Hakan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Car Corp. told the Automotive News World Congress that Chinese built Volvos will be exported “fairly quickly” to the U.S. market. Samuelsson wouldn’t say exactly when but he did say that because of Volvo’s Chinese ownership the company is in a unique position to use China as an export base. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group purchased Volvo from Ford Motor Co. in 2010. Read More >
Chrysler Group LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne threw down the gauntlet for Jeep during an interview on Detroit’s WJR-AM at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, proclaiming that the Rubicon-rated brand will move 1 million units onto the trails and highways by the end of this year.
A year ago, Qoros, the startup car company based on the business model of building cars in China with European engineering and Israeli capital, showed it’s first car, the compact Qoros 3 Sedan at the Geneva International Motor Show. In two months, Qoros will again use the Geneva show to debut a new car, this one the Qoros 3 Hatch. It is based on the same modular platform as the Qoros 3 Sedan and draws heavily on that model while showing what the company calls a “youthful evolution” of the company’s signature design elements in a more sporty direction. Read More >
In a sign that the 21st Century could belong to China after all, Porsche’s head of sales and marketing Bernhard Maier predicts that the United States will finish second on the podium to China as far as 911s and Macans are concerned by the end of 2014 at the earliest.
Backed by Warren Buffet and his investment company Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.,Automotive News is reporting that Chinese automaker BYD plans to deliver four models to the United States in late 2015.
Three years ago, Ford unveiled the third-generation Focus to the excitement of American enthusiasts who thought the second-generation model lacked “zazz,” to say the least. Come 2015, the Focus will have a new face, and that’s only the beginning.
2014 may only be a day old, but it’s already shaping up to be a rough year for Hyundai and Kia as they prepare to increase global sales by just 4 percent this year, the lowest and bleakest forecast for the Korean duo since 2003.
For the first time in nine years Volkswagen AG will likely sell more vehicles in China than General Motors, retaking the crown for the biggest foreign automaker selling cars in Chian, the world’s biggest automotive market. Both companies will sell more than 3 million cars and light trucks by the end of the year. Through November, VW is ahead by about 70,000 vehicles at 2.96 million, 17% ahead of 2012 figures. Competition is fierce between the two companies, who have planned to spend a combined $36 billion on operations in China in the near future. Last month VW said that it will be investing $25 billion over the next five years on expansion in China. Read More >
Unveiled at a special event in Paris last week, Citroën’s DS 5LS is the French automaker’s first premium variant of the DS sub-brand. Don’t expect to park this one at the Louvre, however; the DS 5LS is destined solely for the Chinese market.
The automotive industry lobby group China Association of Automobile Manufacturers is at loggerheads with Beijing over a rule change proposal that would ease restrictions on foreign ownership of auto manufacturing ventures. The fear, according to CAAM Secretary General Dong Yang, is that should the restraining bolt be removed, the local industry would lose control of the joint ventures they currently hold, if not the Chinese auto industry itself.
Remember when Lincoln had cars with names such as Mark, Continental, Zephyr, Town Car and Versailles? Alas, unless you want to own a body-on-frame SUV from the newly renamed Lincoln Motor Company, your choices begin with MK, and end with a letter that somehow corresponds to the model in question.
Should Ford’s VP of Global Marketing Jim Farley have his way, however — and you happen to also be a resident of China — the next Lincoln to be sold may have a real name upon its backside once more.
McLaren, like many makers of luxury goods, is having a difficult time moving their fine wares in China as of late, all thanks to a crackdown against lavish spending begun last year by the country’s Communist government.
Qoros, the joint venture between the Israel Corp. and China’s Chery based on the business model of designing the cars in Europe and building them in China, took an important step as it introduced their Qoros 3 sedan to the Chinese market at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The car had earlier been shown to the public at the Geneva auto salon, but this is the first time it has appeared before an audience in its most important market. Qoros also announced that the first authorized Qoros dealer in China has been opened in Nanjing. dealers. The 3 sedan will be priced between 119,900 yuan ($19,680) and 167,900 yuan ($27,560), and it will be only the first model announced from what Qoros says will be a new model introduced to the Chinese market every six months for the near future. The next model is likely to be a compact crossover. Read More >
![New-Fiat-Ottimo-Hatch-3[6]](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/New-Fiat-Ottimo-Hatch-36.jpg)
Fiat debuted the Ottimo at the 2013 Guangzhou Auto show. The five-door hatchback is based on the same platform as the Dodge Dart and Fiat Viaggio sedan and it will be assembled alongside the Viaggio by the joint venture between Fiat and Guangzhou Automobile Group, doubling production at that plant in southern China.
While other automotive sites are patting themselves on the back for their comprehensive blanket coverage of the Los Angeles and Tokyo Auto Show, the TTAC Staff robot has been burning the midnight oil to bring you news from the third major auto show being held this week, Auto Guangzhou, held in China’s third largest city. While not yet at the rank of LA and Tokyo, the Guangzhou show is major enough that Lexus decided to debut the new Lexus CT200h, the first major update to Toyota’s luxury version of the Prius hybrid since the CT200h was introduced in 2010. It gets cosmetic changes, being the last Lexus model to get the corporate “spindle” grille, as well as better structural rigidity, suspension refinements, better aero and improved NVH levels. Despite the sportier look, the CT200h continues with the same 134 horsepower 1.8 liter version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system, driving the car through a continuously variable transmission. Lexus estimates EPA gas mileage of 43/40 mpg city/highway and 42 mpg combined. Lexus is offering the CT200h in red for the first time, and you can also opt for a two-tone finish with a contrasting black roof. Read More >
Recent Comments