By opening its assembly factory in Bulgaria, Great Wall Motors has become the very first Chinese car manufacturer that will be assembling vehicles in the European Union. The production at this factory will start later on this month and it is located in north-central Bulgaria, in the region Lovech. The first-year capacity of this factory is pegged at 8,000 cars while in the first full year of production it will hit 50,000 units.
This is the location where Great Wall will be assembling several models, including the Wingle, Hover, Florid and the Coolbear. At first, the cars manufactured at this plant will be sold in the local market as well as other countries in the region, including Turkey and Romania. Later on, Great Wall Motors plans on expanding its presence to other regions in Europe.
Source: Great Wall Motors via Inside Line
Post tags: Tags: china, great wall, great wall motors
Yet another Ferrari has burned down, this time an FF model that was driving in Shi Bo Avenue in Shanghai, China. The good news is that nobody was injured thanks to the fact that the local emergency services arrived right away and extinguished the fire.
According to some people, the reason why this happened is because the Ferrari FF was driving at low speeds for a longer period of time which caused the materials to overheat and eventually catch fire. This might be true taking into consideration that the smoke is not coming from the engine as it is concentrated under the vehicle’s cabin.
Source: China Car Times
Post tags: Tags: burning ferrari, burning ferrari ff, china, Ferrari, ferrari ff, shanghai
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Chinese automaker clones the Ford F-150
JAC 4R3
It has been a while since we’ve seen a China-made clone of a popular car but this is it, an almost carbon copy of the most popular vehicle in the United States – the F-150 pickup. This 4R3 is manufactured by Jianghuai Auto Corporation, a carmaker that wants to provide customers in China, South America and Africa with a cheap and large truck.
JAC 4R3
According to CarNewsChina, JAC is a relatively small car manufacturer located in China that is specialized in rolling out rebodied Hyundai vehicles, pickups and SUVs. Under the hood of the 4R3 is a 4-cylinder 2.8-liter diesel engine that produces only 108 hp and a peak torque of 177 lb.-ft. No word about the price tag of the truck but we know that it will be unveiled this April during the Beijing Motor Show.
Here at rpmGo we are not big fans of the Porsche Panamera so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that this stretched version created by Ruf is not our cup of tea. Known as the Panamera XL, the car will be heading to China, a very important market for Porsche since more than 50% of the Asian market is accounted by China.
In 2011, Porsche managed to sell 24,340 units in China, which is almost 65% more in comparison to 2010. The German automaker offers a wide array of models in China, ranging from roadsters to SUVs and supercars. However, they don’t have a long wheelbase version for the Panamera which could rival cars like the Audi A8L and the BMW 740iL, both models being already available in China.
Ruf Porsche Panamera XL
Ruf has decided to fill in this gap and launched the Panamera XL which is based on the Panamera S version (V8). They’ve stretched it about 16 inches while the wheelbase has grown by a little over 14 inches. As you would expect, the curb weight of the car is higher, with the Panamera XL gaining about 345 pounds in comparison to the standard version. The German tuner/automaker Ruf has also increased the output of the engine by 14 hp and 7 lb.-ft.
Here is something that you don’t see every day, a four year-old girl driving a car on a large boulevard in China. As you can see, she isn’t driving quite slowly and apparently there’s no adult assistance. Towards the end of the clip you can notice a man who emerges from the rear seat in order to remove some sort of gear from the pedals which probably were installed there so that the girl could work with the brakes and throttle. Most likely, the person who is recording this video is the little girl’s father.
The MG 3 Xross crossover made its debut last week at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China and it is a FWD car that is powered by a 1.5-liter, 16-valve VTi engine linked to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or an automatic transmission. Despite the fact that the regular version of the MG3 can be ordered with a 1.3-liter engine, the crossover variant will not get it.
MG 3 Xross
The power unit is capable of developing 107 hp at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 99 lb.-ft available at 4,500 rpm. Fitted with the manual gearbox, the MG 3 Xross can reach a maximum speed of 113 mph and is able to return 43 mpg UK. The automatic model is able to reach 111 mph and promises to return 42 mpg UK.
