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Filed under: Spy Photos , Economy , China , Chevrolet Click above for more spy shots of the Chinese Chevy Lova We were hoping to get a new sub-compact from Chevy that would ape the design of the Beat concept , but we're seeing more of a Malibu influence in these spy shots of what appears to be the next-gen Lova in China, or what we know as the Aveo in the U.S. The front grille especially looks inspired by the Malibu's schnoz, which is fine, but the rest of the car -- in particular the tall greenhouse -- is still easily identifyable by its econo-car roots. You can also see a few shots of the interior in the gallery below. Though not very clear, the instrument panel looks agreeable, though you can bet the materials were chosen to hit a specific price-point rather than look and feel like high quality pieces. Truthfully, however, we don't really know if this updated Lova has anything to do with the U.S. market Aveo, and these pics aren't the greatest. Still, it could hardly...
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Filed under: Spy Photos , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , China , Honda , India Honda is set to release the fourth-generation of its City subcompact and these newest spy shots show that development is well underway. The previous generation had been based on the Honda Jazz , known in the U.S. as the Fit, but the new model moves away from that platform and grows slightly larger in the process. Expect to see either a 1.3- or 1.5-liter i-VTEC SOHC engine underhood, along with either a standard manual tranny or a CVT automatic with seven preset ratios controlled through steering wheel-mounted paddles. Although Honda has no plans -- as far as we know -- to bring the City to the States, the Fit model has managed to post a huge 73% increase in sales this year. Considering how hot fuel-sipping little cars are these days in the U.S. market, Honda could certainly do worse than to offer this attractive new subcompact car in the States. [Source: paultan.org ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Plants/Manufacturing , Hatchbacks , Ford Click above for high-res gallery of the Fiesta beginning production Ford has finally begun production of the all-new 2009 Ford Fiesta in Cologne, Germany, today. After an investment of 455 million Euros (about $674 million) to restructure and modernize the plant, Ford is expecting its 4,000 employees will be able to roll out 148,000 Fiestas by the end of the year, which is an impressive 1,900 cars each day). In January 2009, the Valencia plant in Spain will also begin building the Fiesta. There are also production plants in China, Thailand, and Mexico that are tooling up for the newest small Ford in order to meet worldwide demand, which finally includes the U.S. where it will also be sold in both sedan and hatchback configurations around 2010. Based on the Verve concept , the new compact is exactly what the automaker needs in today's efficiency-conscience marketplace, and its stylish enough not to be considered...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Hatchbacks , FIAT Fiat's Panda is the best selling minicar in Europe, and has been for four years. When China's Great Wall Motor -- Chrysler's Chinese partner -- decided to make a minicar called the GWPeri, it borrowed from the best. That is, if by "borrowed" you mean created a car that differs only from the Panda in it's headlamps and bumper details. Fiat didn't just do a double-take when it saw the GWPeri, it sued Great Wall Motor both in Italy and in China to prevent the car from being sold in Europe and China. A court in Turin recently decided that "the [GWPeri] does not look like a different car but is a Panda with a different front end." Furthermore, if a Peri ever shows up in Europe, GW will have to pay Fiat €15,000, with every GWPeri after that incurring a €50,000 fee. Great Wall has already said it is going to contest the European verdict. The Chinese ruling hasn't come down yet, where the GWPeri...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Hyundai Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra in China As we learned last week , Hyundai used the occasion of Auto China in Beijing to debut its slightly refreshened Elantra. Its face now features a wider grille flanked by larger headlights, and a new lower air intake has also been reshaped. The overall effect is that the Elantra's friendly face has been been given a healthy dose of attitude. Likewise, the Elantra's rear also gets reshaped and loses its bulbous butt complex. We do expect these design updates to eventually reach the U.S.