Volkswagen will partner with Chinese automaker FAW to launch a new brand, which will build and sell electric cars for Chinese consumers. Plans were submitted to the Chinese government, although details of the vehicle weren’t publicly disclosed. Honda, Nissan and General Motors have recently expanded into creating their own Chinese market brands in partnership with...
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Saab’s partnership with Chinese automaker Hawtai could see the ill-fated Swedish luxury brand use its dealer network to sell cheap Chinese cars in America, with some priced at the magic $10,000 mark. “We laughed when the Japanese came,” Victor Muller, Saab’s chairman, told Automotive News. “We laughed when the Koreans came. But we will not...
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MG Rover may have been able to retain much of its British character after being acquired by Chinese automaker SAIC, the company’s tie-in with General Motors may see the next generation MG Rover products use GM technologies, including platforms. The Roewe 750 sedan, formerly based on the Rover 75, may be based on the Epsilon...
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Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group spent $1.7 billion last year to acquire Volvo from Ford Motor Co.,and now plans to spend as much as $11 billion on Volvo products and facilities over the next five years. Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, says a growth strategy for the United States will...
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Volkswagen could barely sell one generation of the Passat here in the United States, but over in China, VW is selling no less than 4 different Passats, from the mid-1990’s B5 chassis car to the all-new, “Made for America” Passat that will be sold here. The New Passat, as the current car is dubbed, will...
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Saab is hitting the road in an effort to promote its new financial backers, but the road show will have to wait for approval from several authorities who must approve Saab’s transactions with China’s Hawtai Motor Group and Russian financier Vladimir Antonov. CEO Victor Muller will target major media events and car shows in an...
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Saab has been rescued from near-collapse yet again after an agreement was signed with China’s Hawtai Motor Group. The agreement will form a joint venture for manufacturing, distribution and technology between Saab owner Spyker and Hawtai. It will also provide $222 million in funding for Saab, ending the Swedish automaker’s halt in production caused by...
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Last year China surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest car market, but that was only the beginning say industry experts. Selling 18.06 million units in China in 2010, that number could rise to 40 million in just the next 10 years. That, at least, is the prediction of Byeong Jin Lee, Hankook...
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China’s largest carmaker, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), is among a bunch of Chinese automakers looking to expand into the American market. Before they can form more concrete plans, however, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration official David Strickland visited China to explain U.S. safety standards, and touring the SAIC plant. Despite the reputation Chinese automakers currently have...
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BMW and Chinese automaker Brilliance have joined forces to create a plug-in hybrid version of the 5-Series long wheelbase sedan sold in the Chinese market. Set to be revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, the 5-Series plug-in will back an unspecified displacement turbocharged engine making 215 horsepower and a 94 horsepower electric motor....
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When dealing with an authoritarian state that exercises substantial government control of the economy, you generally know whose rules you’re playing by – and everyone from automakers to tech companies are happy to capitulate to the demands of the Chinese government, with car companies establishing joint ventures with local automakers for the sake of being...
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BYD, China’s 4th largest automaker, has finally established a location in Southern California, although the digs are modest to say the least. BYD’s new home in America is an office within a used car dealership in Glendale, a Los Angeles suburb. According to reports, the dealership is being used to train BYD technicians, and BYD...
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Of all the Chinese automakers, BYD (or Build Your Dreams) has been pegged for several years now as the one to bet on. A battery company turned car manufacturer, BYD was the first from China to display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, holding a press conference and making claims that have...
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While Volvo was apparently set to discontinue North American sales of all station wagons – arguably the vehicle they built their reputation on – in favor of crossovers. But that looks like it will change starting in 2012, with the launch of their V60 plug-in hybrid. Unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show, the V60 Plug-In...
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Speaking to Autocar Magazine, Ford‘s European design chief Martin Smith said “Our marketing people are telling us there’s demand for an affordable family saloon,” and Ford appears to be moving in that direction for the Chinese market. The Blue Oval will prepare a concept for the Beijing Auto Show, but rather than target the wealthy...
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Following the lead of General Motors, Honda and Nissan, Volkswagen is looking into creating a sub-brand for the Chinese market, which would sell ultra-affordable compact cars in the world’s biggest auto market. “A local brand is our opportunity to participate in segments where Volkswagen is not represented yet,” said Volkswagen China’s CEO Wolfgang Neumann, in...
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With Porsche sales having recovered on par with pre-recession levels in the United States, Porsche’s CEO Matthias Mueller said that the brand is looking at adding production facilities in the United States or China so that the brand can meet its target of 200,000 sales by 2018. “We will consider this year whether to start...
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Although Volvo is traditionally associated with all things Swedish, but Volvo’s new chairman is hoping to put down serious roots in China as well. “We are looking at a strategy of making China a second home market. Today we mainly only have one home market, in Sweden,” Volvo Cars China Chairman Freeman Shen said, in...
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We’ll spare you the awful cliches about failing to learn from the past and get right to the point. “Emerging markets” like China and India are all the rage right now for profit-hungry car makers, but the same problems of too much supply and weakened demand could spell doom for OEMs if a similar situation...
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You may have never heard of Guangzhou, China, but with nearly 12 million people, the industrial metropolis is a major player in the Chinese auto market. Making its debut at the show is one of China’s most anticipated new cars, the MG3 hatchback and MG6 sedan. Although Chinese cars are a laughing stock in much...
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BAIC currently owns the tooling, intellectual property and powertrain technology from the current Saab 9-3, which it purchased from General Motors and is already working on several new cars based on this platform, a new Pininfarina styled 9-3 could be one of them.
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The importance of the Chinese market for car companies is growing at an astounding rate. Hoping to capitalize on this growth, Honda has launched a new sub-compact car at the 2010 China International Automobile Exhibition. The new model is called the S1 and is launched under the Chinese market only brand of Li Nian, a...
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BYD, the Chinese automaker backed by American investment magnate Warren Buffet, has delayed plans to bring their B6 electric car to America to better engineer the car for American tastes. The Wall Street Journal, having spoken to a BYD representative, claims that, “the holdup was caused by BYD’s efforts to make the car roomier, especially...
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The annual Ward’s Auto list of 10 best engines gets a pretty decent amount of publicity, in light of how little people pay attention to the publication in the other 364 days of year. This year’s list includes not one but two electric powertrains, with the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf making the list, while...
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