English Press / Presse anglaise

It seems to be Dead Super Car Tuesday here in China today, firstly the Maserati is removed from the roads and now this Lamborghini in Kunming.

The Lamborghini in question was being piloted by a mechanic on a test run on Kunming’s Guan Nan Boulavard, he reportedly reached circa 200km/h before plowing into a Hyundai ix35 SUV which rolled over, skidded and hit an electric bike rider killing him instantly. The SUV occupants, a man and his son, were slightly injured in the collision. The mechanic was not affiliated with Lamborghini Kunming, the official designated workshop for Lamborghini models in the area and it is likely that he was working with a third party.

Pictures of the grizzly accident have been circulating wildly on the Chinese internet, with reports stating that the driver was entering into a speed restriction zone of 50km/h when the accident occurred. The police have already arrested the mechanic and are investigating the accident but lawyers have already commented via the Chinese media that as the accident occurred whilst the mechanic was technically at work both him and his company are responsible

If you’re unhappy with your current car due to technical malfunctions I am sure you can relate to this Qingdao based Maserati owner whom after several years of unsatisfied ownership of a fine Italian steed decided to smash it to pieces outside the Qingdao Auto Show.

The owner is apparently unhappy with Furi Group, the company that are responsible for distributing Maserati in the Qingdao area, as they have been repairing his fine 2.6 million ($423,000USD) Quattroporte with second hand parts rather than the new parts he paid for and haven’t fixed all of the issues that he originally cited. At 10:15am this morning as the Auto Show opened, the owner and his friends took sledgehammers to the Maserati to prove their point

According to reports the Maserati was bought in September 2011 but in November that year it was back in the dealership to correct an issue, and without receiving authorization from the owner the dealership used second hand parts to fix the issue but charged the owner 2400RMB (390USD) for new parts that were covered in dirt according to the owners side of things.

The dealership or Furi Group have yet to make a statement, but we suspect that they wont be held hostage to an irate car owner who is crazy enough to smash up his 423,000USD car over a 390USD bill.

This isn’t the first time a supercar has been smashed up at the Qingdao auto show, in March 2011 an unhappy Lamborghini owner smashed up his own car at the Qingdao Auto Show to get media attention on the lack of attention Lamborghini China was paying to its customers in China – except the car owner bought his Lambo second hand from Germany according to our sources, so we fail to understand how Lambo China would be responsible for a car bought from overseas markets….

We cannot wait until next years Qingdao Auto Show!

If you’re unhappy with your current car due to technical malfunctions I am sure you can relate to this Qingdao based Maserati owner whom after several years of unsatisfied ownership of a fine Italian steed decided to smash it to pieces outside the Qingdao Auto Show.

The owner is apparently unhappy with Furi Group, the company that are responsible for distributing Maserati in the Qingdao area, as they have been repairing his fine 2.6 million ($423,000USD) Quattroporte with second hand parts rather than the new parts he paid for and haven’t fixed all of the issues that he originally cited. At 10:15am this morning as the Auto Show opened, the owner and his friends took sledgehammers to the Maserati to prove their point

According to reports the Maserati was bought in September 2011 but in November that year it was back in the dealership to correct an issue, and without receiving authorization from the owner the dealership used second hand parts to fix the issue but charged the owner 2400RMB (390USD) for new parts that were covered in dirt according to the owners side of things.

The dealership or Furi Group have yet to make a statement, but we suspect that they wont be held hostage to an irate car owner who is crazy enough to smash up his 423,000USD car over a 390USD bill.

This isn’t the first time a supercar has been smashed up at the Qingdao auto show, in March 2011 an unhappy Lamborghini owner smashed up his own car at the Qingdao Auto Show to get media attention on the lack of attention Lamborghini China was paying to its customers in China – except the car owner bought his Lambo second hand from Germany according to our sources, so we fail to understand how Lambo China would be responsible for a car bought from overseas markets….

We cannot wait until next years Qingdao Auto Show!

Nissan's premium Infiniti marque plans to add a new top-tier halo nameplate above its Q70 flagship sedan and expand its crossover offerings to build the brand and fuel sales, President Johan de Nysschen said.

