China car times

I test drove the MG5 last year and was instantly let down – how could such a car carry the MG badge? It seems that AutoCar are in agreement. The UK magazine cites the noisy underpowered engine as one of their main beefs with the Five but give the 5 credit for having a much improved interior with good fit and finish.

AutoCar:

To make this car competitive in the UK market would take a great deal of work, although it must be said that the firm’s parent company, SAIC, is already making great strides in its powertrain development, and has a proven track record with the MG 6 for making a sweet riding and handling car.

Furthermore, we would urge some caution before laying in to MG; this car did not feel entirely right, the test venue was far from perfect. Perhaps it’s fairest of all to wait until we get the opportunity for a full road test before drawing too many conclusions.

In what was a busy day for ZX Auto, the company signed a factory sharing deal with Guangzhou Auto (GAC) which will see GAC use ZX Auto’s spare capacity in Yichang city for commercial vehicle production, the facility has a total production capacity of 450,000 vehicles per year which is far greater than what ZX Auto actually needs as a small scale pick up truck and SUV manufacturer.

ZX Auto’s AUV rolled down the production lines in Yichang city earlier today as well, the mini trucklet does not actually go on sale until late June but the company held a Start of Production (SOP) Ceremony to introduce the media to the new car and ZX Auto’s production capacity. The AUV stands for Activity Utility Vehicle and comes at a time when ZX Auto is aiming to have a Great Wall Motors moment as it turns from relying solely on trucks and SUV’s to smaller hatchback like models.

The AUV measures in at (LxWxH) 4120mm x 1761 x 1645 with a wheelbase of 2500mm, it has ground clearance of 182mm which seems to be a good figure for urban driving. Power comes from an off the shelf Mitsubishi 4A91 1.5L series engine, the unit produces 141Nm of torque when paired with a 5 speed manual gearbox. Pricing hasn’t yet been announced but we suspect it will be in the low 60,000rmb range to get people more interested in the ZX Auto brand.

Geely are planning to push their sub brands hard this year, the Emgrand brand has already proven itself to be a popular brand with Chinese consumers as has the Gleagle but the Gleagle is lacking somewhat in terms of products. This year the economy brand focused Gleagle range will receive the below GV5 MPV:

The GV5 is a compact seven seat home use MPV that will carry a 1.3T engine to help it pack a torque punch, manual gearboxes are shown in the spy shots but we suspect that automatic offerings will be offered later, the GV5 might also come with a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine.

With a 1.3 billion population there are bound to be plenty of accidents and emergencies within Chinese borders that require the assistance of firefighters, now firefighters in China can make use of American KME’s trucks.

KME, or Kovatach Mobile Equipment Corp are a Pensylvania based company that have looked beyond the domestic US market for new sales and have partnered with Brilliance China Automotive Holdings to establish a new JV to supply the Chinese market. The new JV was officially announced at the China Fire Expo 2013 earlier this month where the company received a reported 80 orders for a combination of 80 pumpers and tankers.

Initially KME product trucks will be imported into China but eventually will see Chinese production, the new JV with Brilliance will create a 31,000 square meter facility in Dalian Economic Zone with work starting in July, initial production is set to be just 100 vehicles but this will be ramped up to 300 to 500 by the fifth year.

KME  is focusing itself on developing fire trucks that are capable of tackling fires in high rise buildings, pinning its experience on its experience in tackling fires in compact high rise cities such as New York and Chicago. High rise fires have become a major concern in China after the major boom in construction from the year 2000 onwards, high rise apartment blocks and skyscrapers have become commonplace in even China’s smallest cities, these buildings are often out of the reach of China’s current firetrucks.

Volkswagen is to invest 12 billion yuan (1.95 billion USD) to build a new plant in Changsha, Central China, along with its partner Shanghai Auto Industry Corp. The scope and size of the new facility was confirmed today during the official signing of the new facility, Volkswagen senior executives, Hunan Provincial and Changsha city officials were present to view the signing. The new plant was will initially have output of 300,000 units in the first initial phase that can be expanded later and should be online in 2015.

After focusing on the Chinese North, East and South, VW are finally looking to the West of China to further push sales in the worlds largest auto market as the company fights with its arch rival GM for sales figures in the Chinese market. The contract between SH-VW and Changsha City leaders was signed at a ceremony earlier today and work commencing on the new factory as early as Thursday this week.

Volkswagen are pushing to open ten new factories this year around the world, with seven of those factories landing in China. Volkswagen will create new factories in Urumqi, Foshan and Ningbo, new parts factories will also come online in Changchun and Foshan later this year. Volkswagen’s Chinese total production capacity is currently 2.6 million vehicles per year, but VW aims to expand this figure to 4 million units by 2018 with average annual growth aiming to be around 35% each year

SAIC are planning to follow in the steps of regional rivals Geely and Chery with an increased impetus on international sales, SAIC has already introduce the Roewe 750 into Egypt with a local partner which will go into production on June 19th this year.

SAIC also have plans for a Thailand plat to facilitate sales in the South East Asian and Middle Eastern markets with initial production capacity reaching 50,000 units with plans to increase it to 20,000. SAIC’s international sales are still relatively small but the company does have large expectations to expand sales by 20% in 2013.

Since the launch of the Baojun brand and its first 630 sedan news from the sub brand from GM and SAIC has gone quiet, now we have learned that BaoJun are prepping a new SUV for the Chinese market. The new SUV will be based on the Baojun 630′s platform and will continue to use the existing Baojun style language. Currently the Baojun uses 1.5L and 1.8L engines, the new SUV will likely continue to use the same engines and the same gearbox. Baojun are also planning to introduce small displacement turbo engines in the near future, in addition a compact MPV will also join the Baojun line up after the introduction of the MPV.

