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Ford JV recalling Focus in China due to ignition problem

June 1, 2010 at 11:07 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under China, Ford, International News

Ford announced recently that they will be recalling exactly 236,643 Ford Focus cars in China due to ignition problems. This would be the largest recall for the company in China, which is a partnership between Chongqing ChangAn Automobile Co, Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp. and of course the Ford Motor Company.

The Focus models that are being recalled were made between August 18th 2008 and May 28th 2010 according to statement by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

This is in response to about 2% of customers who reported their car stalling when traveling at low speeds. Ford has said that the problem will be solved by an installation of a new engine calibration software, which will of course be performed free of charge.

The three way joint venture is called ChangAn Ford Mazda Automobile Co., where ChangAn Auto owns 50 percent of the company while Ford and Mazda own 35 percent and 15 percent respectively.

Source

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Great Wall C30 Teng Yi set to be GWM’s global car

May 19, 2010 at 1:16 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Great Wall, International News

Great Wall Motor’s freshly launched C30 Teng Yi is set to be the company’s first global car, which means that the company will look seriously at export markets for the car instead of usually just selling it to the domestic Chinese market. Great Wall Motor intends to reach a 1:1 domestic to export ratio. In fact we may even see it here in Malaysia, since we have seen some Great Wall truck products with trade plates being tested here in Malaysia. An Australian debut is set for 2011.

There are hints of the previous generation Vios in the C30′s design much like the rest of Great Wall’s designs which are quite “Toyota-inspired” although with the C30 most of the car now looks significantly different from the design it was “inspired” from. The front end is similar to other Toyota designs like the Scion tC and the JDM market Corolla Axio.

The car is much bigger than a Vios though – it’s width, height and length of 4,452mm by 1,705mm by 1,480mm shows its longer and taller than the Corolla Altis’s 4,540mm x 1,760mm x 1,465mm but narrower. Wheelbase is 2,610mm which beats the Corolla Altis and Latio’s 2,600mm wheelbase. You could probably consider it a smallish C-segment car instead of a large B segment car.

The 1.5 litre engine is designated the GW4G15. It has variable valve timing and can do 138Nm of torque at 4,200rpm and a peak horsepower of 103 horsepower at 6,000rpm, which isn’t fantastic but it does meet Euro 4 emissions standards. The transmission used is a CVT gearbox of an unknown origin – sources online say that it’s self-developed by GWM.

A few variants are available in China ranging from 58,900 RMB (RM27,700) for the base model, 62,900 RMB (RM29,600) for the standard model, 65,900 RMB (RM31,000) for the “luxury” model, and the top of the line priced at 71,900 RMB (RM33,800).

Look after the jump for a few more photos related to the C30.
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Great Wall Hover X240 gets 4-star rating in ANCAP!

May 12, 2010 at 12:32 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News

The Great Wall Hover X240 has managed to score a 4 star crash test rating out of a maximum of 5 stars in the ANCAP’s latest tests. Impressive for a Chinese car that in the past have been associated with low crash safety. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is basically a crash test program supported by government transport authorities and automobile clubs in both Australia and New Zealand.

4 stars is in fact the highest rating that the SUV can score as the model sold in Australia does not have electronic stability control. ANCAP requires that for a vehicle to attain the maximum crash test rating of 5 stars, it needs to have some form of electronic stability control. The X240 does have dual front SRS airbags. Another car that scored 4 stars on the ANCAP recently was the new Toyota Camry Hybrid, which had electronic stability control. The Camry scored 28.22 out of 37 points while the X240 scored 25.48 out of 37 points.

Great Wall currently sells about 300 units of the Great Wall Hover X240 a month in Australia. You can look after the jump for the full ANCAP report. Let’s do a little voting here. The results should be quite interesting. Does above average crash test safety scores give you more confidence to purchase a vehicle from a Chinese automaker?

Right now there are a handful of Chinese automakers cars on sale here in Malaysia – Chery, Changan (Chana Era), Dadi (LMG Auto) and Brilliance Auto’s Jinbei Haise (Era Jinbei). Great Wall might be introduced here in Malaysia as well, since we have seen the Great Wall Wingle pick-up truck on test with trade plates here in Malaysia.


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Geely IG set to match Tata Nano as world’s cheapest car?

May 10, 2010 at 4:10 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, China, International News, Rumours

This was going to happen sooner or later – it’s a clash of the giants and we’re talking about China versus India! Word on the street is that Geely is set to target Tata Nano customers with the new Geely IG you see above.

Set to be released sometime in 2012, the Intelligent Geely (IG) will feature a 998cc 70 horsepower engine. This power is fed through the front two wheels and planted to the road via a CVT gearbox. The IG is likely to stay relatively simple compared to the concept car that you see above which is covered in photovoltaic solar cells to help recharge its batteries.

The word is that you would have to pay for about US$2,700 for the standard IG and it will be made available in China and Russia. This will leave the Nano to flourish on its own in its native market, at least for now. The Nano goes for between US$2,700 to US$3,800.

An eco-friendly electric IG has been said to be in the works as well, with a range of 149 kilometers on just pure electric after a single charge.

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Ferrari website speaks a new language: Chinese

May 4, 2010 at 11:58 am By Danny Tan Filed Under China, Ferrari, International News

All who peddle premium goods are tripping over themselves in luring new Chinese money, from Louis Vuitton to Ferrari. While LV opened two stores in Shanghai in a day last week, Maranello announced that its official ferrari.com website now speaks Chinese. It was in conjunction with the World Expo opening in Shanghai.