MG 3 Xross
The MG 3 Xross measures 4,079 mm long, 1,739 mm wide and 1,528 mm high, which means that it is 80 mm longer than the standard MG3, 11 mm wider and 11 mm higher. Both of the cars share the same wheelbase which measures 2,520 mm.
MG 3 Xross
The crossover variant of the MG3 comes with roof rails, a bolder front-end look, and a cargo space that offers 256 liters when the rear seats are up and 938 liter when the seats are folded. The car shown in China was standing on a set of 16-inch alloys.
No word about the availability of the car in Europe, but we do know that the regular version will arrive next year.
China’s economic boom is now very obvious in the automotive industry which has risen in the last few years tremendously. However, some of the local automakers really don’t have a design studio where they should invest time and money for the design of the car. Instead, most of them decide to “borrow” the looks of popular cars from across the world and make them uglier. Here is our top ten of the ugliest cars “Made in China”.
Number 10 – Chery Rely X5
At number 10 we find the Rely X5 from Chery, a car that came out in the second part of 2009, which is tremendously ugly both outside and inside. The build construction of this car is appalling while the overall appearance is as ugly as the Pontiac Aztek. This is probably the first car in the automotive history that has a verb in its name. What’s good about it? Nothing really, except maybe for the big trunk.
Number 9 – Chery A5
Another car made by Chery is the A5, a compact vehicle which is the very first Chinese-designed mass-production hybrid model. This A5 certainly won’t win any beauty contests plus its name is not very original either. It was launched back in 2006 and they still make it today. Much like the SUV we’ve mentioned, this one too has borrowed a lot of design cues from other models, blending all of them in a cheap-looking package.
Number 8 – Greatwall Coolbear
No, this isn’t the Scion xB, it is a cheap clone made by Greatwall. The Coolbear (awful name by the way) is powered by a 4-cylinder 1.5-liter engine which is mated to a 5-speed CVT gearbox. How in the world Toyota allows Greatwall to manufacture this model is beyond my understanding…
Number 7 – Chery Fulwin2
We have yet another car from Chery (and there will be others too), this time the Fulwin2 that came out last year. Under its hood is a 1.5-liter ACTECO engine mated to a manual transmission. The engine develops 80 kW at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 140 Nm at 3,000 rpm. The back of the car is just wrong and it looks extremely poor designed. The rear seems to be a little higher than the front.
Number 6 – Lifan 320
Here is another cheap clone – the Lifan 320. As you probably figured this out by now, this is a poor imitation of the Mini. It made its debut at the 2008 edition of the Beijing Auto Show and they sell it not only in China, but also Peru and Russia. It has a 4-cylinder 1.3-liter engine that fires 87 hp, linked to a 5-speed manual/automatic gearbox. Why would anybody buy this hideous rip-off?
Number 5 – BYD Flyer
On our number five spot we find the BYD Flyer, a city car that has been developed by the government-owned Xian Qinhuan Automobile. The car is produced by BYD Auto and has 3- and 4-cylinder engines borrowed from old generation Suzuki units. What’s wrong with it? Well, everything. The proportions of the car don’t make any sense and it seems to be very unstable.
Number 4 – Chery QQ6
I’m not sure from which car they stole the design and made it worse, but it is really very hard to create such an ugly car. This one too is manufactured by Chery and it is a 4-door sedan based on a platform “developed” by the Chinese automaker. It’s also being sold in Chile where it has a 1.1-liter engine, whereas in China it can be purchased also with a more powerful 1.3-liter unit.
Number 3 – Zhongtai M300
To be honest, I’ve never heard about Zhongtai before I started researching for this article. As you can see, the M300 looks a lot like the Fiat Multipla. So, what happens when you steal the design of an ugly car? You create an even uglier car that looks dreadful, especially from the sides.
Number 2 – Huapu Haishang
I’ve never heard about this car either, but it deserves the second place in our top. Looking at its front, especially the headlights, it looks a lot like an Audi. From the sides and the back it looks pretty much like a Hyundai Accent, a car that as you know isn’t a looker, especially the older generations.