Chery denied rumors earlier today that it is planning to cut 9000 from its workforce would undergo a series of redundancies after a 190 million RMB loss in the first quarter of 2013.

At the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show Chery announced its ‘One Chery Strategy’ which included the ending of Riich, Reely and Karry brands which would be pushed back into the Chery brand with Chery’s 20 plus products being streamlined down to just 12 products. The restructuring comes at a difficult time for Chery, especially as the multi-brand strategy was largely seen as a failure with severe product overlap in their own range.

In Chery’s first financial statement it seems that the ‘One Chery Strategy‘ has hadn’t had a major effect on the financial fortunes on the Anhui company as of yet. In the first quarter Chery’s net income reached 129 million RMB which had was a substantial increase over the same period a year earlier, however Chery’s operating income continues to be low at 7.33 billion RMB, a slight fall over the same period in 2012. Chery’s operating loss reached 191 million with the same period 12 months earlier reaching 234 million, Chery does however have substantial income of 451 million RMB from other areas, an increase of 300% over the same period a year earlier.

Rumors emerged after Chery’s financial statement was made public that Chery’s 33,000 strong workforce would be shrunk to 24,000 after the poor showing in the first quarter of the year, however Chery was fast to deny the rumors. Chery is undergoing a round of restructuring as part of its new strategy.

According to reports from China’s Daily Economic News, Dongfeng and Fujian Motors are to sign an agreement on May 16th announcing their strategic partnership where Dongfeng will take as much as a 40% share in Fujian Motors.

Fujian Auto own several automotive brands including the SouEast and XinLongMa small vehicle program as well as Xiamen JinLong Coach and also the potentially lucrative Fujian-Benz joint venture, although the latter two are not expected to be part of any Dongfeng tie up.

It has long been rumored that Dongfeng and Fujian Motors have been planning to announce a partnership, rumors intensified when the NDRC approved the development of the XinLongMa project which would rely on Dongfeng’s assistance.

The Central Government has been pushing for greater integration in the Chinese car market for a number of years, the first major round of consolidation in the Chinese market was the take over of Nanjing Auto by larger regional rival Shanghai Auto who took over MG from Nanjing, but the ‘great consolidation’ that was rumored to take place never arrived – manufacturers rushed to add brands to their production lines to strengthen their position in case of any potential take over talks.

The deal will be announced tomorrow, it is rumored that Dongfeng could take upto 40% of Fujian which would give them the controlling majority in the company.

The BaoJun sub brand from SAIC-GM is the target for FAW-VW’s new sub brand according to Chinese media reports. The Joint Venture are now planning their own low cost brand to take on the lower end of the market using FAW’s low cost R&D capacity mixed with VW’s supply chain management expertise.

Chinese media are citing inside sources within FAW-VW who claim that the joint venture will launch a new sub brand within the next three years and will see a launch before the end of 2015. The new brand will be aimed at the lower end of the market as a low cost alternative to VW’s current range which starts at 82,800RMB for the New Jetta. VW’s CEO Martin Winterkorn previously announced that the company is planning to make ever cheaper cars with a future model priced between 6,000 and 7,000 Euro.

Previously FAW-VW’s vice president did reveal information on the JV’s plans for a new sub brand which were followed by leaked images of what the cars may look like.

BMW have thrown down the gauntlet to their luxury rivals with the launch of the X1 SUV and stretched and short wheelbase 3-Series, both models have contributed considerably to BMW’s rapid sales in the Chinese market over the past few months. BMW currently offers the 3-Series in a domestically made stretched version which is sold alongside a short wheelbase sports version that is imported into China, both are powered by 2.0T engines.

The last generation 3-Series could be bought for around 300,000RMB whilst the current generation is retailing for just over 320,000RMB for the low powered 184bhp, the 245bhp sells for 380,000RMB – both are a considerable price increase over the last generation model. BMW plans to increase 3-Series sales by introducing a 1.6T engine that is shared with the 1-Series. The 316i is likely to drop the 3-Series price below the important 300,000RMB barrier putting it more in the 2.0T Audi A4′s price range.

Beijing Auto announced the launch of their first Senova D sedan yesterday which is price incredibly competitively for a car that comes with a decent Swedish-American DNA and packs a punch with a 200BHP engine for just 139,000RMB, Beijing saved the best till last when they aired the advert later that evening.

As announced previously on China Car Times, Beijing Auto signed Nicolas Cage as their brand spokesman just a few short weeks after Cadillac scored Brad Pitt as their headlining man for the Cadillac brand in China. Who got the best bang for their buck? Possibly Beijing Auto after the Nick Cage advert went viral. If you want to see Mr. Cage racing his Senova D sedan around Beijing’s Goldenport Park Circuit whilst being perused by two unknown assailants, Cage even manages to pop his Senova up onto two wheels just by downshifting.

At least the advert is better than Mr. Cage’s previous movies, notably Ghost Rider. Watch the advert here on Youku.

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!

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.

According to reports issued this afternoon via Germany’s FAZ newspaper, Volkswagen are planning to build a new plant in Changsha with their Chinese partner Shanghai Auto (SAIC) in 2016 with a capacity of 300,000 vehicles, currently VW has 12 factories in the Chinese market producing vehicles and parts in partnership with FAW-VW and SH-VW.

Changsha has become a major automotive production hub in recent years with Fiat Chrysler, Mitsubishi and several other local manufacturers setting up shop in the area. SAIC are also planning to establish a new energy focused factory in Xinjiang, China’s most western province.