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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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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What better way to ring in the Chinese new year than with some special edition Aston Martins? Available only for the Chinese market, 88 special “Dragon88” models of the V8 Vantage S, Virage, and DBS will be made featuring some Chinese cultural references and iconography. This news comes right after Rolls-Royce announced that their “Year...
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Coda CEO Phil Murtaugh knows a thing or two about the car industry and expects to be selling their cars by the end of the month. Before taking the reigns at the Los Angeles startup, Murtaugh spent 10 years as the head of GM China. Not surprisingly, his current project takes advantage of the connections he...
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We have to give credit where credit is due. One thing that the Chinese automakers are clearly excelling at is perfecting the art of copying existing vehicles. The newest victim is the Ford F-150 which JAC Motors out in China has just pulled off with surprising accuracy. Set to debut in April at the Beijing...
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BMW is cashing in on the chauffeur craze in China by offering a stretched version of the 3-Series exclusively to Chinese customers. The longer wheelbase sedan will be sold as a 335Li, and will offer more legroom to Chinese consumers who want to be driven around but can’t afford a legitimate chauffeur car like Bentley...
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When GM sold 9.03 million vehicles globally to become the world’s largest automaker of 2011, a great deal of the American automaker’s success came down to its dominant popularity in the Chinese market. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the best selling car in China for 2011 was the Buick Excelle. While...
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China is the new land of opportunity as businessmen gain newfound wealth from its booming economy. However, some have learned the hard way that money cannot buy happiness. Last week, a Porsche owner was upset that his Cayenne SUV, worth a reported 2.7 million yuan, suffered a string of problems during the 2 months he...
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RUF, known for their amazing Porsche creations, looks to have beaten Porsche at creating the rumored long-wheelbase Panamera for the Chinese market. The tuning specialist decided to take matters into their own hands, creating the Panamera XL, a 211.4-inch long Panamera aimed at the higher-end Chinese market for those who wish to be chauffeured around...
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Don’t head to the optometrist just yet. If the parking lot outside the California Pizza Kitchen and P.F. Chang’s seems particularly crowded with Mercedes-Benz SUVs, you’re probably seeing just fine. The company had some good news to release with the new year, they managed to surpass the 2 million SUVs sales mark. According to a...
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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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German luxury titans Audi and BMW are migrating to a new battlefield in hopes of growing their brands despite domestic debt worries. According to Jenny Gu, a Shanghai- based analyst at research firm LMC Automotive, the number of luxury cars sold in China for 2011 may increase by 39 percent to 939,000, overtaking Germany by 25,000. That...
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Despite the majority of auto manufacturers reporting record sales and earnings this year thanks to a healthy Chinese market, the future in China may not be as bright as it was in 2011. China as a whole is dealing with some tough economic factors with their stock market down, real estate prices dropping and now...
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BMW is pushing forward in the face of what many economists are fervently discussing in the business world: the possible collapse of the euro. Such a catastrophic event is unlikely, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer told Automotive News. He reaffirmed that strong belief in another interview saying “I don’t even want to imagine that at all, and I don’t believe...
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China has recently become one of the biggest markets in the world. They are buying more new cars than any other nation and just about every brand that wishes to become successful opens up a dealer network in this developing market. One of the biggest benefactors has been the American auto industry, with marques like...
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General Motors was happy to report that their sales in China during November rose at its fastest pace all year, thanks to deliveries of Wuling light trucks and Buick Excelle sedans. Deliveries to dealers in China last month rose 20-percent (to 237,130) compared to a year ago. After cutting prices on Wuling light trucks, sales...
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Combined with production at the existing FAW-VW Changchun facility (which currently assembles the Q5, A4 and A6), that should help boost total Chinese Audi production to some 700,000 vehicles annually.
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In order to handle the projected growth, Volvo is planning to open up a manufacturing facility in Chengdu in 2013, which will boast some 3,000 employees and a maximum capacity of some 150,000 vehicles per year
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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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Fiat will build Alfa Romeo vehicles in China starting in July, 2012, as part of a joint venture with local partner Guanhzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd. Company president Zeng Qinghong told Automotive News that “Besides the Fiat brand, after talks between the two shareholders, we will introduce the Alfa Romeo brand to the venture company.” No timetable...
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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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How’s this for an incentive – buy an apartment, get a BMW thrown in to the deal. Sounds pretty sweet, and a city in China is doing just that in hopes of giving its real estate sector a jump start. In Wenzhou, China, the house prices have fallen dramatically, and one real estate developer is...
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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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