Archive for June, 2011
Setting the record on Lotus NYO
Lotus NYO, the passenger car making arm of Lotus Group, launched its models in Beijing just over 10 days ago. Chinese media reports, and coincidently China Car Times and other Chinese focused automotive news websites reported that Lotus China had been forced to use the Lotus NYO and a new Chinese name due to a [...]
Chery’s M16 being readied for production
The Chery M16 (obviously a codename) is being readied for production and should hit the market later this year according to media reports. The M16 will be a mid size sedan and is apparently riding on a stretched A3 platform. This won’t be yet another mid size sedan from Chery that will clutter dealerships, instead [...]
CRV spotted in China yet again
The next generation of Honda CRV has been spotted out testing yet again on Chinese roads which has sparked a flurry of Chinese media interest in China’s best selling SUV. Honda ran away with the SUV market when it launched the current generation of CRV in the Chinese market with sales often breaching the 10,000 [...]
BYD E6 popular but not so popular in Shenzhen
Reuters has some good analysis on the state of the E6 taxi pilot project which has seen BYD’s flagship pure electric vehicle take to Shenzhen’s roads over the past year. It appears that the E6 is gaining popularity with taxi-go’ers but not with the operators who say that the car is too expensive when compared [...]
BYD’s profit tumbles 84%
BYD’s major profit fall in the first half of the year comes as a major shock to automotive observers in China, it was known that BYD were having some issues with car sales in 2010 and 2011 but not to the extent that would cause its profit to fall in such a a manner. BYD [...]
Audi Q3 will be made in China next year
Previous reports indicated that the new Audi Q3 will be made in China in 2013, and it may be imported to China as early as next year. However, according to the latest Chinese media reports, the Audi Q3 is now under trial production in FAW’s Changchun factory, and will be made in China and launched [...]
BAIC Group plans spin-off listing in 2012
Guo Xinmin, a board director of BAIC Group, revealed the group’s separate listing plan to Chinese media yesterday. The group has four joint-stock companies, Beiqi Foton Motor, BAIC Motor, Beijing Hainachuan Automotive Parts, and Beijing Penglong Auto Trade Service. So far only Beiqi Foton has been listed, and the other three companies will make separate [...]
Shanghai Volkswagen to intensify its offerings in the next few years
Shanghai Volkswagen plans to launch more than 10 new or revamped VW branded and Skoda branded cars and SUVs during 2013 to 2015. Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s MQB platform will be introduced into China which is the reason for Shanghai Volkswagen’s intensive launch of new models in the next few years. The capacity of the company’s Yizheng [...]
Next generation Audi A6 spotted in China, to hit the market soon
Any new models from Audi are bound to become big headlines in the Chinese media, the Audi A6 is no exception. The A6 was one of the first models to make Audi a major brand in China, the previous Audi 100 and Audi 200 models did sell well but the A6 was what defined the [...]
Riich G2 sighted out testing, detailed pictures taken
The Riich G2 will be a compact hatchback to rival the Emgrand EC7-RV when it launches later this year, the G2 will carry a 1.5L from Chery’s ATECO range which is good for 109bhp and 140Nm, not exactly a fast car but perfect for inner city jaunts around town. Overall the G2 looks like it [...]
Saab receives cash from unnamed Chinese company to pay wages
Various media reports from both within China and internationally from earlier today and late last night are indicating that Saab has received yet another life line from a Chinese company in the form of a 13 million Euro order. Who exactly the company is has not yet been stated, Pangda were the original savior for [...]
Chang’an implementing Hafei changes
Hafei’s management team has gone through a period of turmoil since its merger with Chang’an Group with key members of the team leaving. Sources say that Hafei Group’s deputy managing director Zhang Yanping is has been demoted recently, with his responsibilities beening downgraded from domestic and overseas automobile sales to overseas sales business. Li Zhi, [...]
Shanghai GM’s capacity expansion plans approved, may start construction in July
The capacity expansion plan of Shanghai GM (Shenyang) Beisheng Auto Co., Ltd. has received approval for its proposed expansion plans. Construction of the extension may start as early as July this year. The expanded capacity includes 300,000 vehicles and 450,000 engines. The total investment in the project will be 7 billion yuan. The capacity of [...]
Beijing expects to keep automobile consumption restrictive policies in a short term
The Secretary General of China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) Dong Yang, denied the news reports saying that China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has proposed to revoke Beijing’s automobile consumption restrictive policy. The media discussion about the automobile consumption restrictive policy is getting popular recently. Some media reports say that the policy is [...]
Sichuan Yema use Austin Maestro platform to make Kia Sportage, Audi A3 and Honda CRV clones
Remember Sichuan Yema? They bought the Austin Maestro platform from FAW who bought it from the Qingdao based ETsong Tobacco Company when they decided to get into the car making game when cig sales started going south, of course they bought it from a Bulgarian firm who bought it from MG-Rover. Those Austin Maestro toolings [...]
Chinese made Mercedes GLK to get 3.0L V6 engine
Mercedes are eager to push their brand in 2011 and 2012 to catch up with the runaway train that is Audi, of course the best way to do this is to introduce a new range of made in China vehicles that lower the prices and makes the product open to a wider range of potential [...]
US Honda Odyssey to come to China
The Japanese market Honda Odyssey has been in China for quite a few years now and has continually been a market leader in the MPV segment, the sleek long MPV is more wagon than MPV but it has proven to be a major hit with business users across China in the past 5 years it [...]
Chevrolet Captiva to be made in China
The Chevrolet Captiva is currently made in South Korea and imported into China, despite its imported status the Captiva is priced very competitively at 240,000rmb and rising, the latest facelift version has just been introduced into China and will no doubt prove to be a hit. However, Shanghai-GM are planning to move Captiva production into [...]
Chang-an’s mid size sedan spotted out testing
The problem with self developed mid size sedans from Chinese auto makers is that they lack the branding ability and marketing ability to push their vehicles from being economy boxes into mid size sedan fighters. Only Brilliance and Roewe appear to have the ability to make a mid size that sells but they started in [...]
Volvo’s Daqing factory receives approval
According to Chinese media reports from early this morning Volvo’s proposed factory in the frozen hinterlands of DaQing has already received approval from State Legislators and regulatory bodies. The factory will cover 84 hectare of land and will produce Volvo’s high end SUV range and also an unknown MPV, initial production ability will be limited [...]
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