Archive for July, 2011
Poor first half sales make Honda lower 2011 sales goal
Honda’s poor showing in the first half of 2011 have caused the Japanese company to lower its sales goal for the rest of the year. In the first half of 2011 Honda sold just 274,510 vehicles with the company citing the Japanese earthquake as major reason for the sales slow down as delivery times of [...]
Next generation Roewe 750 seen again
The next generation Roewe 750 is shaping up to be a handsome sedan indeed, the current corporate grill that is found on the 350 and which was somewhat hastily applied to the Roewe W5 SUV will be pushed onto the new 750, which of course is sitting on GM’s Epsillon II platform. The Chinese media [...]
Chrysler’s partnership with Soueast Motors may hinder its expansion in China
As Fiat is going to become Chrysler’s controlling shareholder and GAC-Fiat will start local production soon, Chrysler’s local production plan is also put on the agenda. A source with Chrysler China revealed that Chrysler will surely start local production, and it will make products with GAC-Fiat’s platform. But as Chrysler’s partnership with Soueast Motors has [...]
Chevrolet ready to cash in on Transformers mayhem
Transformers was one of the first foreign cartoons to enter China in the mid 1980’s and subsequently hooked a generation of men on the never ending battles between Decepticons and the Autobots. Of course, Transformers fell from the TV screens in the early 90’s but made it back to the big screen in 2008 when [...]
Changchun complains about a lack of automotive talent
Changchun is the home to First Automobile Works that has partnerships with Mazda, Toyota, Audi and VW, the problem is that although Changchun has become a major automotive production hub it just can’t attract the talent. Now the problem is not that FAW and its partners are paying low money (in fact, I hear they [...]
Luxgen SUV to launch in China next month
Taiwanese car maker Yulong and mainland Chinese car maker Dongfeng Auto have put politics aside to produce the Luxgen range of vehicles in the Chinese market, the two signed together in early 2008 and received rapid approval for the first cross straits full car project between the mainland and Taiwan. The Luxgen SUV has already [...]
Chevrolet Orlando confirmed for China via patent office leak
The Chevrolet Orlando has already launched in European markets earlier this year where it received praise from the automotive media for putting a different spin on an existing concept however the Orlando has yet to make it to China. The Orlando will likely launch in July this year according to media reports, however that does [...]
Audi to equip all Chinese made models with hybrid tech
Audi will equip all of its locally-made models with mild hybrid technology next year according to an interview with Mr. Dominique Boesch, the GM of FAW-VW’s Audi sales unit., making it the first automaker in China to do so. The mild hybrid technology can reduce energy consumption by 3-5%, told Mr. Boesch. But they have [...]
Chinese auto parts companies are buying into overseas peers
Following German Preh and Saargummi, German auto parts supplier KSM Castings Gruppe is also acquired by a Chinese auto parts firm. In order to obtain new market shares and technical know-how, Chinese companies are interested in buying into western auto parts suppliers, and the acquired companies also want to improve their competitiveness with China’s low-cost [...]
Chinese Car prices falling ever so slightly
The prices of locally-made vehicles in June stayed at the same level as the previous month, but declined 1.18% from a year earlier, shows the data from the price monitoring center of China’s National Development Reform Commission. In June, the prices of locally-made passenger vehicles reduced 1.41% from a year earlier, while the prices of [...]
VW Group posts record 1st half year sales in China
VW Group are the head group for anything VW related in China, they oversee the mighty VW empire from VW branded cars to Lamgorghini sales and everything else in between. Although this year was expected to be a wash out for car makers, VW Group has managed to defy the odds partly due to its [...]
Buick’s baby SUV given rendered treatment by Chinese magazine
Buick owes its life to the Chinese auto market, if the brand did not get an early foothold in the door in China then there is no doubt that the brand would have gone the way of Saturn a long time ago, in the US market the brand only appealed to the silver haired army [...]
Peugeot 307 to come in cross form
What do you do when you want to sell more cars in China? You raise the suspension slightly and add layers of black plastic to the outside to give it that crossover feel – except instead of marketing it as a mini SUV, you sell it as a sports model. Confused? Well that’s just how [...]
Guangzhou Auto Workin on two new models for 2011
Guangzhou Auto (GAC) are planning to launch their compact SUV later this year with an expected launch date of November 2011 being touted by media reports, another model – a rumored compact sedan is expected to be on show at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November in concept form. The vice president of the Chuan [...]
Beijing built Mercedes GLK pops out for pictures with minor facelift and 2.0T
Beijing-Benz, the joint venture between Beijing Auto Industry Corp (BAIC) and Mercedes Benz have finally unveiled their locally built GLK for the Chinese market. The premium crossover market has certainly heated up in the past few months since the market leaders, Audi, introduced the Q5 meaning that Audi’s Germanic rivals have had to rush their [...]
Global Automotive Forum to be held in Chengdu this year
Last year’s Global Automotive Forum was held in Chengdu and was a major success for the organisers and attendees. The forum brought the leaders of the international and Chinese automotive industry, policy makers and local governments together under one roof for a special two day event. The forum covered various different topics that were affecting [...]
China issue automotive market stimulus policies in second half of 2011
Dong Yang, the vice chairman and secretary general of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), said at an industry information release that CAAM has revised the growth forecast from 10-15% down to 5%, which will be a good chance for the auto market to regain ration. He also said he hopes the automakers to learn [...]
Sales of China’s listed automakers slowed down
Most of China’s stock market listed automakers saw June output and sales declining from a year earlier. Some automakers kept growing, but the growth fell sharply from the same period of last year. Affected by the expiration of incentive policies, monetary tightening, and industry adjustment, China’s auto output and sales started to slow down after [...]
Fiat: “We wasted three years in China.”
Fiat’s Global Operations Director Mr. Lorenzo Sistino recently accepted an interview with the Chinese automotive website Auto 163 where he underlined plans for Fiat in the Chinese market. During the interview Mr. Sistino expressed that he believes that Fiat has wasted three years in China, presumably from a lack of a partner and having to [...]
Beijing start up seems to have unlocked the key to EV’s： Better Batteries
This news came via an anonymous tipster early this morning and seems to show that a Beijing based start up may have been able to overcome the issues that have plagued EV manufacturers so far, albeit at a slightly price: A Beijing startup called Wuhe is making electrode materials and batteries that could lower the [...]
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