-market Elantra, as well as some new interior niceties like improved connectivity for digital music devices. As for when that will happen, your guess is as good as ours. Gallery: 2008 Hyundai Elantra (Chinese) Gallery: 2009 Hyundai Elantra [Source: Autoblog Chinese ] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Convertibles , Economy , China , Chrysler , Dodge If you've been waiting on pins and needles for a small Chrysler that's due to be built in China by Chery, you're going to have to twiddle your thumbs a little longer. Though we've been hearing about a Chrysler/Chery Hornet or Demon for some time, execs from both companies don't believe the products are ready for North America, yet. Quality and safety are still a concern with the vehicles, but Chrysler's China boss Phil Murtaugh feels the challenges are far from insurmountable. Chery Chairman, Yin Tongyao, is also convinced that more work needs to be done to get the product up to US standards, saying the US and Europe are "very mature markets." Chery is dying to get its affordable vehicles into the US market, but both Chrysler and Chery seem to understand that any sub-standard Chinese vehicles are destined to take their place next to Yugo in the history books. Chances are that the two companies...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Japan , Mitsubishi , Misc. Auto Shows Mitsubishi's president, Osamu Masuko, addressed the assembled masses in Beijing to inform them of plans to create a new sub-compact car destined for Europe, China and Southeast Asia. The new platform will fit the standard dimensions of a Kei car in Japan (no more than 11.2-feet long and five-feet wide) and will come equipped with either the Japanese-mandated 660cc engine or, in markets outside of Japan, a 1.0-liter engine. Power will be sent to the rear wheels and the architecture will be flexible enough to be sold in several other markets. Masuko didn't mention the possibility of exporting the model to North America, but our friends abroad will be able to purchase the new subcompact in 2010. Gallery: Mitsubishi i Turbo - Live in NY [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , China , Hyundai , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for a gallery of the facelifted Elantra If the visual updates to the Hyundai Elantra you see here are carried over to all markets, which we imagine they will be, the sedan is going to make potential Civic and Lancer shoppers take a long, hard look. Not unattractive in its current form by any means, the Elantra's facelift being unveiled at Auto China next week incorporates a more upscale look in front than the current car. In a sidebar conversation, one of the other editors noted that it's somewhat reminiscent of the beak on early-'00s Acura CL/TL models. Those cars still look good, so this is not a bad thing for the Elantra. The rear fascia gets tweaked as well, with new taillamps being the most obvious change. Inside, the layout appears to carry over, and as you can see, the Chinese model has available woodgrain trim for The People's Luxury. Think of the changes as going from regular...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , China , Hatchbacks , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for a photo gallery of the Geely CE concept Via Autoblog Chinese, the parade of Beijing-bound debuts continues. Today we've got another one from Geely, which seems to be working to establish itself as a style leader in a sea of Chinese cars, the looks of which range from the vanilla to the bizarre. The renderings you see here show the Geely CE concept, a compact 5-door hatch that easily has the looks to appeal to shoppers outside of Geely's home market. If Geeley is able to bring this car to production and make it safe enough to meet Western crash test standards (something we have yet to see on anything remotely resembling a consistent basis from the Chinese manufacturers), it is going to make a lot of noise, particularly in Europe where a low-priced, stylish, compact hatch like this would sell like french fries at McDonalds. From what we've seen so far, Geely's 18-car Beijing parade...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Plants/Manufacturing , Hatchbacks , Chrysler , Dodge The Dodge Breeze is A #1. Or, rather, it's an A1. Chinese automaker Chery's deal with Chrysler LLC to produce small cars for Chrysler's three brands begat the little buzz-about you see above. The photo appeared on a Chinese forum and is supposedly the Chinese Plymouth Dodge Breeze, one of the aforementioned adventures in rebadging. The cars produced as a result of the agreement would not be limited to China, as the low-end rides would be sold in other developing markets, and high-end cars will be destined for others. The Breeze would be a Chinese-built car that gives Dodge a presence in the minicar segment. It also has the honor of dragging (if obliquely) The Brand Formerly Known As Plymouth back into our lives, though we really wish they would have gone with Volare. [Source: Carscoop] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , China , GM Click image for a gallery of the GM China Chevrolet Spark If everyone else is going to build cars like Tata's headline-grabbing Nano, GM's going