Archive for September, 2011
China Quality Association’s survey results show complaint rate of auto users keeps rising for two consecutive years
China Quality Association and National User Committee released the 2011 China Automobile Customer Satisfaction Index (CACSI) on September 27. They reviewed the models of 120 passenger vehicle brands with strong sales in 2011 through surveys with vehicle owners. The survey finds that the proportion of the first-time new vehicle buyers reduced from 75.9% last year [...]
Why you cant write off Zotye just yet – Z300 Photoblog
Zotye have long been the subject to take over rumors, as soon as the yearly automotive mergers and acquisitions rumor mill starts going Zotye are placed somewhere at the top of the list, but the plucky company has so far avoided overtures from major state owned companies they are rumored to be close to be [...]
Honda give the Honda new logo and slight makeover for new China brand
When GM started its own sub brand with Baojun Honda decided ‘We too, can do that‘ and of course it went at its own plans. But with Honda having two partners in China that are both focused on passenger car production, where as GM has one focused on passenger cars with SAIC and another focused [...]
Chinese homegrown brands lose market share to each other
Data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) shows that the August sales of homegrown passenger vehicles declined 2.86% from a year earlier to 407,400 units, accounting for 37.2% of the country’s total sales of passenger vehicles, down 3.96% from a year earlier. Most of China’s homegrown brands saw their market shares down in August [...]
Honda plans to make batteries and electric motors in China to reduce hybrid costs
Following the steps of Toyota, Honda also announces its plan of making batteries and electric motors in China next year, so as to reduce the costs of hybrid vehicles and boost the sales of hybrid vehicles. Honda China’s chief Seiji Kuraishi said during an interview that it’s difficult to reduce costs by importing electric motors [...]
Chinese car makers looking to localize in Thailand
From Xinhua: Several China-based auto-makers are currently preparing or considering to switch from importing to production in Thailand, a crucial step of localization aiming at shaking off import duties and augmenting ompetitiveness, and also a skillful move to bring themselves closer to the booming southeastern Asian market. In a tariff-fee zone about 100 kilometers east [...]
Chinese bus and coach manufacturers are urged to improve safety levels
In China, about 150,000 large and mid-size buses will be sold this year. Although this only accounts for 1% of Chinese total automobile sales, China is nearly a half of global bus market. Daimler expected global bus market volume to total approximately 310,000 units this year in March. Compared with European buses, Chinese buses are [...]
SEAT launch delayed until early 2012
VAG Group’s Spanish subsidiary will see its models launch in the Chinese market in early 2012 according to media reports from Chinese auto outlets earlier today, Seat had its brand launch at the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this year with the Ibiza showcasing the brand. It was largely expected that Seat would hit the Chinese [...]
Chinese consumers love BMW’s customization
From China Economic Net: In the showroom of BMW Individual, Munich, we saw the fruit of this cross-industry cooperation. A silver”piano line” outlines its elegant waist; the seat pillows and cushions are sewn with Steinway’s golden harp logo. Employees of BMW Individual told us that this 7 Series BMW limited edition was special in that”it [...]
Ford to possibly make electric car in China, Lincoln to possibly make it to China as well
After the much-ado-about nothing affair over the non-possibility of the Chevrolet Volt being made in China, Ford are plotting to make an electric car in China if the market allows for it. Why are foreign auto makers so keen to make electric cars for China all of a sudden? Obviously its due to strong government [...]
Buick GL8 on test – Buick’s latest and greatest people mover
The first incarnation of the Buick GL8 appeared in 2000 and quickly became the car of choice for many business users across China, the level of comfort was far beyond what anyone else was offering at the time and the prices were reasonable. Fast forward eleven years to 2011, is the GL8 still what it [...]
Jeep hunting for production in China
From Bloomberg: Jeep CEO Mike Manley hopes to negotiate a deal in the next several weeks that will result in Jeep production in China. Manley departed for China Wednesday to negotiate a deal with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd., a Chinese company that has a joint venture with Fiat. “Fiat has a very strong partner [...]
Next Generation Audi A6 prowling the roads in China
Audi was the first luxury car maker to enter the Chinese market, and they have exploited that early entry with great success, in 2010 their sales reached 240,000 vehicles and are continuing to improve into 2011. On the other hand, Mercedes and BMW entered the Chinese market relatively late and have been trying to catch [...]
What next, for Chinese cars in Brazil?
Brazil’s new tax plan to control the rush of imported cars into South America’s biggest auto market could potentially put a damper on JAC’s plans to take on the market in a major way. New legislation from the Brazilian government sees taxes on cars imported from outside the Mercosur trade union raised to 30% which [...]
SouEast V3 gets minor make over for 2012
SouEast maybe a small company but they have not slowed down their work on improving the SouEast V3 over the past few years, the V3 is based off the last generation of Mitsubishi Lancer so has a solid platform underneath of it The V3 is powered by a 1.5L engine which is popular with younger [...]
Ssangyong’s SUT-1 new truck testing in China
Ssangyong’s new SUT-1 truck has only just been aired in Frankfurt, but it looks like the new truck is out testing hard in China ahead of its eventual launch in the worlds largest automotive market. The concept that launched in Frankfurt is based on the Actyon SUV that we first saw in 2006, the platform [...]
Gleagle GX2 hits the market with an automatic gearbox
Geely’s Gleagle GX2 has just hit the market with a new 1.5L engine mated to an automatic gearbox, previous versions only came with 1.3L and 1.5L engines with manual gearboxes but the addition of an automatic gearbox is likely to boost sales considerably. Prices for the new model are to be from 59,800rmb which is [...]
Great Wall’s IF concept in rendered form ahead of production
Great Wall Motors (GWM) are a company that are heading places, their small car line up is on the verge of overtaking their traditional SUV line up as the main sales force for the company and their export sales are on fire, is there anything that could potentially slow the company down? We don’t seem [...]
Chinese cars beating Brazil
From Bloomberg: Chinese automakers are targeting cost-conscious consumers in Brazil, taking sales from General Motors Co., Fiat SpA and Ford Motor Co. As the second-largest emerging market after China and the fifth-biggest car market, Brazil is key for China’s automakers as they start a world expansion. Chery Automobile Co. and others are trying to follow [...]
World No Car Day – Did Shanghai Take Notice?
Today is World No Car Day, but does anybody actually know? It seems that the roads on Yan’an East Road in Shanghai were slightly quieter than normal at 9am and local Shanghai media are reporting that an extra 200,000 people are expected to take to the public transport system rather than their own steering wheel [...]
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