|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » China » Etc. ( RSS)
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Aston Martin click above to view a hi-res gallery of Beijing 008 China, that's what. Artist Qin Yufen has just unveiled Beijing 008 with the help of Aston Martin chieftains Ulrich Bez and Kenny Chen. The art installation brings together a ginormous tape measure, a quote about disorder, a statuary tribute to Stephen Hawking that hangs from the ceiling, and a V8 Vantage in a way that ambiguously represents the mystery held by the 21st century. That is, according to artist Yufen. We think the fuzzy meaning will make the work more accessible to the public at large, as any statements made by Yufen's work is deliberately soft-spoken and open to interpretation. It is a wine-and-cheese set kind of way to commemorate the opening of an Aston Martin dealership in China, too. Aston Martin is a strong supporter of artistic endeavors, and this is one way to celebrate the brand's entrance into the Chinese marketplace. It's not necessarily the way we would've...
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Green , Marketing/Advertising , MINI Click above for more shots of the MINI Clubman Rickshaws The rickshaw is a time-honored method of transportation in China. While the vehicles were initially pulled around by men on foot, the pedal-powered versions have grown much more popular in recent years and are a symbol of Chinese culture. When Beijing MINI needed an interesting way to communicate that the Clubman model was being introduced in Chinese, especially in light of all the media attention on the Olympics, it back-halved a slew of new Clubmans, mounted a pedicab front-end and sent them out for business. According to China Car Times , MINI's publicity stunt is working exactly as planned. Though the vast majority of media coverage is centered on those games from Greece, the MINI Rickshaws have managed to make some headlines of their own. We think the cabs turned out pretty cool, even incorporating the sunroof into the final design. Gallery: MINI Rickshaws ...
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Green , Police/Emergency , Military From Xinhua via our friends at China Car Times comes the above photo, showing Chinese counter-terrorism forces going through drills as they prepare to crush any dissent terror threat that might arise during next month's Olympic Games. The black ninja suits, fritz helmets, body armor, and submachine pistols all fit the profile of a specialized group like this. But... Segways? [Source: Xinhua via China Car Times ] Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: Concept Cars , China , Etc. , Mazda So you're a customs officer in Beijing, and out of the trailer you're inspecting is hauled a... a what? The Japanese people who have accompanied it, who claim to be from Mazda, also claim that it's a concept car. Frankly, it could also be a submarine, or it might eat people -- or it could be an elaborate ruse for hauling drugs or bombs. So the officials at Beijing airport let the dogs out to sniff for, well, probably everything. Finding nothing, the Taiki was allowed to roll on to the Beijing Auto Show. Nothing in there but coffee grounds, sir, just coffee... [Source: The Tycho ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Government/Legal , Green , Safety The city of Beijing has drawn widely-publicized controversy due to its poor air-quality leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympic games. In fact, the air pollution is at least two to three times higher than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization at this very moment. To ease the minds of the competing athletes, the city of Beijing is taking steps to improve the situation and has promised clean air for the games. Officials in Beijing have already cut the number of vehicles driving in the city in half by alternating what vehicles are allowed to drive each day and have asked more people to ride bikes . Now, they've banned car repairs and spray painting until after the games are over. We are all for the athletes rights to breathe clean air, but we also have to wonder about the economic cost associated with cutting out all automotive repairs and painting. [Source: Motor Authority ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
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...
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. The tale of this incident begins with a fantastic understatement: "Every so often, a traffic accident gets blown out of proportion in China." In America, we say things get "blown out of proportion" when a parking lot fender bender turns into a screaming match. In this case, "blown out of proportion" means something that would bring out tear gas and riot gear in the States. What happened to the Buick you see above didn't happen in the car accident. The woman driving this Buick through Nankai University campus bumped into a bicyclist, leaving her car with a scratch. That was the accident. She got out and demanded an apology, and then demanded payment for damages. Other students began to gather, and because the woman's Buick didn't have a permit to allow her to drive on campus, their first question was where was she from and what was she doing on campus. Her response was "If I produce my identification document you should...
