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Changan opens R&D centre in the US for chassis work

January 19, 2011 at 11:26 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, ChangAn, China, International News

With an intent to learn, Chongqing Changan Automobile, China’s third largest domestic automaker, has opened a technical centre in the US to conduct chassis research and development for its brands in China, according to a news report.

The US$30 mil R&D centre, located in Detroit, will start off with 30 employees, though this number is expected to rise to around 200 over the next five years. The company has two other centres, a design one in Turin as well as a technical facility to develop powertrains, located in the UK.

Changan will work with US-based parts suppliers to develop suspension components, brakes, chassis and power steerings, and said it was the first step for the company to fix the weak link in its technology, which is with the chassis. The company stated that the centre is not meant to help the brand enter the US market.

While Changan has a three-way joint venture with Ford and Mazda, as well as a partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroen, it is also spending heavily to upgrade its vehicle technology. Late last year, it said it would be pumping in more than US$600 mil to conduct R&D for its own brands, as well as develop small engines and expand its minivan production.

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Ford Fiesta gets five-star safety rating in China NCAP

January 10, 2011 at 7:14 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, China, Ford

Not that it matters an iota to Ford Fiesta fans and owners, but here’s more proof that the car is – besides being fun to drive – one safe bag of tricks. The car has obtained a maximum five-star safety rating from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC), which recently released its C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) ratings.

The Fiesta 1.5 litre MT scored 12.32, 15.38 and 14.77 in the frontal 100% overlap rigid barrier, side impact and 40% offset impact respectively in the CNCAP crash test, and received an additional three points for having other safety features such as six airbags, in this case driver and co-driver seat airbags, new side-chest airbags and inflatable air curtains for front and rear seat occupants.

While this should make the car an even more convincing proposition for Chinese consumers, the car already doesn’t have a problem winning lots of new friends – introduced in China in 2009, over 75,000 new Fiestas were sold there last year, a 59% increase compared to the year before.

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Ferrari’s China sales jumps by nearly 50% in 2010

January 6, 2011 at 12:30 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Ferrari

China is the promised land for automakers today, not only for the mass market ones that want to tap into the huge population and growing affluence, but for the premium and exotic marques as well, which are racking up record sales. They need cars to go along with the Louis Vuittons and Cartiers, you see.

And a Ferrari is the perfect accessory. Maranello sold close to 300 cars in China last year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2009 and its best ever haul since exports to China begin. And if you figure in the sales figures for Hong Kong and Taiwan, “Greater China” becomes one of the top five international markets for Ferrari, which is amazing when one considers that an official network has existed for only six years in China.

The brand’s 999th client will be the centre of attention of a special celebration in Shanghai next week. The number is auspicious as the number nine is considered lucky and represents longevity in China.

Special attention to China is paying off for Ferrari. New dealerships in various cities will join the current 10 in the next few months, and 2011 will see the start of the first Asian championship in the Ferrari Challenge single-make racing series. The Prancing Horse brand also displayed its HY-KERS laboratory vehicle at the Shanghai World Expo (in the Italian Pavilion) and gave the 599 GTO its world premiere at the Beijing Auto Show.

Other initiatives include a scholarship programme for students from the Automotive Engineering faculty of Tsinghua University. Lucky undergrads got a stint at the Politecnico di Milano and scored internships at Ferrari’s factory in Maranello. The programme will continue in 2011, financed by proceeds from the special one-off 599 GTB with antique Ge Kin porcelain design from the Song dynasty.

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Great Wall enters a Haval SUV in 2011 Dakar Rally

January 3, 2011 at 7:29 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, China, Great Wall, International News

Nothing like getting those competition miles under the belt for better street cred, and in the case of Chinese automaker Great Wall, the company has decided that nothing less than going the Dakar Rally route will suffice.

It has entered a Haval – also known as the Hover – in the race, which takes place across Argentina and Chile at the moment; the 2011 rally route loops from Buenos Aires to northwest Chile and back again. The company introduced its Haval SUV racing team at a ceremony during the Guangzhou auto show a couple of weeks back, and will also be assigning three support cars and two service cars to the rally team.

