launch 5 seat version
The Passat CC has been a successful model so far, the only downside being that the car has just four seats. FAW-VW have given into demands and are introducing a 5 seat model at the Shanghai Auto Show. The CC will be available in both 5 and 4 seat versions with pricing starting at 250,000rmb [...]
The Two Millionth Edition Jetta
What can we say? China loves the second generation Jetta just as much as they love pandas, rice and chopsticks, so its no shock to hear that VW have brought out a two millionth edition Jetta to thank consumers for all their love over the years. The Jetta is practically China’s People’s Car. The car [...]
Lifan 720 sighted out testing, to launch at Shanghai Auto Show
The Lifan 720 is Lifan’s shot at making a mid size sedan that doesn’t cost the earth, the Chongqing based auto maker is a small fish in a big sea full of state owned automakers and larger private enterprises, Lifan has tried to gain traction in the market but it seems to be a regional [...]
This is the MG5 concept for Shanghai Auto Show
The Shanghai Auto Show is nearly upon us, and the usual excitement of what is coming and when is practically causing our pants to explode. This years shows is looking to be a good one with a multitude of China premiers, world launches and Asia Premiers, the one big car that everyone seems to be [...]
Chevrolet Malibu confirmed for Chinese production
In the US of A the Chevrolet Malibu is a lowly work horse that usually finds its home at the rental counter, but you can bet that in China it will be a decent up market vehicle pushed to family users that don’t want any of the Japanese 3: the Camry, the Accord and the [...]
Chery’s next generation Oriental Son
The Oriental Son was Chery’s first big sedan, it was a well received model at the time due to other Chinese manufacturers being unable to make such a mid size sedans at the time, and joint venture companies being unable to make a large sedan at a low cost. The Oriental Son is coming back, [...]
Great Wall’s C70 mid size sedan spotted
Ahead of every major auto show car makers like to reveal their products ahead of time with spy pictures taken with phone cameras, Great Wall are no exception to this rule. The C70 looks to be a variation of the Great Wall Sports Sedan that we saw in 2009 but we didn’t hear anything from [...]
Chery’s new E5 seen ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show
Chery are eager to keep their three brands separate from each other and will be running each brand, Chery, Riich, Reely and Karry, as separate business entities that can take parts and technology from the Chery HQ to build their own models. The next model for the Chery line up is the below Chery E5. [...]
Foton setting up new plant in Kenya
The market for Chinese trucks in Africa seems to be growing at a rapid rate, so fast in fact that companies such as Foton are planning to invest in the continent. Foton are planning to invest 1.2 billion Kenyan Shillings, roughly 14 million USD, in a new plant located within Kenya that will be able [...]
China plans to make 5,000,000 new energy vehicles in 2015?
China is a mystery land. In 2010, we produced 7,181 new energy vehicles, but 5 years later, we want a nearly thousand-fold increase, up to more than 5,045,000. That is not a groundless figure. Instead, this figure comes from detailed plans of provinces and cities. Among China’s 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities (excluding Hong [...]
Ford C-Max and Kuga coming to China
Ford’s Chinese product line up is woefully slim for the worlds biggest car market, it’s comprised of the Mondeo, Focus, Fiesta, S-Max and of course the Ford Edge crossover that is made in America, in order to boost sales further and stop relying on core models such as the Focus and Fiesta, Ford are planning [...]
Who killed China Car Times part 2
You may have noticed recently that China Car Times has been up and down more often than a price of Brent crude. The first time it went down it was due to an international clamor for pictures of the man that had his duff Lambo killed with hammers and man power, the second time could [...]
PSA’s own sub brand with Chang’an to launch in August 2011
According to recent media reports it appears that PSA were coerced into producing a sub brand with their partner Chang’an in order to gain faster official approval for their new joint venture partnership for the Chinese market. PSA were already in a partnership with Dongfeng, but Dongfeng were clearly over stretched with their over partners [...]
Toyota sales increase in March 2011
The Worlds biggest car company is still not China’s biggest car company, but Toyota are doing better in China albeit slower than expected. Toyota has two joint venture companies in China, one with First Automobile Works in Northern China and a second in Guangzhou with Guangzhou Autos, between the two of them they produce a [...]
GM showing 10% year on year growth
With the central government canceling favorable tax rates for small displacement cars it was feared that the Chinese car market would tumble in 2011, but if GM are anything to go by then 2011 will be just as good, if not better than 2010. GM are announcing that they have seen 10% year on year [...]
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