|
-
|
Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , China , Etc. , Safety , Mercedes Benz Car accidents inspiring bouts of nationalism aren't all that new. However, this could be the shakiest case of it that we've heard of recently. Wang Zhan, the Chinese owner of a Mercedes S350, rear-ended a DongFeng van. In spite of the rather severe damage done to the car, the airbags didn't deploy, and Zhan and his daughter had to make a trip to the hospital. When the medication wore off, Mr. Zhan knew immediately what he needed to do: hold a press conference and announce that he'd only be buying Chinese goods for the rest of his life. Based on the damage, it looks like he was doing some serious speed when it happened, and it's clear that the airbags should have deployed. Mr. Zhan said Mercedes never gave him a satisfactory answer as to why they didn't. Still, it happens, and we can imagine a number of other vehicles in which such an accident would have prevented Zhan from doing anything else, ever...
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Plants/Manufacturing China's automakers aren't fooling around when it comes to aggressive growth. While you don't hear much enthusiasm from European or North American automakers about the market on the African continent, There's already at least two Chinese carmakers who've set up shop there as a way to expand beyond the borders of their home country. Holland Car is the first car assembly plant in Ethiopia, and it's kicking out a renamed Lifan 520. The 520 goes by the handle Abay in Ethiopia. Abay is the name of Ethiopia's largest river, and the hope is that the name will spur buyers to check the vehicle out. Equipment levels are luxury-level for its market, $16,000 price buys you safety gear like ABS, airbags and brake distribution, and quality is good enough that Lifan thinks it will change Ethiopian's opinions about a domestically produced car. Power is provided by a 1.3 liter four cylinder twisting a 5-speed transmission. The...
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Videos , Citroen , Toys Proof that the Transformers franchise speaks to everyone wherever they live is this: a group of Chinese -- craftsmen? -- made a 1:1 scale transformer from a Citroen C2. The unnamed Autobot (at least, we couldn't read its name in Chinese) stands nearly 14-feet tall, weighs 1,320 pounds, and supposedly cost $8,000 to build. Talk about your Monster Garage... Follow the jump to watch the video, which based on the screen capture above looks like actual grainy footage of an Autobot on your local evening news. Thanks for the tip, Gabriel! [Source: Naver] Continue reading Citroen C2 becomes a Transformer in China Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: Convertibles , Etc. , Misc. Auto Shows Chery is looking at dropping its Pininfarina-styled M14 on the US market soon. Chinese news agency Xinhua is all like "later this year," but this year is like "see ya," so maybe by "this year" they really mean "next year." Either way, we'll be happy to take one for a spin while bearing in mind the convenient fold-up design we've seen from Chinese cars being crash tested recently. They've made some improvements, and they'll continue to get better on the safety front. With the M14, Chery actually has an attractive car on its hands, even if the lines are derivative of other vehicles. Powertrains are either a 1.6L or 2.0L engine with the choice of manual or CVT transmission. While we're not holding our breath for this car under the Christmas tree, it'll stir some interest whenever it does arrive in the U.S. [Source: Motor Authority] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Chevrolet There are just so many ways to get in trouble with this post, we're going to do our best to keep it as straight as possible. A Chinese shopping mall recently held a contest to give away a Chevy Aveo. To win, 120 contestants...
|
-
|
Filed under: Etc. , Government/Legal It's a banner day for car safety advocates around the world -- or at least, wherever Chinese cars are sold. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) and China last week signed a Memorandum of...
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. Chinese carmaker Shanghai Maple, isn't the first car company to try marketing directly to women, but it claims to be the first in China with its Maple F50. From Maple's website , the F50 is "designed in a refining and humanization...
|
-
|
Filed under: China , Etc. , Euro A J.D. Power and Associates study reveals that before the end of the decade, vehicle sales in the Asia Pacific region will surpass those in the European arena - the largest market in the world. Although the report is nothing...
|
|
|
|