Archive for the ‘Industry News’ Category
Black is boring; try Colored Tires from China
Published on December 3, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
What about pink tires under your pink Ferrari California? In China this will be possible soon thanks to Double Star Tires from the great city of Qingdao in Shandong province. Double Star developed a patented process to make tires in any color, fittingly this new product is called ‘Rainbow’, it will hit the market soon and likely with great success.
Chery’s exports hit new Record
Published on November 30, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
China’s leading private automaker, Chery Automobile Co, is expected to export a record 170,000 units of vehicles in 2011, marking the highest annual export figure in the company’s history, a company manager said Friday. Read more »
Ford to make more Engines in China
Published on November 30, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
Ford Motor Co will bring 20 new engines and transmissions to China by 2015 to power the 15 new models it plans to introduce during the period.
The carmaker announced at the Guangzhou auto show last week that the new powertrains will include a 1.0-liter EcoBoost turbo engine that will be locally produced at its three-way tie-up with Chang’an Automobile Group and Mazda Motor Corp in the southwestern city of Chongqing.
Audi will sell over 300.000 cars in China this Year
Published on November 30, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
German carmaker Audi AG’s China sales will surpass 300,000 vehicles this year as it continues to consolidate its two-decade reign in the luxury segment of the world’s largest auto market, according to the company’s sales chief in China.
Dominique Boesch, general manager of the Audi sales division at Sino-German joint venture FAW Volkswagen Automobile Co Ltd, said in an interview that the premium brand’s sales of more than 300,000 vehicles this year is “a clear direction” toward its target of moving 1 million units in the country from 2011 to 2013.
Subaru to be branded as Chery in China
Published on November 27, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
The proposed joint venture between Japanese automaker Subaru and China’s Chery is ready to be approved, sources involved in the matter say.
According to reports from Chinese media, the Chinese government has imposed two conditions to Subaru’s owner Fuji Heavy Industries. First and foremost, the Japanese need to allow their vehicles to be branded with the Chery logo and secondly, the sales network in China should be headed by Chery.
Two new Volvo’s to be made in China from 2013
Published on November 25, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
The Swedish premium vehicle brand Volvo AB, purchased by Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd last year, will make China one of its global bases as it prepares for local production of the first model in the country in 2013.
“The first locally produced model, a medium-sized sedan, will be launched in 2013, followed by a small sedan in 2014,” said Shen Hui, senior vice-president of Volvo and chairman of Volvo Cars China Operations. The two models, tailored to grab volume sales in China, are under development, led by Volvo’s new research and development center in Jiading district, Shanghai.
Changan PSA JV to start production in mid-2013
Published on November 25, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
A new joint venture (JV) between the China Changan Automobile Group and French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen will start production in the middle of 2013, Changan’s chairman Xu Liuping said Sunday. Production will start with Citroen’s DS-line of vehicles, including the DS3, DS4 and DS5.
The venture will have an initial annual output capacity of 200,000 vehicles and engines and will gradually increase capacity in accordance with market demand, Xu said at the company’s founding ceremony, held in the city of Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong province. Read more »
China set to be Porsche’s No 1 market in 2014
Published on November 25, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
With the continuing surge in demand for premium sport utility vehicles (SUVs), China will overtake the United States as the largest market for Porsche AG, the German luxury car brand in 2014, said a company executive.
“China has been our second-biggest market, with more than half of sales coming from our SUV model, the Cayenne. We expect it to beat the US to be our No 1 market in 2014, with significant sales growth from the coming, smaller SUV model, the Cajun,” said Helmut Broeker, chief executive officer of Porsche (China) Motors Ltd.
BMW to export China-made 5-series
Published on November 25, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
BMW will become the first foreign luxury car manufacturer to export China-made cars when it begins shipping locally produced long-wheelbase 5 Series sedans overseas at the end of the year.
The Bavarian carmaker said on the eve of the ongoing Guangzhou auto show that its joint venture in the northeastern city of Shenyang with China’s Brilliance Auto will export the 5 Series Li in December, but it did not specify the destination.
Why Chinese sub-brands won’t work
Published on November 24, 2011 by Tycho de Feyter
A sub-brand is a brand under a foreign-Chinese joint venture. Examples: Venucia under Dongfeng-Nissan or Everus under Guangzhou-Honda.
The Chinese central government has ordered the joint ventures to start the sub-brands. The foreign partner can not ignore the order. If the foreign partner would ignore the order life would suddenly become very difficult. Applications for new factories, new cars, new permits, new visa for employees, etc etc, would suddenly be delayed or outright refused. Read more »
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