Number 1 – Chery QQ
We’ve saved the best for last – the Chery QQ. If you’ve been reading automotive news in the last couple of years, you probably know that the Chery QQ has been the subject of an industrial copyright and intellectual rights controversy. GM stated that the car is a copy of the Daewoo Matiz (Chevrolet Spark) and they are totally right. Even though the Matiz is not a looker, the QQ is horrible, both inside and out. Even the interior looks like a Matiz. The car is being sold not only in China, but also in Chile (Chery IQ), Pakistan, South Africa, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam (the cheapest car in the country) and Sri Lanka.
Chery QQ
What can we learn from all of this? Well, China has a lot to learn regarding the design of a car. Instead of stealing it, they should invest a lot of money and time into creating their own designs. However, we should be thankful to China because who knows what might have happened to popular automakers like Volvo and Saab if it weren’t for rich investors.
After it debuted at the middle of September during the Chengdu Motor Show, the new Peugeot 308 Sedan is now available on the Chinese market and it is the company’s third model in the last eighteen months which has been developed for China, after the 307 and 308 sedans.
Peugeot 308 Sedan
The car is produced locally with the automaker’s partner Dongfeng Motor Corporation and it is available with a choice of two power units. The first one is a 1.6-liter engine that develops 106 hp and has a peak torque of 142 Nm, while the other one is a beefier 2.0-liter that churns 147 hp and a maximum torque of 200 Nm. Both of these engines can be mated to either a manual or an automatic gearbox.
Peugeot 308 Sedan
The French carmaker says that along with the aforementioned 307 and 308 sedans, they will be able to sell 150,000 units in the C-segment next year, which will account for approximately 60% of the company’s total sales in China. For the first full year, Peugeot wants to sell 60,000 units of the recently introduced 308 sedan model.
In order to comply with China’s regulations and increase the company’s growth in that region, Ford is planning on launching a sub brand there and they’ll do it by teaming with Chinese joint venture Mazda and the local automaker Chang’an Motors. The first cars will be launched in 2014 and they won’t wear any of the Blue Oval badging.
The local Chinese government rules demand that the joint venture companies that build car within the country must create a homegrown brand if they want to get the approval for creating new car factories in the country.
Ford wants to sell eight million cars before 2015, which is considerably more than 2010’s 5.3 million. It is expected that 60-70% of the growth will come from Africa and especially the Asia-Pacific region. While General Motors managed to sell a whopping two million cars last year, Ford delivered only 580,800 units in China.
Ford is planning on creating four new car factories in China by 2015, including one where they’ll make Lincoln models, which is the company’s luxury brand that is having a difficult time in the United States but since Chinese love luxury cars, Lincoln might be a success there (although I doubt it).
VW, Honda and Nissan have already established China-exclusive brands with their joint venture partners and pretty soon we’ll be seeing other automakers trying to grab a piece of the Chinese automotive pie.
Yet another special edition model will be heading to China, this time is based on the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. For this model, the automaker team up with Linley, a British design company that is best known for its furniture and interior design.
Bentley Continental Flying Spur Limited Edition
What they’ve did is apply Santos rosewood veneers to those areas where in the standard version you’ll find walnut or chestnut: roof console, console, fascia and waistrail. Other than that, this limited-run model comes with stainless steel Linley treadplates.
Bentley Continental Flying Spur Limited Edition
For the picnic table and waistrails, the car features a Linley Helix motif which has been applied in a form of decorative veneering dubbed marquetry. As for the rear console, this special Continental Flying Spur has a Linley cigar humidor, while in the trunk there is a Linley-branded leather bag that has a cashmere blanket as well as other Linley items.
Bentley Continental Flying Spur Limited Edition
Only 10 units will be made and all of them will go to China, which if you didn’t know is the company’s biggest market for its 4-door models. We don’t know the price tag for this special edition model, but since the regular Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed costs from 150,900 pounds, this one will probably be somewhere around the 170,000 pounds mark.
You probably already know how important the Chinese market has become in the last few years for the major automakers and lately we’ve seen an extensive array of special edition models that have been a major hit. In the past BMW has launched plenty of such models, like the M3 Matte and Tiger Editions.
Now they’re back with a special version – Z4 sDrive23i Flame Edition. It is based on the Z4 hardtop roadster and features a 6-cylinder 2.5-liter gasoline engine that produces 204 hp, which is enough for a 0-62 mph time in 7.3 seconds. On the outside, this limited edition comes with attractive yellow paintwork and bespoke alloys.