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China’s BAIC and Brilliance in line to buy sick Pininfarina?

January 3, 2011 at 10:40 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News

The world’s most famous auto design house, Pininfarina, is in deep financial trouble and Chinese carmakers are lining up as saviours. Reports from China have pointed out to Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp (BAIC) and Brilliance Auto as among the companies bidding to acquire the Italian firm.

“BAIC has submitted the bid for the Italian firm for several months. The successful acquisition of Pininfarina will be very favorable for BAIC’s development of future models,” a BAIC exec told eeo.com.cn. The unnamed exec also revealed that he was recently in Italy working with Pininfarina with a Saab-based concept car for this year’s Shanghai motor show.

The hungry Beijing based automaker is no stranger to acquiring foreign help. In 2009, BAIC paid $200 million to GM for three platforms and two engines from Saab, which included the design of the old 9-5.

Apparently, the design house’s other Chinese customers are also interested. Brilliance Auto and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (JAC) are the other names in the frame to take over Pininfarina, which posted a net loss of 33.8 million euros in the third quarter of 2010. Other names in the rumour mill are Indian company Mahindra and and Magna International.

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Auto Guangzhou: The ladies wish you a Happy New Year!

December 29, 2010 at 4:37 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News

We hope you’ve enjoyed our exclusive Auto Guangzhou 2010 coverage so far, which included reports and galleries of world debuts such as the new Nissan Sunny, MG3 supermini, Hyundai Verna, Li Nian Everus S1 as well as curious creations such as the BMW 520Li, FAW’s “Cross Avanza” and Youngman’s garish rendition of a sporty Proton Persona, among others vehicles.

The huge and modern (their metro makes our urban rail transport feel last century) city of Guangzhou is also replica central for items like branded watches and handbags, and we also showed you some “replicas” of luxury items Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q5, made by Hawtai and GAC respectively.

In the midst of all these knock offs, don’t forget that China is where every luxury brand is raking in record sales; this is an increasingly sophisticated and discerning market flush with cash, and you’ll struggle to find the Hawtai and GAC Q5 in a sea of the real stuff in major cities. This is now the world’s largest auto market, and even a “small” Chinese show like Guangzhou is relevant to the world.

If you haven’t enjoyed the above, you will now. If you did, you should perhaps send us a New Year’s hamper because you’re gonna love what’s after the jump. We’ve gathered the lovely ladies of Auto Guangzhou 2010 into one big gallery, so go ahead and enjoy! Happy New Year from Canton!
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BYD to unveil Premier e6 variant and S6DM SUV in Detroit

December 29, 2010 at 1:04 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under BYD, Cars, China, International News

As part of the going green strategy it will be presenting at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month, BYD Auto will be giving the Premier version of its e6 five-seat crossover and S6DM dual-mode electric SUV their world debuts at the show.

The S6DM SUV is what BYD calls the world’s first independent 4WD dual-mode electric SUV. It can do over 60 km purely on electric power and over 500 km in extended range with its 2.0 litre petrol block helping things along. Drivetrain features include a 10 kW electric motor tagged M1 working the front wheels, while a 75 kW unit (M2) powers the rear wheels, and there’s a six-speed dual-clutch transmission in the mix.

Meanwhile, the Premier variant of the e6 will feature a more dynamic and sporty exterior design (the bog standard e6 is the one in the pix), among other things. Equipped with a BYD Iron-phosphate “FE” battery, it takes only 40 minutes to fully charge the e6 on the 100 kW fast charging cabinet or six hours via the 10kW standard charging pole; specs include a 300 km range on urban roads and a top speed of 140 kph.

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Auto Guangzhou: Domestic carmakers have SUV envy

December 29, 2010 at 10:21 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, International News


Click to enlarge

China loves SUVs, and that segment is the fastest growing of all, recording a 82.94% increase in Jan-Oct 2010 compared to the same period a year ago. The SUV market now accounts for nearly 10% of total passenger car volume, according to reports, and is still on the rise.

