Archive for the ‘Industry News’ category
Imported Vehicle Sales expected to reach one million units in 2012
The Chinese thirst for imported vehicles remained insatiable in 2011 with over 1 million vehicles being imported into the country, but when you subtract the number of vehicles which received license plate numbers we are left with 820,000 vehicles – the other imported vehicles likely being made up of off road vehicles, and machinery such [...]
SAIC Sales Drop 8.45% in January
As with GM, SAIC sales have been dragged down by the Chinese new year celebrations, SAIC announced yesterday that the company saw sales drop 8.45% in January due to the fewer shopping days being available for consumers. Shanghai-GM sales fell by 4% in January and Shanghai-VW sales dropped by 2.65%. SAIC’s own sub brands, MG [...]
GM January 2011 Sales Down 8% on Year on year sales but up Month to Month
GM’s January sales were celebrated as the second best ever on record according to figures released yesterday, the American company sold 246,654 cars in January. GM cites multiple issues for the lull in sales, with the major reason being 3 less car buying days in January thanks to the early arrival of the Chinese new [...]
Automotive Sales Growth Expected to exceed 10% in Second and Third Tier Cities in 2012
With First Tier cities across China experiencing an automotive saturation, auto makers are expected to show an increasing interest in second and third tier cities within inland China to further their growth engines in 2012. The chances of the Chiense government introducing new policies to stimulate the auto market in 2012 are relatively small at [...]
Chinese Second Hand Auto Market Sees 42 million cars change hands in 2011
The new car market in China may have grabbed the headlines in early 2012 with sales of just over 18 million vehicles, but the second hand market managed to double the new car market in 2011. 42 million second hand cars changed hands in 2011 according to figures from China Automobile Dealer’s Association Mr. Zhang [...]
Nissan China Sales up 21.9% in 2011
Nissan today announced that 2011 sales increased by 21.9% in China alone bringing Chinese sales to a toal of 1.24 million units. The sales figure includes Dongfeng and Zhengzhou joint ventures and also Nissan’s Infiniti business. The Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture reportedly hit a new record with strong growth seen across the JV’s product line. AshAsh [...]
Phoenix, aka Shanghai, back from the dead
Last week the government released its catalog of new models and brands that will launch within the next six months online, one brand that stood out among the rest was the Shanghai brand. Many of our readers will probably not know the Shanghai brand, however, the brand is one of the older auto brands in [...]
Aston Martin Details Dragon88 models ahead of Beijing Auto Show
Aston Martin are getting their wheels turning in China in 2012, the company has only just unveiled its largest ever showroom in downtown Shanghai and now it is preparing a very special model just for the Chinese market. China has just entered the year of the Dragon, a powerful symbol of power and strength, also [...]
BYD Daimler’s First Car Spotted Out Testing
BYD’s tie up with Daimler came as a big surprise to the automotive world, how would one of the companies with the greatest perceived quality levels in the world want to make a new business with one of China’s lesser known automakers? The answer of course being electric. BYD’s advances in the area of electric [...]
Youngman still in the bidding for Saab’s Phoenix platform
Chinese media reports from earlier this week indicate that Saab’s wares are still up for grabs and Youngman is leading the chase. Why does Youngman still want to have a part in this charade? Because Youngman’s original partner signed up with Hawtai, who originally signed up with Saab. Should Youngman be without a partner to [...]
BYD S6 to gain dual clutch gearbox in 2012
The BYD S6 has already proven itself to be a strong seller in 2011, November 2011 sales were at 12,296 units, December sales swelled to 15012 units, January’s figures haven’t yet been released but they are likely to indicate another jump in sales. Information leaked to the Chinese automotive press indicate that BYD will be [...]
Hong Qi to become the car of choice for Provincial Level Ministers
Reports from Chinese financial media, Yi Cai, Hong Qi may become the car of choice for Provincial level and above ministers within the Chinese government. Hong Qi’s models were traditionally favored by government ministers during the early days of the Communist government, however Hong Qi models fell out of flavor when the Audi range of [...]
Suzuki Vitari to be made in China
Suzuki’s China line up largely consists of the Swift – of course they have the WagonR, the Splash, and the SX4 but the Swift takes up a great deal of the sales percentages. Now, Suzkui also has its imported range of SUV’s, Vitari, Grand Vitari and the miniature Jimney but owing to the imported status [...]
On the Canadian Ambassadors Car
The Canadian Ambassador to China does not get nearly enough press time as his American counterpart, Gary Locke, but it seems this week David Mulroney is a media star. Ambassador Mulroney did not expect to be a star, pictures of his new Toyota Camry Hybrid were posted to the official Weibo (think Chinese Twitter) of [...]
Next Generation BYD F3 to be known as the F3 Su Rui
BYD’s rise to fame came on the back of the original F3, the F3 got Chinese consumers onto the roads in a major way in 2010 and became a ‘peoples car’ so to say. BYD’s policy of trying to make everything in house, from glass to dashboards to carpet became the unsticking point of the [...]
State of the Nation: Where does the Chinese Car Industry really stand?
Given the astonishing growth in the Chinese car market and the staggering displays of new models, hybrids and electric cars at the last Auto Shows in both Beijing and Shanghai, not to mention the other smaller Chinese shows as well as the record-breaking volume statistics, it would be easy to form a view that the [...]
Watch Ford’s Nigel Harris teach you how to sell Ford’s to the Chinese
With car sales of other 18 million cars per year in China, selling Fords to Chinese doesn’t seem like a difficult task on the surface, but once you start to see the competition which is compromised of some 50 plus local brands and 30+ foreign brands, you get an idea of the task at hand. [...]
Ford Kuga Readying for the Chinese Market
I don’t particularly like using the phrase “Game Changer” but in all honesty, I cannot think of another phrase that sums up the introduction of the Ford Kuga into the Chinese market. The Kuga is currently road testing in the Chinese market ahead of being put into production via the Chang’an-Ford joint venture in Chongqing, [...]
“First” Chinese Auto Plant in Europe to Open in February
Great Wall’s Bulgarian factory is ready to open its doors according to this AFP press report, however it seems that AFP have forgotten that SAIC already have a factory in the UK that is busy producing MG6′s from knock down kits sent over from Shanghai. Although, AFP maybe onto something: the Bulgarian factory will be [...]
Porsche Planning Own Private Race Course in Shanghai
China has now become Porsche’s second biggest market behind the USA in terms of cars sold, Porsche cleared an impressive 24,340 units in 2011 in the Chinese market, however one problem remains. If a Porsche driver wants to push the limits of their much loved cars they have no where to go, the Chinese highway [...]
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