BMW Z4 sDrive23i Flame Edition
Inside the cabin we find the seats which have been wrapped in leather and Alcantara with yellow accents. The same hue was used for the lower parts of the dashboard and the center panels that have been trimmed in Alacantara with yellow piping.
BYD is only one of the many Chinese automakers that in the recent period have been accused of copyright infringement. They’ve tried to fix things and one of their attempts is this new generation of the E6 electric minivan with which they want to grab the attention not only of Chinese buyers, but also those in the United States.
BYD E6
With the new one, the Chinese manufacturer BYD has implemented new styling changes like the redesigned front grille and a better interior cabin. The facelifted version seems to be a better match for the U.S. market compared to the outgoing model, plus the higher level of trim as well as the reflector strips should be enough to make it comply with the United States automotive lightning regulations. However, things are not that simple as the car must be able to pass NHTSA’s rigorous tests, as well as the ones concerning the fuel efficiency from EPA.
BYD E6
The bad news is that it will borrow the exact same entry-level technology of the older model so the company’s claimed 150 mile range and the 15 minute recharge seems exaggerated.
Yesterday we were just talking about bad parents which are unaware of the dangers to which they expose their children by extravagant acting, especially involving cars. Today we have another example, this time maybe even more alarming, as everything appears to be so normal to those who allowed this type of things happen. Ok, we kind of lost you, so let us explain everything: a video showing a small girl (4 year-old, precisely) driving (apparently) without the help of any adult on a big boulevard in China, and at pretty high speed was uploaded on YouTube. Yeah, we know!!!
It’s not even a video from the category “don’t try this at home”. It’s just from the category “those things are totally wrong and forbidden, home or not at home”.
How could such a small girl drive? At the end, the video shows a man changing places with the girl and removing some gear from the pedals. Ooh, very smart idea, we must say, and extra-safe too. How is this kind of behavior still possible? We don’t know. But how stupid can you be to film it too and then to post it on the internet just to boast?
Here it is the incriminating evidence of stupidity and that some persons should be forbidden to be parents (supposing that the men in the video is girl’s father):
According to the Chinese media, an electric bus caught fire in Shanghai this Monday and it appears that unfortunately this isn’t the first incident of this type. A report revealed by Reuters indicates that at least one earlier incident has been reported in the last three months. We don’t know if the bus you see in this photo was stationary, in service or parked by the roadside but what we do know (and what really matters) is that nobody got hurt after this incident.
The bus that caught fire was a part of a test fleet that uses ultra-capacitors in order to store energy from a network of charging points. These buses are almost entirely different from the regular EVs sold in the United States, including here the Volt and the Leaf, which store the energy in lithium-ion batteries that as you already know, charge at very slower rates. These cars do not use ultra-capacitors so these cannot store a lot of energy but can provide a high level of power very fast.
If we do a little bit of math, these ultra-capacitors may recharge at 182 kilowatts which is a lot faster than any EV on sale today. At a 65% efficiency rate, 60 kW (or more) of heat may be shed during the recharging process, which is a lot if you think about it.
EVs charge either at 3.3 or 6.6 kW on dedicated 240V Level 2 charging stations or a maximum of 50 kW on the Level 3 DC Quick-Charge stations.
Source: Reuters, Shanghaiist via Green Car Reports | Photo: Eastday
The Fiat 500 will soon be landing in China and for this occasion the Italian automaker will be offering a limited edition of 100 special units. This “First Edition” is nothing more than a marketing scheme to make people preorder the tiny car. It works this way: you place an order until September 15th and you will take part in a final draw. The winners will get their cars replaced with one of these limited editions.
Fiat 500 First Edition
The model is based on the Fiat 500 Lounge and features a bespoke 3-coat pearlescent white body, along with a red leather interior and a special badge located on the door pillar.
Fiat 500 First Edition
The car comes with a 1.4-liter MultiAir gasoline engine that produces 101 hp (75 kW) at 6,500 rpm and has a peak torque of 133 Nm available at 4,000 rpm.
Fiat 500 First Edition
The highlight of this “First Edition” will be the special livery. Fiat contacted five Chinese designers in order to develop these exclusive graphics and you can see for yourselves the results.
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