Three years ago, British motoring show Fifth Gear organized a daring loop-the-loop stunt special that presenter Tom Ford described as, “the biggest and bestest thing Fifth Gear has ever done.” In preparation of the stunt, Fifth gear and a team that included a Cambridge physicist laid the plans for a massive 40-foot loop in a Suffolk...
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New York Knicks star basketball player and NBA sensation Jeremy Lin is reportedly in talks with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co, the company which owns Volvo to appear in advertisments for the Swedish brands cars. Bloomberg reports that three people who are close to the matter have revealed that Lin is being scouted by the Chinese...
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The Audi A6L (pictured above) was specifically designed and manufactured for the Chinese market. It has become extremely popular with high-placed government workers and business owners. But now, the Chinese government is putting their foot down, saying that all government vehicles will be Chinese, potentially putting a hit out on the A6L’s sales. This is...
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Automakers benefited greatly from China’s rapid growth over the past decade. Chinese appetite for automobiles has been a critical income for manufacturers around the world. Even General Motors sold more vehicles in China than in the United States. However, China’s economy seems to be cooling. According to LMC Automotive, 2012 vehicle sales will only increase by...
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Listen kids, if you thought it was tough to get your driver’s license in America, wait until you see China’s test. Sure it’s filled with questions on road laws, dangerous chemicals and safety concerns, but some of these questions are ridiculous. Traditional true or false sections are replaced with right or wrong statements and some of...
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Two weeks ago, we saw that China’s Jianghuai Automobile Co. (JAC) recreated its own version of Ford’s F-150 pickup truck to an amusing level of detail. According to The Detroit News, JAC now plans to unveil its 4R3 pickup at the upcoming Beijing Auto Show. Copying Ford design cues to even sport the F-150 grill...
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According to a statement by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s monthly sales of passenger-vehicles suffered its steepest decline in more than seven years due to a Lunar New Year holiday season hiatus that deprived dealers of a week’s worth of sales. Figures indicated that sales fell to 1.16 million units in January, a...
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Just when it seemed Saab would be gone from news headlines for good, Youngman swooped in again to make a bid. Apparently the company hasn’t given up on getting Saab back up and running. According to Dagens Industri, a Swedish business news organization, the Chinese firm is submitting a £430 million offer, or about $560 million....
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Things aren’t just “made in China” anymore, in fact the country’s surging economy is significantly supporting industries like the luxury car market. BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and more are all aiming their crosshairs at the Chinese economy, hoping it can be the saving angel capable of salvaging growth. That’s still likely to be the case, though...
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China is the largest automobile market in the world, but as of right now it is all of the import brands who are primarily profitting from this. The Chinese government is now saying it will outline a plan to make sure that domestic brands such as Geely, Great Wall and BYD get their fair share of the...
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Geely will make their first foray into the notoriously tough British market in 2012, hoping to emulate the success of Korean brands like Hyundai. While Geely already helps produce the iconic London taxis, the company will face an uphill battle regarding the vehicle’s perceived quality. Their first UK offering, the EC7 compact car, will cost 10,000 GBP...
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Saab’s sob story saga might be coming to an end, though the information surrounding their pending acquisition is murky at best. Rumors swirled quickly around the media yesterday that the Bank of China, fourth-largest by market value had planned to acquire just under 50 percent of the company. Those reports are now being corrected— it’s a bank in...
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In order to be sold in Europe, the Qoros will have to meet, among other things, NCAP safety standards; a goal has been set of achieving five-star crash status and former Mini design direct Gert Hildebrand has signed up to work on the project, while Austrian company Magna-Steyr is reported to be actively involved.
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The automotive market in China right now is an interesting one, with obviously a huge consumer base to pick and choose from. It’s common knowledge that Chinese manufacturers still aren’t up to par with American, Japanese or European counterparts, and some of the major players continue to look at forming partnerships with established brands. Chinese...
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BMWs in certain markets may be getting a “Made In China” code in their VIN numbers starting at the end of 2011, as the company plans to export Chinese made 5-Series sedans to certain markets. The Truth About Cars quotes the CEO of BMW’s Chinese operations as stating “We will find some markets, maybe in the...
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Even as the Occupy movement is being disbanded around the world, one branch of the movement just had a resurgance, as Saab fans “occupied” the Facebook page of General Motors. Saab fans blame GM for holding up the sale of Saab to their potential saviors – whoever they may be (so far it’s been Russian businessmen, American...
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GM’s Chinese-market passenger van, the Chevrolet Move N300, is suffering from slow commercial sales. Seeing a potential market for export, the ever-so-resourceful American automaker has decided to deliver 5,000 of these Chinese complete-knock-down van kits to Egypt. While Egyptian import duties has made building vehicles in North America difficult, CKD kits (Complete Knock Down) provides...
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Reports from the Guangzhou Auto Show state that the Chevrolet Volt has been approved for sale in China with a starting price of 498,000 yuan, or $73, 800 USD. TTAC’s resident expert on China, Bertel Schmitt, astutely remarked that the kind of subsidies we see on our shores for the Volt are “…for made-in China vehicles...
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Last year, Germany’s Daimler AG and the Chinese BYD Auto have formed a 50-50 joint R&D venture called “Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd.” to pursue a new brand that will focus on the development of pure electric vehicles for China. Now, the two automakers have revealed intentions to introduce a new electric vehicle concept...
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BMW and Mercedes-Benz have always been the German luxury brands for the well-to-do set in the United States, but in China, the two companies have been considered cars for the new money and retirees respectively. Audi and Buick continue their dominance over the hearts and minds of Chinese consumers. Buick has historically been a hot...
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The IZOD IndyCar Series will be brought to China for the first time in a race scheduled on August 19, 2012. Held in Qingdao, China, located between Beijing and Shanghai, this coastal city has previously hosted the 2008 Summer Olympic sailing competitions. Until finances can provide for a proper racing circuit to be constructed, a 6.2...
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General Motors has announced that it will cut ties with Saab over its pending sale to two Chinese automakers. The threat has some very real consequences with GM stating it would cease manufacturing of the 9-4X crossover for Saab, as well as stop delivery of the parts it currently supplies the Swedish automaker with. “Although...
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A few years ago, a Chinese car company by the name Geely bought the Swedish luxury car brand Volvo. As part of Geely’s plan to move the Volvo brand forward, they hired famed car designer Peter Horbury to look after the design direction of this luxury car brand. Horbury, who hails from Britain, was no...
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After much back and forth over the past months between Swedish Automaker Saab and Chinese suitors Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co., it seems like funding for Saab is very much back. The Chinese companies have both agreed to buy the Swedish automaker, providing the company with some much needed...
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