As a sign of the growing importance of the massive Chinese market, BMW has created the M3 Tiger Edition, in commemoration of 2010, the year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar. Riding on 19-inch alloys, the special-edition M3 wears a coat of Fire Orange metallic paint, supplemented by some black accents. The cabin gets black Novilla leather seats …Read More

China’s Geely has completed the purchase of Volvo from Ford, marking a Chinese firm’s biggest acquisition of a foreign automaker in a deal worth USD 1.8 billion (RM 5.7 billion).With the transaction now finalised, Geely can turn its attention to restoring Volvo to long-term profitability; The Swedish company may have sold 334,000 units in 2009, but still recorded an overall loss. …Read More

In further recognition of the growing importance of the Chinese consumers, General Motors has announced plans to launch a China-exclusive, entry-level brand, the Baojun, which stands for “treasured horse” when translated into English. The new brand will be introduced under SAIC-GM-Wuling, a joint venture between GM China, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) and Wuling Motors which has …Read More

Honda’s operations in China are getting into more trouble. Four Honda plants in China were shut down earlier this month as a result of striking—an act prohibited in China—by 1850 workers at Honda Auto Parts Manufacturing Co. The shortage of engine and transmission parts then led to a further three Honda plants suspending production. Honda relented days ago, giving the workers a …Read More

The next couple of years are going to be busy for Jaguar and Land Rover, the two British brands bought over by the Indian Tata Motors in 2008. For starters, Tata Motors has committed to spending more than $1.5 billion in the two brands annually for the next five years. That money will go towards funding a new plant in …Read More

It will be 10 to 20 years before fully-electric cars become mainstream, according to Honda CEO and President Takanobu Ito, who believes that the current battery technology still needs a significant breakthrough if batteries are to sustain the range and power of electric cars, in the way fuel does for combustion-engine cars. Honda is playing catch-up in most green areas: Toyota has established …Read More

Chery Eastar has been made available with a 2.0-litre ACTECO engine, which replaces the discontinued 2.4-litre 4G64 engine from Mitsubishi. With the new engine mated to an unchanged four-speed automatic gearbox, the Eastar 2.0 sells for RM 79,988 on-the-road with insurance. Producing 134 bhp at 5750 rpm and 180 Nm at 4400 rpm, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder, …Read More

China consumers are getting all the attention. Never mind models such as the 2011 Hyundai Accent which is launched for the Chinese market before the rest of the world; Audi has also unveiled the long-wheelbase next- generation Audi A8, a model made available only to the Chinese, at the Beijing Motor Show. The A8 LWB gains 130 mm for …Read More

The 2011 Hyundai Accent, or Verna as it is known to some markets, has made its world premiere at the Beijing Motor Show. Looking much like a mini version of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, Accent is the third China-exclusive model offered by Hyundai. Powering the Accent are two versions of the new-generation Gamma petrol …Read More

The Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept has been unveiled ahead of the Beijing Motor Show which takes place later this week. A continuation of the Mercedes-Benz F800 Style, the Shooting Break previews the 2011 next-generation Mercedes-Benz CLS, a model that will be positioned against the likes of Audi A7, BMW 5-Series GT and Porsche Panamera. The Shooting …Read More

General Motors has announced plans to introduce 25 all-new and updated models by the end of 2011. Having teamed up with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) to form Shanghai General Motors, GM is currently the largest foreign automaker in China, a market that has overtaken the U.S. as the world’s largest in 2009. With the industry trend shifting towards green technology, …Read More

BMW has created a long-wheelbase (LWB) 5-Series exclusively for the Chinese car market. To be produced at BMW’s plant in Shenyang, the LWB 5-Series provides an extra 5.5 inches for rear passengers, along with a more comfortable rear seating bench and a longer-than-usual equipment list, which has options such as entertainment system for the rear, four-zone automatic climate control, …Read More

Ford has signed a definitive agreement to sell Volvo to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group for USD 1.8 billion (RM 5.9 billion)—substantially less than the USD 6.4 billion (RM 20.9 billion) Ford forked out for Volvo back in 1999. Ford will retain no ownership in Volvo, although the two companies will continue to collaborate in the areas of engine and components, engineering …Read More

Chery’s flagship model, the X5 SUV, will be launched for the Chinese market on March 28. The base X5 is powered by a 196-bhp, 235-Nm 2.0-litre engine, and is expected to sell for 159,800 RMB (RM 77,056). Moreover, as a testament to the X5’s off-road ability, Chery put its flagship SUV through the grueling Paris-Dakar rally. How is the China launch of a …Read More

The Honda Accord Crosstour is obviously not the prettiest car Honda has ever designed. Based on the U.S. Accord, the Accord Crosstour is Honda’s answer to Toyota Venza, a car based on the U.S. Camry. Both Accord Crosstour and Venza are crossovers, in this case a cross between an MPV and SUV, although it must be said that Venza is quite …Read More

Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has announced a tie-up with BYD (Build Your Dreams) Company Ltd, parent company of BYD Auto, to develop, build and market electric vehicles for the Chinese market. As part of the collaboration, the two companies will create a new brand to be marketed exclusively to the Chinese car market. A technology centre …Read More

Everyone knows that China’s economy has been booming, giving more Chinese a taste of a better life. But who knew such extravagance exists? These are the photos from a wedding ceremony held last June involving a coal tycoon in Shanxi province, a traditionally poor region of China that erupted into wealth with the discovery of vast amounts of coal deposits. The photos …Read More

The sale of the Hummer brand from General Motors to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. has fallen through, despite the two companies putting pen to paper for the deal which would have been worth USD 150 million (RM 510 million). GM will not pursue new buyers, however, deciding to shut down Hummer for good. GM did not provide any reasons …Read More

Berjaya Corporation Bhd has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with BYD Auto Company Ltd, China’s fourth largest automaker by volume, to set up a manufacturing plant in Malaysia, which would eventually be used as a regional hub for the manufacture, assembly and distribution of cars targeted at right-hand drive passenger markets. With the …Read More

Peugeot 408 has been introduced at the Beijing Motor Show. But contrary to what you might think, this is not the 407’s replacement. The 408 is instead a four-door sedan derived from the 308 hatchback. It will only be produced for the Chinese market, whose consumers prefer sedans with a separate boot rather than hatchbacks. The 408 is based …Read More