We mentioned a while back about the growing number of cars making its way into China. But apparently, cars aren’t the only ones infiltrating the world’s most populated country.
So are car factories.
We recently got word that General Motors, in an effort to build their brand on overseas markets – especially in China and Asia – will begin making the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car in China starting in 2011.
Now it seems that tapping into the largest market in the world is a sound strategy for GM, especially after going through its worst crisis in company history. The Detroit-based manufacturer is expected to use its China facility to continue building on its revolutionary technology in a wide variety of vehicles, which includes the Volt and a host of other cars the company is trying to introduce to the vast Asian market. Unlike their dismal showing in the US, GM is hopeful that the Chinese market – the biggest in the world by a mile – will take a liking to the Volt and the slew of other vehicles they’re planning to produce in the country. As it stands, all Volts built in China are to be sold there but the company is expected to open its doors to other Asian markets as well.
Continued after the jump.
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It’s beginning to look like Hummer is not moving to China after all.
Weeks after it was reported that General Motors was on its way to selling the beleaguered car franchise to investors from the East, strong objections towards the impending sale may have killed all the talks between GM and the Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corp.
China’s planning agency was apparently behind the blocking of the sale, saying that purchasing the Hummer would go against China’s new energy-saving policies.
In addition to that, China’s National Development and Reform Commission also noted that while the Hummer remains one of the most popular SUV brands in the world, selling it off to a buyer that has neither the expertise nor experience to produce the Hummer would only hurt the franchise’s credibility in the long run.
You may recall the surprising news a while back that General Motors found a suitor for the Hummer from China, which caught a lot of people by surprise. And now, it may not come to fruition, after all.
We haven’t heard any response from General Motors yet, but with the strict laws in China regarding foreign purchases – they require regulatory approvals, by the way – it’s becoming more and more likely that GM should open the possibility of having to look for a different buyer for the Hummer franchise because as it stands, the Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corp may have been pulled out of purchasing the Hummer by its own government.
For the longest time, China was closed to any and all Western influences. But ever since they opened their doors to the foreign folks, their influence has been felt in massive waves. The floodgates had indeed been opened.
One of the biggest differences between China then and China now is the sheer volume of cars roaming around the streets these days. Take it from someone who has witnessed the mass congestion of constant swerving and honking horns first-hand.
It’s a classic case study of old-school meeting new school; a blend of the influences of the foreigners infiltrating the walls of the conservative giant nation. It’s a sight to see, really, especially when you chance upon an exotic European car parked in front of a 60 year old Chinese restaurant or a Ferrari zooming past Mao Tse Tung’s poster at the Forbidden City.
China’s sudden infatuation with cars comes as a breath of fresh air for car manufacturers – especially those besieged US brands – that have struggled mightily in their businesses all over the world. A number of US brands, including General Motors – have capitalized on this new and enormous market and it has paid off handsomely in return.
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In a country where replicas are the standard way of life, you’d have to believe that the Chinese have already perfected the inexact science of taking the cloning of manufactured goods to new heights.
The Chinese are so good at this craft that no industry is safe from their experimenting hands. Naturally, that includes the auto industry where the Chinese have made replicas of Japanese and European cars and have done quite an impressive job with it – at least for the most part.
We say most part because despite their impressive hit rate, the Chinese have also had their fare share of misses, none of which was more brutal than their attempt at replicating a Ferrari Enzo.
For comparison purposes, were including a photo of a computer-generated image of what these guys were trying to go for. In the end, however, it seems fair to say that their version is a far cry from the original. To be completely honest, we have to warn all those Ferrari aficionados to get your stomachs ready before you see their version. To say that they bastardized it just might be the understatement of the century.
But hey, at least they got the doors right.
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) has gotten a lot of millage out of ex-Rover/MG designs. For example, the groundwork for it’s small Roewe 550 sedan had already been laid out by the time the Nanjing Automobile Group (which would become SAIC) bought the bones of MG Rover in 2005.
Now the once British MG is celebrating its 85th anniversary, and SAIC is honoring it by bringing back the long-honored tradition of badge engineering. Later this month at the Shanghai Auto Show, SAIC will show off a concept called the MG6. While it may have a face of its own, everything else should be recognizable as the Roewe 550, including the ex-Rover 1.8-liter turbo engine.
