According to a recent list of new cars which are set to launch soon, it appears that there are five new energy vehicles ready to be launched in China very soon. Nanjing, JAC, and Jiangling are set to launch various electric and hybrid trucks for commercial use, but Zotye and BYD are readying their hybrid/electric offerings for launch.
BYD F3DM
The F3DM was initially only available to government buyers and company purchases, but the F3DM will soon be available to regular citizens very soon. The F3DM has the traditional styling of a …

Zotye have shown off their new pure electric SUV today in Shanghai, the most amazing part however is the pricing, which will see the pure electric motor hit the road for 110,980rmb which is a fraction over $16,000USD.

Max power is 27Nm, and can reach a top speed of 110kph and travel for a distance of 300km before needing a recharge. Zotye are also working on a fast recharge system for home use.
This is the first pure electric market ready vehicle from a Chinese manufacturer, now the only problem is …

A Zotye EV small SUV has been spotted doing the rounds in Hangzhou.
Stats on the EV are currently unavailable, but it looks like its being used by Hangzhou police as its in their car park, and police officers are giving it the once over. Batteries look to be in the truck, and the ‘gas cap’ has been converted into a plug socket.

The original Fiat Multipla was the ugliest, foulest, stomach churning car to ever hit the automotive market, the second generation version gained a massive (somemight say huge) update, making it actually quite pallatable. Pperhaps the world wasn’t quite ready for one of Fiats more daring designs, but those who bought the first, and second, Fiat Multipla enjoyed it for its room, and reasonable comfort levels. Fiat sold their Multipla designs onto Zotye earlier this year, and Zotye have finally launched their Multipla based MPV. Zotye plan to have their …

When the Fiat-Nanjing joint venture died last year, many were expecting Nanjing to produce their own branded Fiat Palio under the Soyat brand, however it looked like Fiat really did take all of its toys away from Nanjing and passed them onto Zotye.
Fiat and Zotye previously signed a deal to sell the first generation branded as the Zotye Multipla, Zotye unveiled the new Multipla at a recent car show but details of its sales date, or price have yet to reach China Car Times. Zotye also signed up the Lancia …

Zotye must have been studying Chery over the past few months, as some of the methods that Zotye are currently using are very similar to what Chery did when they first opened their doors. Chery opened their automobile making business on the back of an out of date Seat Toledo bought from Mexico, Zotye on the other hand, claimed rights to the Daihatsu Terios SUV, and made their own version which subsequently sold very well. Later on, Zotye purchased Jiang Nan Autos which made the currently out of production first …

Zotye maybe just a small Chinese automaker on the surface, but if you actually dig a little deeper into their background, you soon find that they have plenty of history in the Chinese auto industry, but more on that at a later date. It was Chery that rose from no where in the last decade with nothing more than an abused and unwanted Ford UK engine plant, and the plans/tooling to an equally outdated first generation SEAT Toledo. These second hand items didnt delay Chery into becoming one of the …

The Zotye SUV is a nice little SUV for a nice little price (around 50-60,000rmb) and with rear wheel drive, it might even take you off the tarmac (although not too far). The Zotye was given a makeover for 2008, and a name change to coincide with the year 2008, cleaverly Zotye came up with ‘2008′ but now that the year 2008 is drawing to a close, Zotye have given their SUV a slight facial update, and a new name ‘5008′ which will ensure that the SUV will be in …

Fiat and Zotye signed a deal last year, we all thought the deal was a potential JV, but its more like a deal to sell of Fiats old designs to Zotye who will continue to produce them in the PRC.  The first Fiat for Zotye is the Multipla, quite an ugly car when it was first launched in the UK but the second generation Multipla thankfully got rid of the bulk of the ugliness. Ugliness aside, the Multipla did win car of the year in 2000, and best family car, …

Can you tell which is the Diahatsu Tarios and which is the Chinese made Zotye 2008? Probably not.
The Zotye 2008, made by the Chinese company Zhong Tai and named in honor of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. You may think that the Zotye 2008, known as the Zotye Xplosion (A damned good name for a car, we think) in export markets, looks a little like the Daihatsu Tarios. You wouldnt be far wrong, its made under license from Diahatsu parent company, Toyota. The Tarios is also available in China, …