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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There used to be a time when any car company hoping to succeed in business would open up shop in North America. While North America remains one of the key markets for car companies, the new focus is on emerging markets, with China as the number one choice. Group Lotus is the latest to enter...
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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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Audi, long the automaker of choice for Chinese bureaucrats, has found itself suddenly losing to rivals, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. As the nation creates a new generation of wealthy young buyers, Audi’s market share in China has fallen by 25% in less than two years. Mercedes market share is now at 22 percent from 16 percent...
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Porsche‘s profits rose by 25 percent in the first 9 months of the year, as overall revenue and vehicle deliveries rose by 20 and 31 percent respectively. Cayenne sales were up 74 percent, as the SUV became the brand’s best selling model, with 43,924 units sold. The Panamera was second with 18,750 sold. Sales of...
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There’s a new kid in Los Angeles, BYD. The Chinese battery and electric car manufacturer opened its California office today. BYD says it will bring 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the city. The event highlight, however, is a deal between BYD and Hertz to provide airport shuttles to the rental agency. This could prove...
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Former Formula 1 double world champion Mika Häkkinen will return to motor racing, piloting a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 at the 6-hours of Zhuhai on November 13. Representing Customer AMG Sports Team China, Hakkinen will share racing duties with co-drivers, CongFu Cheng and Lance David Arnold. This is the first time Mika Hakkinen has raced...
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The Chevrolet Malibu will get a 1.6L 4-cylinder turbo powerplant when it debuts in China, similar to its Buick Regal platform mate. While North America will forgo this engine in favor of larger displacement 4-cylinder engines, the 1.6L mill still produces 186 horsepower. GM is attempting to position Chevrolet as an upmarket, rather than bargain...
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For the second year in a row, General Motors has sold 2 million vehicles in China, with 10 weeks left in the calender year 2011. GM reported strong demand for Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles, up 24, 18 and 73 percent respectively. General Motors’ SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture also reached a milestone, selling its 1 millionth...
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General Motors unveiled their new family of small displacement engines, a group of three and four cylinder engines ranging from 1.0L to 1.5L in displacement. The engines were designed in concert largely with GM’s Chinese subsidiaries. GM didn’t divulge which vehicles will get the new engines, but did say that North America won’t be an...
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The world’s economy stinks, gas is expensive and we’re all watching our wallets closely. You might assume that would also indicate less car parts being sold, but not for diesel engine manufacturer Cummins. “Several of the economies where Cummins operates are clearly weakening,” COO Tom Linebarger told analysts last month. “We really don’t know how...
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A contracting economy and a governmental push to limit the number of new cars in certain metropolitan areas has led luxury car makers like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz to offer discounts of up to 20 percent on their cars in China. While the three car makers are hoping to post record sales numbers, many “aspirational”...
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If the European Union member states were to rate as a single country however, then they would finish in the top spot. Last year more than 15 million plus units, were produced in the EU.
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Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the Japanese government’s effort to keep the yen’s value under control had failed and that Nissan was strongly considering moving production out of Japan and into foreign countries. A weakened United States dollar has meant that the value of the greenback has shifted from 91 yen per dollar to...
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A report by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants claims that by 2015, Brazil will be the world’s third largest auto market, with China and the United States occupying the first and second slots respectively. Brazil will displace Japan as the third largest market, as sales are expected to double to 6.6 million vehicles by 2020. The...
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Ford may begin building electric cars in China via joint ventures with Chinese auto makers, replicating the tactics of rivals like General Motors and Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz. China is looking to add 1 million EVs by 2015 as part of an effort to curb emissions and the dependence on fossil fuels. Ford...
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GM has long intended to bring their Chevrolet Volt over to the Chinese market. It’s both the largest and the fastest growing market for automobiles and only within a few short years smog pollution has increased exponentially among China’s booming cities. To alleviate the headache, China will offer automakers planning to sell electric vehicles in...
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After Volkswagen found themselves briefly at the top of the industry during Toyota’s recall fiasco, it seems that they’ve grown fond of the achievement and aim to legitimately take over the top spot in the future. Volkswagen will invest 62.4 billion Euros ($86 billion) across a five year span for this endeavor. According to CEO...
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Surprisingly, large segments of Americans are willing to buy Chinese made cars. Market research company GfK Automotive did its annual Barometer of Automotive Awareness and Imagery, and found that 38 percent of the respondents would consider buying a Chinese car. According to the study, “The openness to purchasing a Chinese and Indian vehicle is highest among...
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In 2010, the world’s vehicle population hit one billion which works out to be roughly one car for every seven people. Reports conclude that China fueled half of the global growth, as it passed Japan for the world’s second largest vehicle population, with 28 million cars on the road. India’s vehicle population has increased by...
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Porsche sales in China increased 5 times as much this July compared to last year’s, with the Cayenne selling especially well. Porsche moved 2,484 cars in the month of July: while it might not seem like much, considering Porsche’s total of 10,722 vehicles worldwide, it’s still 5 times more than what they sold in July...
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Tata Motors, the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, is suffering from slumping sales as the first-quarter profits are released. Tata’s Indian passenger car sales fell and Jaguar deliveries have also decreased. Surprisingly, however, Tata’s net income rose to twenty billion rupees in the three months ending on June 30th. This is up from 19.9 billion rupees a...
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Google isn’t alone in its plan to bring autonomous cars to roads near you. There is now at lest one other major player, with the National University of Defense Technology in China having built a self-driving project of its own. Working with China’s First Auto Works, the university researchers took a Hongqi HQ3 sedan and...
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f China has become Ferrari’s second largest global market, a not-so-surprising development in light of the global economic realities. The Italian automaker enjoyed strong growth in the first half of 2011, with global sales up 12 percent to a record 3,577 units between January and June. The company also saw sales revenue climb nearly 20 percent up...
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