Mandarin is only the fourth language available on the site, after Italian, English and Japanese. This opens up live news updates from Maranello, “Prancing Horse emotions”, activities and products to Chinese readers. They’ll discover interactive areas, car information, F1 news and the Ferrari Store. There’s also a virtual tour of the famous company via video clips and images.

This is further proof of the importance of China to Ferrari, coming straight after the world premiere of the 599 GTO at the Beijing Auto Show. The Prancing Horse brand will also show its Hybrid concept, the Hy-Kers, at the Expo.

Ferrari sold its first car in China in 1993 but only had a commercial presence there since 2004. Last year, they sold over 200 cars in China from 10 dealerships covering Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Dalian and Qingdao. The company also organises Corso Pilota Ferrari driving courses for its Chinese customers, a must I would say.

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GALLERY: Haunting images of the Citroën Metropolis

May 3, 2010 at 1:03 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Citroën, Concept Cars, International News

This is the Citroën Metropolis concept car, which shows off the French brand’s typical wackiness on a long limo body. To make its debut at the World Expo in Shanghai, the Metropolis was created by PSA’s Shanghai design studio as a “homage to China’s extraordinary development” and is meant to convey the country’s “avantgarde status, grandeur and vitality”.

The imposing 5.3 m long/2.0 m wide limo is a plug in hybrid powered by an electric motor and a 2.0-litre V6 petrol engine. Combined, 460 bhp and 430 Nm of torque is channeled to all wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

This latest gallery after the jump is as dramatic as the car itself. For more about the Metropolis, see our previous post here.
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Chery Eastar now with 134hp 2.0 ACTECO engine

May 1, 2010 at 6:37 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Chery, China, Local News

Chery Eastar

The Chery Eastar has undoubtedly been one of the more successful Chinese car models here in Malaysia. It might be something to do with the fact that it’s priced way below the RM100k mark, has decent interior space inside and featured a familiar though dated 2.4 litre Mitsubishi 4G64 engine. It’s one of the bigger MPVs out there with a 2,800mm wheelbase which is just 3cm shorter than a Grandis.

The 4G64 is now being phased out in favor of Chery’s ACTECO engine which has been powering its other models. Displacement is down to 2.0 litres from 2.4 litres which means cheaper road tax, power is up from 127 horses to 134 horses at 5,750rpm, and torque is about 18Nm lower – now the car has 180Nm to use at 4,400rpm. The Mitsu engine provided 198Nm at a lower 3,000rpm point. The transmission continues to be a 4 speed auto.

Of course, with the familiar Mitsu engine gone some potential customers may start to rethink the purchase of an Eastar so this new ACTECO engine gets a 5 year or 200,000km warranty. The rest of the car gets a 3 year or 100,000km warranty. The RM79,998 Chery Eastar 2.0L’s equipment list includes automatic climate control, MP3/USB audio with steering mounted audio controls, power windows all round, twin SRS airbags, ABS brakes with EBD. If you add another RM2,000 you get leather seats.

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Volkswagen: China vital to the success of EVs

April 26, 2010 at 8:34 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Volkswagen

The Chinese market has become so important for world automakers that Volkswagen is betting the success or failure of the electric car on how well it is received by consumers in China. It has displayed an electric version of the Volkswagen Lavida in China called the E-Lavida and will also be reportedly showcasing an electric Golf next week in Shanghai. The Chinese government is supportive of EVs – it will start an EV funding initiative in July, and charging stations will be built within the next few years.

“China is the most important market worldwide for the Volkswagen group, and the success of e-mobility in China is decisive for the global execution of the e-mobility strategy,” said Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn in a media statement. Volkswagen intends to start selling EVs in China in four years time. It will be investing over US$5.9 billion in China over the next few years, hoping to ride on the Chinese market boom. Volkswagen already expects that China will overtake Germany as the company’s largest market this year.

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Youngman Europestar Lotus L5 launched in Beijing

April 25, 2010 at 6:03 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News

Youngman Europestar launched a new car at Auto China 2010, engineered by Lotus for the Chinese company. The previously launched RCR (GEN2) and Jingyue (Persona) have been renamed the Lotus L3 5-door and 4-door respectively, while this new model has been christened the “Europestar Lotus L5″.

From the naming scheme I’m assuming that this is a car that’s larger than the Persona and GEN2. There’s not much information about the car online at the moment but a peek at the interior reveals that the dashboard is unique but does resemble the Exora’s a little especially in the upper half of the dashboard.

I can’t find information on dimensions anywhere but Europestar’s website says this car marks Europestar’s jump from the A segment to the B segment (vehicle segmentation in China is named differently). The L5 is available in both 5-door hatch and 4-door sedan form and is powered by the Campro CPS engine.

Youngman also unveiled that an L6 and L7 is in the making. Future models will include more sedans as well as SUV and MPV models. Source

Look after the jump for more pix of the new Lotus L5.
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MG ZERO concept makes its appearance in Beijing

April 25, 2010 at 4:44 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, China, Concept Cars

MG, the British auto brand that is owned by China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) has unveiled a brand new concept in Beijing. Called the MG ZERO the concept was developed by MG’s Global Design team led by British MG Design Director Anthony Williams-Kenny who is based in Birmingham, something that was heavily emphasized in the press release.

The press release which did not point out what powers the concept revealed that the ZERO “previews the design direction of the brand and demonstrates how MG can expand into this high- volume sector of the market.”

It is a compact concept which is 4 meters in length and is expected to feature small displacement engines both normally-aspirated and force-inducted if it goes into production. A report by ChinaCarTimes revealed that it could be sold in China as the Roewe 150 or the MG2 joining the MG TF and the MG6 which will be launched in the UK by the end of this year. An image gallery can be found after the jump.
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