Archive for June, 2011
China’s auto market still sluggish in June
A sales person working at Guanggu Automobile Square in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, complained that the customers visiting their sales outlet started to reduce from March, and sometimes not a single customer comes to their outlet now due to the rainstorms that are lashing the economically important southern provinces. June and July are usually [...]
Ford to improve Chinese market offerings
From Reuters: The head of Ford Motor Co (F.N) operations in Asia said on Thursday that the company will meet its ambitious goals for growth in China and India by greatly expanding its product offerings. Over the next several years, Ford executive Joe Hinrichs said, the automaker will have more cars that are smaller than [...]
BYD’s Chinese IPO started today, share prices may drop below opening
From Xinhua, scroll down for latest reports: Investors started on Tuesday to subscribe to new shares of BYD Co. Ltd., the Chinese car maker backed by U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffett, after the company set its Shenzhen share offering price at 18 yuan (2.8 U.S. dollars) per share a day before. The company, which already [...]
Mitsubishi to set up automotive GPS joint venture in Changshu
From the Nikkei Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (6503) said Friday that it will join forces with a subsidiary of major Chinese automaker China FAW Group Corp. to set up a company aimed at developing, manufacturing and selling car navigation systems and other auto multimedia products in China. The joint venture, called Changchun Qiming Lingdian Automotive Electronics [...]
Aston Martin is loved in China
So your friend has a red Ferrari, your other friend has a snot green Lambo, you could buy something similar, or you could buy class and performance at the same time. Rich young Chinese are flocking to the British super car brand more than ever according to Aston Martin’s Asia Pacific Managing Director, Matthew Bennet: [...]
Are Youngman the best bet for Saab?
Saab’s make or break future seems to reside on the backs of two Chinese companies and the red hot Chinese car market, but can Saab find its saviour in China? The proud Swedish brand has been producing cars since 1944 when it made its first automobile went into production as the Second World War was [...]
Shanghai license plates reach 48,855RMB (that’s $7,543USD)
The quota for Shanghai’s private vehicle license plate totals 9,000 this month, same as the number last month. There are 22,474 actual bidders, slightly less than the May number, with the bid-winning rate to be 40%. The lowest bid-winning price this month is 48,500 yuan, up 1,100 yuan from last month, and the average bid-winning [...]
Hyundai Veloster scheduled for September launch
The funky little Hyundai Veloster is heading for the Chinese market later this year when it finally launches in September. The Veloster has already said Ni Hao to Chinese consumers at the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this year where it gained a lot admiration from strong crowds. The Veloster will first be imported into China [...]
Hawtai denies media report saying that it manipulated its sales figures
Hawtai Motor Sales Company’s deputy managing director Bai Yonghua denied on June 16 the news reports saying that Hawtai is investigated by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) for reporting false sales. According to the media report, the registration of Hawtai vehicles in 2010 totaled 15,950 units, compared with its reported 81,435 units; the registration [...]
Pangda confident about getting approval for three way Saab deal
Pang Qinghua, chairman of Pangda Group, said during an interview on June 16 that the due diligence on its partnership with Saab is coming to an end, and he is confident that their three-party deal will get government approval after checking the due diligence report. It’s a procedure for Chinese companies to conduct due diligence [...]
High-speed rail in China and its impact on cars
China is about to start commercial operation of their newest high-speed rail line, the Beijing-Shanghai line. The 1318 km (819 mi) long line is the world’s longest and will feature Chinese-made rolling stock. China Railways’ CRH380A is capable of zipping through at speeds of up to 380 km/h (236 mph), which would make this also the world’s [...]
Haima’s new compact sedan
Haima love the Mazda 323 that they inherited from former joint venture partners Mazda, so much so that they have kept it in production well past its original best by date, the car transformed into the All New Family for 2011 and became the ugly duckling that turned into a prince. Now Haima are working [...]
Dongfeng’s crossover in dealerships now
When Dongfeng launched the oddly named Joyear MPV it did not sell too well, but as soon as it relaunched it with the choice of a 1.5L and a 1.8T engine the Joyear flew out of the door. Now Dongfeng have prepared a crossover version that sits some 4cm higher than the original thanks to [...]
Chryslers to come back to China via Guangzhou-Fiat
Guangzhou-Fiat, the recently sealed joint venture deal between Guangzhou Auto and Fiat, are planning to bring Chrysler to China under a deal which will see the American car company having its cars made locally in China. It was previously believed that the conditions for Chrysler to reenter the Chinese market were not an advanced enough [...]
Ford invests 500 million USD in new Chinese engine plant
Ford are ramping up their efforts in the China market over the next few years with an increased model range and more locally produced parts in a bid to boost their global sales by upto 50% over the next four years. The new plant will be based in Chongqing in South West China and will [...]
Lotus NYO arrives in China
British sports car brand Lotus had its official debut in China yesterday with the brand opening making Beijing its base market in China. Due to China’s Youngman already using the Lotus name in Chinese (which is Lianhua), Lotus have had to call themselves Lu Te Si which is a phonetic translation of the Lotus name [...]
Foton to possibly make a new small car in new factory plant
Foton are one of China’s (if not the worlds) biggest light truck manufacturers, the Beijing based company which is part of the BAIC Group, has spread its wings away from Beijing and moved across China and internationally over the past few years, currently the company only make a single small MPV/utility vehicle but according to [...]
Chinese built Volvo S60 to launch soon
The Volvo S60 has only just been launched into the Chinese market as an imported model, but it appears that Chang’an Volvo are preparing the S60 for production here in China. It was widely thought that the Chang’an-Volvo joint venture would silently disappear into the night when local rival Geely took over the Swedish run [...]
Nissan Murano launch scheduled for September
Dongfeng Nissan are gearing up to launch their fourth SUV offering in the Chinese market later this year, Nissan already offer the micro sized Qashqai, X-Trail, and Paladin (X-Terra) in the Chinese market but the addition of the Murano will fill in the mid sized SUV segment that is rapidly growing in China. The Murano [...]
China’s auto industry growth forecast to be revised down after two consecutive monthly declines in output and sales
As China’s auto output and sales continued decline into May, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) is considering revising down the industry’s yearly growth forecast. It also called upon the concerned authorities to watch the output and sales data and take appropriate actions. According to the statistics released by CAAM, China’s auto output and sales [...]
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