Archive for the ‘Industry News’ category
China Auto Sales Up in April, Down in First Quarter
China’s auto sales were up year on year in April by 5% according to sales statistics released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) at a press conference yesterday afternoon. Sales reached 1.62 million vehicles in total in April alone, but sales during the first quarter were down 1.3% with sales reaching 6.4 million [...]
SouEast’s Fighting Plan: More Cars
SouEast Auto in Fujian province seems to have coasted along for the past few years on the back of its own self developed Lancer which uses the sixth generation Lancer platform that Mitsubishi kindly handed over to the company via their joint venture. The two have been in a partnership for a number of years [...]
Chinese Media Excited About BMW X7
The Chinese automotive media are excited, they are an easily excitable bunch, but this time the prospect of a BMW X7 has really riled them up. The BMW X6 is a popular SUV in the Chinese market, the squashed looking all wheel drive vehicle has become a popular model for those that wish to show [...]
Global Auto Forum Confirmed for September 6th and 7th 2012
The Global Automotive Forum is quickly becoming one of the ‘must attend’ events in the Chinese automotive calendar behind the car shows, the two day event is now entering its third year of operation and is improving year after year. This years forum once again brings international auto industry leaders together in Chengdu, significant speakers [...]
Dongfeng launch ‘Dongfeng 1′ project: to produce high end car in the near future
Dongfeng 1 was the name of China’s first ballastic missile, the design was based on The Soviet Union’s R-22 Sibling Missile and had a range of just over 500km, Dongfeng 1 is also the name of Dongfeng’s new high end car project. FAW were the first Chinese brand to get into the high end car [...]
Alice Wei Joins Bentley China in PR role
Alice Wei has moved from Ferrari Maserati China over to Bentley to run Bentley’s PR operations in the Chinese mainland. Bentley’s Chinese sales will be run directly by VW in the future, VW took back the rights to Bentley China from the Dah Chong Holdings who originally ran the Hong Kong and Chinese mainland market. [...]
BAIC C70 to becomes the ‘Gentlemens Treasure’ in Chinese
绅宝 (Shen Bao) is the new name of BAIC’s C70 series of cars according to a recent trademark registration by Beijing Auto. Shen refers to a gentlemen and Bao is treasure, or something that is precious, overall its a great name. The C70 series of cars were unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show and are [...]
Buick Encore Testing in China Yet Again
The Chinese media are playing a guessing game over the Encore, they know its coming, but they don’t know if the road going versions currently camo’d up and out on China roads are Chinese market models or American market models. They also seem to think that the Chinese version will be carrying the same engines [...]
Toyota China Sales Up 68%
Toyota has had a difficult time in getting its China plans into play, the Japanese company has multiple joint ventures in the China market but has an over reliance on larger vehicles such as the Camry, and SUV models such as the RAV4 and Highlander, Toyota has largely avoided compact models and mini cars in [...]
Volvo S60L Expected to Join the Stretched Line Up
The Beijing Auto Show had two themes, Dragons and SUV’s, but one other issue was stretched into the growing array of L cars. Lengthened cars have become the norm in China, even humble Citroen Elysee gained an extra 10cm in its B-Pillar to allow for extra rear leg room. Audi’s come in L form as [...]
Ford Focus Classic Hits the Market (again)
The Chinese view to old platforms is basically what my Grandmother said “Waste not, Want not“, or in other words, why retire a perfectly good platform when there are thousands that will still buy it. Some might argue that the current generation Focus is not the looker that the last generation model was, so some [...]
SAIC considering new Thai factory
According to a report in the Bangkok Post, Shanghai Auto are apparently considering a new factory in Thailand to produce car for the local market and other left hand drive markets (I think that’s a mistake on the writers behalf) in the South East Asia markets, and possibly Australian and New Zealand as well. From [...]
Hatchback version of the Eado to hit the market in 2013
A hatchback version of the Eado is in the works to boost Changan’s sales numbers. The new car is expected to get a new 1.5T engine when it hits the market next year. The Chang’an Eado has been enjoying good sales numbers, quickly climbing through the rankings. 1,000 were sold in March ’12, up some [...]
Volvo Aiming for 200k Car Sales in China
From Reuters: Swedish car maker Volvo, owned by Chinese group Geely, said it was on track to meet its long-term goal of boosting sales more than four-fold in China after reporting a fall in 2011 earnings due to costs related to its expansion. Volvo was bought by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd from Ford [...]
Skoda Rapid to See China Production in Early 2013
The Mission L Concept car took up major space on the Skoda stand at this years Beijing Auto Show, the Mission L Concept will eventually become the much talked about Skoda Rapid that will sit above the Skoda Fabia when launched. Chinese media are today reporting that the Rapid will see production in China in [...]
Zotye Z100 Emerges as China’s Cheapest Car, World’s Most Desirable Cheapest Car
The Tata Nano is the World’s Cheapest Car, it’s not the world’s best looking car, or even the most desirable car, but Zotye seemed to have bridged the gap between cheap and decent looking with the introduction of the Z100. The Z100 wasn’t on show in Beijing, but it has made it to the internet [...]
China Loves GM, GM Loves China
In a recent interview with Newsmax.com, GM’s Chairman Daniel Akerson gives some insight into GM’s activities in the Chinese market. GM’s brands have been going from strength to strength in the Chinese market with a lot of the product being produced in China and localized for Chinese tastes. GM’s flagship Cadillac brand is picking up [...]
BYD’s Profit Maybe Down by 95%
From Bloomberg: BYD Co fell the most in a month in Hong Kong trading after the Chinese carmaker partly owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A) forecast first-half profit may slump as much as 95 percent. BYD sank as much as 6.1 percent to HK$19.82, the biggest intraday dip since March 26, before trading [...]
Lotus Looking for Chinese Buyer
According to Auto Car, the Malaysian owned auto maker is being offered to the Chinese. Here’s hoping Youngman do not get involved. Group Lotus’s new Malaysian-based owner, DRB-Hicom, is actively seeking a Chinese buyer for the troubled engineering group and sports car maker, according to the South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon. Bacon, whose constituency covers [...]
Beijing Government Unhappy with Breasts
Forget the billion RMB price tag cars, Chinese netizens are more interested in the breasts on show than the latest cars at the Beijing Auto Show. China’s Xinhua issued an English release that went out via state media organs catering to English speakers which gave an outline of the authorities distaste with the breasts on [...]
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