to pile on, too. The Lutz cites GM's part-ownership stake in Wuling Motors, a Chinese manufacturer of sub-$3,000 utility vehicles as a possible source of a GM Nano competitor. Lutz went on to say that one way to make an inexpensive car for the developing world is to repurpose a legacy platform that has become obsolete. The tooling and design will have long been paid off, and there'll be plenty of experience from the manufacturing side, too. This is essentially what GM China is already doing with the Daewoo Matiz/Chevrolet Spark. It might smack of dumping an old product that isn't safe or clean enough for mature markets, but is "good enough" in other parts of the world. That said, it could also be a way to maximize the life of an investment while also providing developing markets with...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Etc. , MINI Clubman : potentially described as cute. Lifan 3 Series: Not cute. Not even ugly to the point of being endearing. Enough of the MINI's cues make it through in the Lifan that you can just picture them laying a huge sheet of onion skin over the Clubman and coming up with this. It's close in a lot of ways, but misshapen in others. A weird front overbite is the result of small wheels and a longer overhang than the MINI, and the C/D pillars appear thick - just a big blind spot where the Clubman has visibility. Underhood might be an actual legitimate link to the MINI. Lifan has invested in the Tritec four cylinder that powered the R50 first generation of revived MINIs. Ingress and egress in the Lifan is aided by four conventionally hinged doors, versus the Mini's clamshell treatment, but it ends up being reminiscent of a LeCar, but not as cool. Lifan could always outsource design to the rest of the world if this is the best they can do. We're...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , China click above to view more images of the Geely FC Of all the Chinese automakers in attendance this year at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, Geely is the only one with cars we believe could actually be sold in the U.S. We have no idea if its new FC sedan, which debuted in China just five months ago, would pass strict U.S. safety and emissions standards, but its design, features and build quality seemed just up to snuff for an American consumer shopping for an inexpensive four-door sedan. The FC was developed in-house by Geely and features a 1.8L four-cylinder with variable valve timing producing 137 horsepower and mated to a five-speed manual. A 13-second trip to 62 mph isn't a world record, but it's just enough to keep up with traffic and return good fuel economy at the same time. There's also an available in-dash navigation system, dual airbags, and ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution. The interior,...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Economy , China , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks click above to view more images of the ChengFeng Leopard and Kylin ChengFeng Motors was here last year and made the familiar claim that its Chinese cars would soon be on sale in the U.S. The Chinese automaker made the pilgrimage to Detroit again this year and was welcomed with open arms by Carl Galeana, Chairman of the North American International Auto Show, and Wayne County Councilman Robert Ficano. The warm greeting between these officials and ChangFeng Chairman Li Jianxin is proof positive that Michigan is looking to China for a way out of its economic slump. Big ups to Chairman Li who abandoned the comfort and familiarity of his native tongue to tackle a three-page speech in English, though it was unfortunately for naught as we couldn't understand a single word he said. Thankfully we happened upon a transcript of the speech so we could tell you about these two vehicles shown by ChengFeng at the show...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Economy , China , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks click above to view more images of the ChengFeng Leopard and Kylin ChangFeng Motors was here last year and made the familiar claim that its Chinese cars would soon be on sale in the U.S. The Chinese automaker made the pilgrimage to Detroit again this year and was welcomed with open arms by Carl Galeana, Chairman of the North American International Auto Show, and Wayne County Councilman Robert Ficano. The warm greeting between these officials and ChangFeng Chairman Li Jianxin is proof positive that Michigan is looking to China for a way out of its economic slump. Big ups to Chairman Li who abandoned the comfort and familiarity of his native tongue to tackle a three-page speech in English, though it was unfortunately for naught as we couldn't understand a single word he said. Thankfully we happened upon a transcript of the speech so we could tell you about these two vehicles shown by ChangFeng at the show...
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