Archive for May, 2011
Are you German? BAIC wants you
Beijing Auto Industry Corporation are waking up from a 50 year slumber, the last time they independtly developed their own series of cars was when Mao himself instructed them to do so, but in recent years they are clawing back their mantle as of China’s biggest and best auto manufacturers. BAIC set up joint ventures [...]
Beijing Auto to produce pure electric C30
The electric car industry is getting hot with many different companies attempting a market entry, especially into the electric car parts industry, the government are also offering substantial subsidies for those that buy into the electric car craze earlier on, the only problem being a lack of market ready cars. The C30 has already been [...]
Roewe W5 SUV to launch soon, prices to be from 170,000rmb
The advertising campaign for the Roewe W5 started as soon as the car was officially aired at the Shanghai Auto Show, the advert shows the story of how a young man researching the history of (presumably) his Grandpa who appears to have flown British made Spitfires during the Second World War around the Yunnan-Burma border, [...]
FAW to release new Weizhi in 2012
The FAW Weizhi series of cars that are made by its Tianjin based subsidary, XiaLi, are about to get a dramatic makeover for the next two years. The Weizhi sedans are economy models that are based on the older Toyota Yaris platforms that FAW inherited from its joint venture partner, Toyota. This particular model looks [...]
Chevrolet Aveo Launched in China
In US markets, the Aveo nameplate is held in such contempt that it had to renamed the Sonic for US consumers, but here in China the Aveo is well respected for being a economical and fairly solid small car. The latest generation of Aveo was unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show last month and is [...]
China’s National Development and Reform Comission warns Pangda
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s top economic planning body, held a small meeting on May 18 with Pangda Group, just two days after Pangda’s inked a deal with Saab. The key attendees of the meeting were companies close to the Saab deal, but one person who was included in the deal, [...]
Beiqi Foton hires away former SAIC market chief as vice president
Huang Huaqiong, former director of SAIC Passenger Vehicle Company’s Overseas Operation, recently showed up at Shahe Town, Changping District, Beijing, where commercial vehicle maker Beiqi Foton is based. He has just got an offer from Beiqi Foton as its vice president and brand chief. Huang Huaqiong started his automotive career at Shanghai Volkswagen. He grew [...]
Ford release 2011 Ford Fiesta – including sports trim model
The Ford Fiesta is one of the big stars of the small car market in China, its good looks and sexually neutral design have awarded it an equal abundance of male and female customers. When the Fiesta first launched in China it came in two forms; sedan and hatch, as is customary in China for [...]
Chang’an and Mazda to develop sub brand for China
Old time partners Chang’an and Mazda are about to set up a new sub brand for the Chinese car market, as the two are now free of their light bulb partner (Lightbulb being the Chinese term for the spare wheel in a date) Ford, they have more freedom in the Chinese market. Chang’an Mazda’s China [...]
Mercedes Sprinter MPV coming to China
The large MPV market has largely been cornered by IVECO but now it seems that SAIC are entering the market with the Maxxus (nee: LDV) brand which is an odd situation, seeing as SAIC are in a joint venture partnership with IVECO after they took over Nanjing Auto, but now Mercedes are planning to enter [...]
SouEast V5 to launch next year
SouEast are quickly becoming China’s Chrysler, they are struggling to keep their market share and their partners at Mitsubishi seem to be more interested in working with state owned giant Guangzhou Auto than tiny SouEast. The next few years are likely to be a do or die mission for SouEast as they fend off potential [...]
Minor tuck and lift for RAV4 in China
The Toyota RAV4 has been in China for just over 18 months, but the compact SUV has not been as popular as its rivals in China. Toyota are hoping to jump start sales by giving the RAV4 a minor makeover for 2012: Engine power will bet the same 2.0L and 2.4L and much to many [...]
Pangda’s CEO reveals Saab plans in interview
The sudden buy into Saab by a relatively unknown Chinese car dealership group took the automotive world by storm earlier this week, the deal was announced just 11 days after Saab’s sudden marriage to Hawtai broke down after Hawtai were unable to satisfy Saab’s demands. It appears that Saab hammered out a deal with Pangda [...]
New Jetta to be made in China at the end of the year
The new Jetta will be introduced into China at the end of the year according to Chinese media reports, the new Jetta will of course take the Sagitar name in China so as not to confuse it with the 1984 mark 2 model that is still plowing China’s roads in taxi mode. The new Jetta [...]
Ford to establish transmission factory in China
Ford, together with its partners in China, is building its first transmission plant in China to support Ford’s aggressive growth plan in the world’s largest auto market. Ford’s passenger vehicle joint venture in China, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Ltd. (CFMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding today for the transmission plant project with the Chongqing Municipal [...]
MG3 XCross spied without camo
We received these pictures late last week, but we had to sit on our hands again whilst we waited for our friends at Sohu to publish them first, our first reaction on hearing the new name for the MG3 Cross, which is now named XROSS went basically like this; “What?” The MG3 has just hit [...]
SABIC to increase investment in China car plastics
From: The National Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) plans to increase its investment in China with a new plant to make the plastics used in car parts and CDs. The company announced the US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) venture with China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, also known as Sinopec, at a plastics conference yesterday in Guangzhou, a [...]
Geely-Volvo plans to be announced in the next quarter
From Reuters: Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd said it will announce details of technological cooperation with sister company Volvo Car Corp in 2-3 months at the earliest. Volvo Car, owned by Geely’s parent Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd, would proceed with broad cooperation with Hong Kong-listed Geely in areas such as technology through [...]
Beijing Auto Confident About its Saab Based Cars
BAIC’s own Saab’s to be produced soon Saab reached a strategic partnership deal with Hawtai on May 3, which made the industry insiders worry about Beijing auto Industry Corp (BAIC) as BAIC previously acquired some core technologies from Saab in 2009 and is developing its self-owned products with these older technologies. However, the strategic partnership [...]
Geely expects to double its car exports in 2011
From WSJ: Chinese car maker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (0175.HK) said Wednesday it expects to double its export car sales in 2011 amid a gradual global economic recovery.The company’s 2011 export car sales will likely reach 40,000 to 50,000 units, up from the 20,555 units sold in 2010, Chief Executive Gui Sheng Yue told reporters [...]
Twitter!
