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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: China , Hatchbacks , Ford , Misc. Auto Shows Click above to view the Ford Fiesta S in hi-res China will undoubtedly be an important market for the new Ford Fiesta. Originally unveiled in European spec at the Geneva Motor Show last month, the Chinese version has just made its debut this week at the Auto China show in Beijing. The Chinese Fiesta is scheduled begin production before the end of the year at Ford's $510 million Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA) plant in Nanjing, China. Styling is by and large the same as its European counterpart, only the Beijing show car, displayed in S trim, features a sportier, more aggressive trim package that could preview what a future hot-hatch Fiesta ST or RS could look like. Did Ford hit the sweet spot in Geneva or in Beijing? Take a look at the Chinese and European versions in the galleries below and share your thoughts in the comments. Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta S - China Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta [Source: Ford] Permalink | Email...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , China , Hatchbacks , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for high-res gallery of the Geely CE Ok, the Geely car parade at Beijing is officially in full swing. One of the good-looking renderings we posted during the runup to the show was of the CE concept , a small hatchback that looked like it could just as easily be an Acura that's slumming in the entry-level class. In the metal, it looks pretty much exactly like the rendering -- a well-styled little Acura 5-door hatch. Only that's the Geely badge on that shield-shaped grille. It It is better-looking than any of Geely's current market offerings, and that's about all there is to say, because we have neither interior shots nor technical details to flesh things out any further. As such, we'll treat it as a styling exercise that's likely got Honda/Acura designers grumbling under their breath, and Chinese showgoers and (potential car-buyers) nodding approvingly. Gallery: Geely CE Concept [Source...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , China , Hatchbacks , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a high-res gallery of the Linian concept Last Summer, we told you how Guangzhou Honda planned to develop a separate, China-only brand . Today in Beijing, the first step in that direction is on display in the form of the Linian concept. Specifics are hard to come by, but according to Autoblog Chinese, the car here is representative of what we can expect to see when the new spinoff brand launches in 2010. Look for a full range of vehicles, likely including something very much like the 5-door you see here. In terms of styling, the Linian is extremely reminiscent of Ford Europe's "kinetic design" philosophy, but its "gaping maw" grille is even bigger than the Ford Verve's . While the nose might not be to everyone's tastes, the rest of the car's a solid-looking effort with a nice stance to it. And it's likely on its way to the Chinese market, backed by all the know-how Guangzhou...
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Filed under: China , Hatchbacks , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for photo gallery of the Lifan 320 The production version of Lifan's egregious MINI clone is set to debut this weekend at the Beijing Motor Show . The Lifan 320 as it's called has an 87-horsepower 1.3L underhood that drives the front wheels alone. We're sure that Lifan will point to the car's standard 5-door hatchback layout as evidence that its not a true MINI copy, but let's all be serious here. Droopy headlights, fat D-pillars and traditional placement of the extra doors don't temper the blatant rip-offedness of this Grade D doppelganger. Even the wheels are copies. On a more amusing note, who knew MINI's humorous old "counterfeit" ad campaign would wind up being so prescient? BMW lawyers are likely standing by, as is the Counter Counterfeit Commission. Gallery: Lifan 320 [Source: Autoblog Chinese ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: China , Hatchbacks , Nissan , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for a gallery of the current Nissan Livina range The Nissan Livina "world car" will get the allroad-ish treatment next week when the new C-Gear variant bows at Auto China in Beijing. The C-Gear follows the Livina Geniss/Grand Livina minivan and Livina hatch to market, and it's essentially just a sportier-looking, cosmetically butched-up version of the latter. There's room for five with motivation coming from a 1.6L four matched with either a 4-speed auto or a 5-speed manual. Don't expect to see it here -- the Livina series of cars isn't meant for North American consumption. The Chinese-market C-Gear will be produced at the Dongfeng plant in Guangdong province. Gallery: Nissan Livina vehicle range [Source: Nissan] Continue reading Beijing '08 Preview: Nissan Livina C-Gear set to debut Permalink | Email this | Comments
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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: Concept Cars , China , Hatchbacks , Misc. Auto Shows , Citroen Click above for photo gallery of the Dongfeng Citroën C2 Kappa Dongfeng Citroën will reportedly show a pair of cars adorned with graphics inspired by soccer/sport apparel manufacturer, Kappa. From what we can gather, a trio of Dongfeng Citroën C2s will be on hand, one in the red-and-white motif you see above, and two more sporting the automotive equivalents of the official Team Italia uniform. If the sketches are any indication, the cars will be given a dressed-up, rally-car look as well, with updated fascias, wheels, and the like. Whether a Citroën/Kappa trim package model is in the works for China is not clear, but at the very least, these show cars ought to be interesting to see when they're unveiled. Gallery: Dongfeng Citroen C2 Kappa Editions [Sources: Autoblog Chinese , FoMoCo News ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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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: 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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Filed under: Economy , China , Hatchbacks , Chery Probably not, but can you blame us for thinking so? While no one here is a shoe expert like, say, The Manolo , it's hard to look at this forthcoming Chery compact and not think of the ubiquitous (and heinous) sandals worn by Mario Batali and countless suburbanites in apparent need of corrective eye surgery. Look at that rounded, upturned nose -- Croc city, baby! We know that the Chinese manufacturers have never shied away from "borrowing" styling elements from other cars in the past, so really, what's to stop them from swiping a resin clog design for the S16? [Source: AutoblogGreen] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , China , Euro , Japan , Hatchbacks , Toyota A version of Toyota's iQ concept , originally shown in Frankfurt, is rumored to begin production sometime next year and according to a couple of sources cited by Automotive News , power will come courtesy of Yamaha. The two Japanese firms are currently collaborating on a new 1.0-liter engine based on one of Yamaha's motorcycle powerplants, although output and fuel economy numbers have yet to be disclosed. Toyota is expected to produce around 100,000 units, with Europe receiving approximately 80,000 vehicles when sales begin in 2009. Although there's no word on U.S. distribution, the iQ-inspired micro-car may find its way into emerging markets in India and China where low-cost transportation is becoming a booming business. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , China , Hatchbacks , Toyota You can't have it all, and Toyota is learning this lesson first hand as it struggles to develop an inexpensive, safe and well built car to sell in markets like China, Russia and Brazil. Toyota president...
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