The Audi Q7 is out of stock, Shanghai VW is selling 10,000 units of the Tiguan per month, demand outstrips supply for Dongfeng Honda’s CR-V and models such as the Mercedes-Benz GLK, BMW X5, Nissan Qashqai, Toyota Highlander and Renault Koleos are enjoying brisk sales. So it’s no wonder that local carmakers want a bite of the pie.


Click to enlarge

The “Porsche Cayenne” you see above is from an automaker called Hawtai, not to be confused by local biscuit company Hwa Tai. While it borrows cues from the big Porsche and a front grille design from Jaguar, the B35 sits on the previous gen Hyundai Santa Fe’s platform (Hawtai used to have a JV with Hyundai). Diesel engines developed by Italy’s VM Motori will power the B35, which will also have ZF gearboxes. It will be launched next year.

The gold one is already on sale. Clearly a previous gen Kia Sorento with an Audi inspired nose, the G3 is made by Gonow, which is a now subsidiary of GAC. State owned GAC is also the owner of the Changfeng brand. The G3 is powered by a Mitsubishi sourced SOHC 2.0L engine with 120 hp and 170 Nm. A manual gearbox send power to the rear wheels.

Take a closer look after the jump.
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Auto Guangzhou: New BMW 520Li is the best example of maximum car with minimum engine

December 28, 2010 at 3:37 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, China, International News

China is a place where big cars like the Audi A6, Volvo S80 and BMW 5-Series aren’t big enough. That’s why you’ll find long wheelbase versions of these models sold there. At Auto Guangzhou 2010, BMW launched the latest variant of its China 5-Series range – the 520Li.

It’s a bit unusual for “20″ to be stuck with “Li” but this formula of maximum car paired with minimum engine isn’t new – it’s something that works in Singapore as well. The LWB version of the F10 stretches the standard car’s wheelbase by 140 mm to measure 3,108 mm. By the way, that is longer than the F01 7-Series’ 3,070 mm wheelbase and not much shorter than the LWB Seven’s 3,210 mm. As you can see from the pic on the left, legroom is generous.

The “20″ in the name lead this writer to think of the anemic four-cylinder in the 320i, but fortunately, a 2.5-litre inline-six resides in this entry level Five, paired to the usual 8-speed auto gearbox. The engine makes 177 hp and 230 Nm to lug 1.8 tonnes – 0-100 km/h is done in 9.7 seconds and top speed is 222 km/h. As comparison, our CKD 523i with 204 hp/250 Nm does 8.5 seconds and 234 km/h.

Of course, not every Chinese businessman will settle for a 520Li. Above this 418,600 yuan base model is the 523, 528 and 535, and all are Li variants. Do you think this formula of maximum car with minimum engine will work in Malaysia?

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Auto Guangzhou: Youngman’s L3 GT is not a pretty sight

December 28, 2010 at 9:41 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, China, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Familiar sight in a foreign land? I was greeted by the Proton Gen.2 and Persona at the start of my Auto Guangzhou walkabout. Well, they weren’t officially Protons, but rebadged versions under the Europestar brand by Youngman Automobile Group.

Both the Gen.2 and Persona are called L3 and wear “Engineered by Lotus” emblems. Videos of Lotus sportscars sliding around were also playing at their stand. This is by far the most blatant attempt to ride on Lotus’ brand power I’ve ever seen and naturally, there are no mention of Proton whatsoever. Youngman does however name drop well known suppliers such as Bosch, Pilkington, Blaupunkt, Siemens and Posco.

Besides the standard Campro powered L3 models, Youngman also showed a kitted up “GT” version of the sedan. This white example had a “wide body” design with plenty of air intakes on the bumpers, wheel arches and bonnet. Red Brembo brakes can be seen behind the BBS rims and there are quad pipes, two on each side. A huge carbonfibre-look wing sits on the boot. “Lotus Motorsport” stickers complete the look. Quite crude and not a pretty sight in my opinion.

Live gallery after the jump.
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