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  • BYD set up European HQ in Germany, sales start next year

    In BYD, Cars, China, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 19 comments

    Chinese battery and automaker BYD will set up its European headquarters in Germany, saying that the decision now depends on “finding the right property and place” and will likely be made before the end of the year, according to Henry Li, GM of BYD’s export division.

    Backed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the Shenzhen based company wants to be the first Chinese company to sell electric and hybrid cars in Western Europe, and is aiming for cities that subsidise eco cars. The push will start next year with models such as the E6 electric car, a Honda Odyssey sized five seater that uses two electric motors for a 330 km range before it needs to recharge.

    Other cars in the pipeline include the F3DM plug-in hybrid sedan, which looks like a Corolla Altis from the front and a Honda City from the rear. BYD could eventually design and build cars in Europe, the company revealed.

    Back home, BYD has a partnership with Daimler to produce electric vehicles. It has invested $88 million in the 50:50 partnership that will create a new brand of EVs for Chinese market, now the world’s largest.

     

  • BMW to develop long wheelbase 3-Series for China?

    In BMW, Cars, China / By / / 14 comments


    Click for enlarged image

    Word is that BMW and its Chinese partner Brilliance Auto are working on a long wheelbase version of the BMW 3-Series to take on the Audi A4L, which is as you pretty much guessed is a long wheelbase version of the A4. This would certainly help boost the 3-er’s sales in China.

    The interior space of the current 3-er is already in a losing battle compared to the interior of a regular length Audi A4, what more a long wheelbase A4. The intention to build a longer 3-er was revealed in an interview by Auto Sohu with Brilliance Auto chairman Qi Yu Min.


    Click for enlarged image

    The Audi A4 was stretched 61mm in terms of wheelbase to 2,869mm, and overall length increased about the same length to 4,763mm. To match that, BMW’s E90 would have to be stretched a good 100mm from its current 2,761mm wheelbase, resulting in a 2,861mm wheelbase.

    No worries about model overlapping as this is still far off from the wheelbase and overall length of the F10 5-Series, which has grown to humongous proportions and is even bigger in its recently unveiled long wheelbase Chinese market form The F10 is 2,968mm wheelbase and 4,899mm length in standard length and has a 3,108mm wheelbase and 5,039mm length when stretched.

    The photos above are an artist’s impression of a long wheelbase version of the 3-Series digitally altered by Theophilus Chin. The extra length has gone into the B-pillars.

     

  • Chevrolet adds hatchback body to Chevrolet Sail range

    In Cars, Chevrolet, China, International News / By / / 9 comments

    Chevrolet Sail Hatchback

    Chevrolet has unveiled the hatchback version of the new Chevrolet Sail that it unveiled in sedan form in China back in December last year.

    It’s a model that’s smaller than the Aveo – this segment is referred to as a “B car” in China but in Malaysia it’s more of like an A+ segment car like the Saga, in fact the Saga and the Sail Sedan share the same 2,465mm wheelbase.

    Engine options for the hatchback are the same as the sedan, which is either a 87 bhp/115 Nm 1.2-litre or a 103 bhp/131 Nm 1.4-litre engine, with the latter getting a variable geometry intake manifold system. The engines are mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed electronically controlled automated manual jointly developed, by Magneti Marelli and GM Shanghai, similar to system such as Alfa Romeo’s Selespeed and the Proton Savvy’s AMT. On the inside, the rear bench can be folded flat or individually in a 40-60 split.

    The car is developed by GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Co in Shanghai and is intended for sale in the Chinese market only for now, although GM has in the past said that the car has export potential. Look after the jump for more shots of the new Sail Hatchback, or check out the Sail sedan.
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  • Chery Alado exports Eastar MPV to Thailand and Indonesia

    In Cars, Chery, China, Local News / By / / 53 comments

    Chery Alado Automobile Sdn Bhd will start exporting the locally assembled Chery Eastar 2.0L MPV to Thailand and Indonesia, starting with 50 units to each country. By the end of 2010, Chery expects this figure to touch 500 units. Next export targets are Singapore and Brunei in 2011. The Eastar is put together at Oriental Assemblers in Johor alongside the Tiggo SUV.

    The Eastar 2.0L made its debut here last month. Its 2.0-litre ACTECO engine was jointly developed by Chery and AVL of Austria, producing 134 bhp and 180 Nm. Paired to a four-speed automatic, this twin-cam unit will retire the dated 2.4-litre Mitsubishi 4G64 engine, which was an Eastar selling point that Chery Alado harped on previously. In Malaysia, the 2.0L ACTECO engine alone gets a 5-year or 200,000 km warranty (the rest of the car gets a 3-year/100,000 km warranty). It’s priced at RM79,998.

    Chery has done quite well in Malaysia lately, spurred by the well received Eastar. Last year, Chery sold more than 1,800 vehicles, a 170% increase over 2008 figures. This year, they are targetting sales of over 5,000 units. The company plans to introduce three new models this year, including a compact car, to achieve that target. Looking at Chery’s range, this could possibly include the more modern looking A1 and A3 or the oddball QQ6.

     

  • China introduce subsidy for green cars in five major cities

    In China, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 16 comments

    The Chinese government is set to introduce a pilot program in which the purchase of electric and hybrid cars will be subsidised. This is in line with China’s plans to cut emissions in what is now the world’s largest car market.

    Applicable in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Hefei and Changchun, plug-in hybrid cars are entitled to a subsidy of 50,000 yuan, which is about $7,320. Maximum subsidy for a full electric car will be 60,000 yuan ($8,787) according to China’s Ministry of Finance.

    Instead of handing out cash to consumers, the money goes to carmakers, who would then lower the prices of eco models accordingly. Besides that, China will introduce nationwide subsidies of 3,000 yuan for cars with 1.6-litre engines or smaller that consume 20% less fuel than current standards.

    It wasn’t mentioned what the “current standards” are, but this proactive measure to cut emissions and lower fuel consumption is a nudge to carmakers to produce cleaner vehicles. And they’re responding. SAIC plans to roll out its first hybrid car this year, while car and battery maker BYD started retail sales of its plug-in hybrid F3DM in March.

    What about charging infrastructure? The Government will allocate unspecified funding for the construction of charging stations and battery recovery networks in the pilot cities.

    Last year, China’s tax incentives for small cars and subsidies for vehicle buyers in rural areas helped domestic vehicle sales surge 46% to 13.6 million units, even as sales in other parts of the world slumped. The impact of this green car subsidy will not have the same short term effect, but it’s a good move nonetheless.

    Emissions has of course become a serious problem in major Chinese cities and they’ve had to implement certain policies such as an odd-even based alternate day car ban based on a car’s numberplate during the recent Olympic games in order to cut down on the smog.

     

  • Ford JV recalling Focus in China due to ignition problem

    In China, Ford, International News / By / / 7 comments

    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

     

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

    In Cars, China, Great Wall, International News / By / / 78 comments

    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!

    In Cars, China, International News / By / / 55 comments

    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?

    In Cars, China, International News, Rumours / By / / 31 comments

    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.

     

  • Ferrari website speaks a new language: Chinese

    In China, Ferrari, International News / By / / 19 comments

    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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