Toyota is getting out of the carmageddon-caused  and recall-related funk and is moving forward with worldwide expansion plans. According to The Nikkei [sub], Toyota has resurrected all key projects planned before the financial crisis. Read More >

Taiwan’s Premier Wu Den-proudly announced that a senior executive of Volkswagen met with him last week for a second time on the company’s plans to set up a plant in Taiwan. A little later, Wu Den  Said that not one but several foreign carmakers have expressed interest in setting up factories in Taiwan. Why the sudden interest in the tiny island? Read More >

Spoiled market watchers were disappointed by China’s less than red-hot May numbers: Passenger vehicles grew just 23.2 percent, the whole market grew 26 percent. Now here’s a number worth waiting for (or to induce a heart attack, if you have green leanings:) Read More >

Whenever sales in China come up, there is an echo somewhere: “Sure, but are they making money?” “Name the average transaction cost in China.” “Profits? Everbody know profits can’t be taken out of China.” Thanks for your concern, but Nissan doesn’t have these worries. Read More >

I know you are tired of China sales numbers. Just for the record: The final, official  tally of all passenger  vehicles sold in China in May stands at 1.04m units, up 26 percent from last year, says the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) via Gasgoo. The CAAM has the last word. Total vehicle sales hit 1.44m units, up 28.8 percent, says the Straits Times. With these numbers, we declare the TTAC patent-pending Growth-o-Meter as broken. Wuling’s lousy may numbers did it in. As a make-good, another round of the very best of Chinese traffic accidents. In color!

Most likely filled with a certain degree of foreboding, Volkswagen signed today contracts with their joint venture partner FAW to build a new plant in the south of China, we hear from a Volkswagen press release. That VW has designs on building cars in the South of China is no news to the avid TTAC reader. But why the anxiety? Read More >

Now don’t get us wrong: we agree with the principle that there aren’t enough affordable options in the mid-engine sportscar segment. And we certainly admire Mr Chen Jinmiao’s attempt to build his own, despite his apparent lack of engineering education (“I downloaded the drawings from the internet, then bought the materials from the market”). But why, oh why, does the Daily Mail insist on framing the story in terms of Mr Chen’s lifelong love of Lamborghinis? Again, with all due respect to Mr Chen’s accomplishment, his “car” is to Lamborghini what this is to GMC.

Approximately 1 million passenger cars (including MPVs, SUVs, and Minivans) changed hands in China in May, up 23.2 percent from a year earlier, the lowest rate during the past 13 months. That according to the China Passenger Car Association, as reported in China Daily. This is not yet the total vehicle count, which should be reported by the CAAM a few days later. The passenger car number usually is within a few points of the CAAM number. Is that good or bad? Read More >

Did we say that the strike at a crucial Chinese parts plant is being closely watched? Last week, a 20 percent pay rise was given at a Honda-owned transmission plant, and slowly, everything went back to normal. Until today. Honda is in trouble again. Read More >

China’s Changan could make an own-brand car, based on technology acquired from joint venture partner Ford, says Automotive News [sub]. It would likely be a mid-sized sedan, based on a Ford platform. It would be produced in Changan’s plant in Nanjing, near Shanghai. Read More >

GM and Ford reported new monthly record sales in China, says the usually reliable government-owned China Daily. Really?

Ford said its China sales rose 17.8 percent. Ford is a relative nobody in China. File under “never mind.”

GM China’s May numbers are much more remarkable. They need to be carefully read. Tread carefully: Cleverly hidden landmines ahead! Read More >

After on-again and off-again attempts at an Eurasian marriage (which I would unreservedly endorse,) Mitsubishi and PSA are doing the thing currently en vogue in Europe: Live happily in sin, and produce little ones. Very little ones. Read More >

China is an important market for Daimler. China already buys more S-Class cars than any other country. Why not buy a chunk of Daimler and get it over with? The Chinese would find open doors: Daimler’s CFO Bodo Uebber “would welcome it if there are Chinese names in our shareholder structure.” Read More >

Got a nice empty property in an industrial park in Germany? Centrally located, close to a major airport like Frankfurt, or Munich would be a plus? Then we know some Chinese you may want to talk to. They are in Shenzhen and work for BYD. BYD is coming to Europe. And they want to put their European HQ right into the German hornet’s nest. Read More >

Customizing their own cars is the latest trend amongst carmakers. Now available at Shanghai Baozen Zhonghuan Automobile Sales and Service Co, an authorized BMW dealer in Shanghai: A 3-Series, blinged out with Swarovski crystals. On hearing the news, Global Times, the usually sedate English-typing sister publication of the usually very sedate party organ Peoples’ Daily, couldn’t help it and headlines: “BMW adds sparkle.” Read More >