A Michigan couple sentenced to prison for stealing General Motors hybrid-car technology trade secrets filed appeals Friday with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

Bluebird Toy founder backs the ‘Ox’ and plans to ship the vehicle packs to Africa by the end of next year to transport grain, fertiliser and water

General Motors CFO Dan Ammann says Cadillac will steer clear of what he sees as a "volume-at-all-costs mentality" among competitors battling for the luxury sales crown.

Hyundai Motor, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit, Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor have linked with the Department of Energy to prepare for the first major wave of hydrogen-powered cars, the department said today

Schaeffler, the largest investor in tire and components supplier Continental, plans to end an agreement between the two German companies as it continues to dismantle a plan for a gradual merger.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers could challenge dealer-backed franchise legislation that passed the Colorado Legislature earlier this month.

General Motors said it is investing $546 million in two new Michigan data centers in hopes it will free up millions of dollars to boost vehicle quality more quickly.

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One of the first things Dan Akerson did as CEO of General Motos in 2010 was dive into the automaker's telecommunications business to get more profit from that in-car connection.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today it is checking into 2006 Chrysler Group and 2009 Mazda vehicles in response to complaints about engine stalls and doors that fail to properly close.

The experience of carmakers that entered into joint ventures with local partners reveals the challenges of getting it right

High-end Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati tapped the power of fans, developing a community that helped the company increase its profitability

The MG6 has only just been launched in the UK – (yes the one that they launched in Guangzhou but followed it up with marketing materials showing the MG6 surrounded in black exhaust fumes) and it is the car that MG UK are hoping will gain some major sales after the poor showing of the gasoline 1.8T in a diesel dominant UK market, the MG3 will also be launched later this year under the premise of being FUN!

The Daily Mirror are running with some embarrassing photos of Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson pushing the MG6 Diesel model to the side of the road after stalling it, presumably before a filming session. The MG6 Diesel is expected to feature in the next series of Top Gear that starts in the autumn of this year.

After a nearly three year wait Beijing Auto have launched their first Shenbao (Senova in English) sedan. The Senova D sedan was launched earlier today with prices from 139,800RMB to 215,800RMB for the top of the range model. A total of eight specifications are offered with 1.8T, 2.0T and 2.3T engines on offer.

Pricing is a little unusual, the 2.0T starts at 139,800RMB but the 1.8T starts at 188,800RMB – the 1.8T being aimed squarely at government buyers who have to buy something equivalent to or smaller than a 1.8T engine for a maximum of 180,000RMB.

• 2.3T Luxury – 215,800RMB
• 2.3T Elite – 195,500RMB

• 2.0T  Luxury – 181,000RMB
• 2.0T Elite – 165,800RMB
• 2.0T Comfort – 149,800RMB
• 2.0T Fashion – 139,800RMB

• 1.8T Administrative – 211,600RMB
• 1.8T Govt – 188,000RMB

The 2.0T engine produces 150kw (circa 200bhp) and has 290Nm of torque whilst the larger 2.3T offers 184kw and 350Nm of torque, putting the engine largely on par with the VW Magotan/Passat’s 2.0T. Gear shifting is carried out by 5 speed automatic gearboxes, no manuals are currently on offer but that could potentially change.

Beijing Auto seem to have hit a sweet spot with the pricing coming in at roughly 25% less than the rival 2.0T VW Passat/Magotan whilst offering a similar sized and powered vehicle.

The above image is the D-Series Aero edition which was aired at the Shanghai Auto Show and promises a 0-100km/h time of less than 6 seconds. The white D-Series are a mixture of the 2.0T and 2.3T vehicles, pictures taken from auto.163.com

Hyundai are recalling over 121,000 IX35 SUV’s in the Chinese market due to a faulty brake light switch according to a statement released by China’s Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Department according to a statement on its website.

The ix35 has proven to be a popular model for Beijing-Hyundai, the joint venture between the two companies.

Hyundai’s strong growth in the Chinese market is leading the company to contemplate a fourth factory in China according to comments made to Reuters by Hyundai’s Vice Chairman Hsueh Yung-hsing.

Hsueh has been running Hyundai’s China operations for a number of years and believes that the new plant is required if Hyundai are to keep and improve on their market share. Hsueh also commented that Dongfeng-Kia’s third plant in the Chinese market would be finished two months ahead of schedule which would give the two companies a combined production capacity of 1.8 million vehicles per year in the Chinese market.