Volvo presented in China the S80L, the long wheelbase version of the popular S80 sedan. The S80L has been specially designed and will be locally produced in China.
The S80L is specially designed for Chinese consumers, with larger and more comfortable rear seat space. In addition, the S80L boasts top-level features and equipment. Volvo’s world-leading innovative technology, guarantees premium appointments, a comfortable driving experience and unsurpassed safety. The S80L targets successful mature achievers who have a strong sense of responsibility for their families and the society.
The S80L shares all the features and qualities of the S80 sedan and it exceeds its sibling by being 14 cm longer and all this extra length appears in the rear seat creating an outstanding comfort for the passengers. The popularity of the S80 sedan has set a solid foundation for the introduction of the S80L in China. Volvo believe S80L’s world leading safety technology, premium quality, and luxurious design will give it powerful market competitiveness and win the S80L a significant share of the luxury car segment in China.
Press release after the jump.
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Audi revealed today the A4L (long-wheelbase version) on the Chinese market. The Audi A4L’s wheelbase is 2.36 inches longer, which benefits rear-seat passengers in particular.
The A4L will be offered with a choice of two different engines: the 2.0 TFSI with 180 hp and the six-cylinder 3.2 FSI with 195 kW 265 hp.
The longer wheelbase lends the A4L an especially roomy feel and makes getting into the rear seats even easier. In addition, the longer wheelbase is of particular benefit to rear-seat passengers, who can enjoy legroom unparalleled in this vehicle segment. Thanks to the increase in length and high-quality technology, the A4L injects full-size class into the mid-size category.
Press release after the jump.
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Brilliance is celebrating the European premire of the BC3 coupe at the Geneva Auto Show and Paris Motor Show. The vehicle styling of the sporty two-door coupe was developed by the Italian design firm Pininfarina. The powerful 1.8 litre turbo-charged engine was independently developed by the Chinese manufacturer. This kind of model brought the house down. Above the two shows, Brilliance Auto announced that they would be featuring four of their vehicles at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.
Through a series of brilliant show, more and more international consumers start to pay attention this new car.
As the outstanding Chinese car, Brilliance auto starts to practice the global planning, after beating the target of domestic market, which seems very ambitious. Indeed, Brilliance auto is a very young automotive company, which grows very fast in recent five years though, as if it had strewn its fresh designs over the Chinese auto market by night. If you ask a Chinese people, regardless of class, do you know the Brilliance auto? Maybe the most possible answer is: “Brilliance auto? Sorry I have no idea completely.” However, now it is totally different.
Most of Chinese people are very familiar with Roewe550 and 750. Pretty nice-looking ride, a typical mixed of British and Chinese traditional style car. According to the name recognition, SAIC knows that MG is more popular than Roewe in international market. So, In the Chile automobile market the Roewe 550 and 750 were sold under the MG brand, besides the two models, TF is also an important part of this selling event. Although they have strong British style, they all are made in China now. Depending on the grateful MG nameplate, 550, 750 and TF draw lots of attention of mass public.
But, to be frank, for Chinese people, they are more like to see the Roewe go global, not MG, though Roewe and MG are the same important assets to SAIC now.
The name Roewe, is thought to have come from the traditional Chinese words honour, king and lion "rong", and power and prestige "wei". It is pronounced to the sound of wrong-way in English. It builds based on the MG Rover technology Shanghai Automotive Industry Coroporation bought. The Roewe car in slightly longer than the equivalent MG Rover model, however, shares components such as parts of the interior and the engines.
Roewe is very famous in Chinese market, directly because its first product, Roewe 750 is so similar with Rover 75. Roewe was publicly launched at the Noverber Motor show in Beijing in 2006, where the revised 75 was on dispaly. At that moment, Roewe attracted almost all Chinese Medias’ attention.
In the search for clean, renewable and cheap ways to power automobiles, is this what we’ll have to deal with?! Direct from China, Zhejiang 001’s mini car with solar top. The car can charge using only solar power in 30 hours and is capable of a 93 mile range. It is true that it can only transform 14 to 17% of the sun light but this is the normal percentage.
The price is a about $5,560. It’s good that it’s cheap, because if it were available here, you may need to buy two just to make it through the day.
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