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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: China , Supercars , Bugatti , Misc. Auto Shows Click to view the Bugatti Veyron's unveiling in Beijing If you were looking for the new epitome of capitalism's slow-but-steady takeover of communism in China, we've got it for you right here. Bugatti brought its million-euro hyper-car this year to the Auto China show in Beijing, drawing hoards of spectators in its appropriate bright red paint job. What's more is that within two hours of the car's debut, Bugatti had already sold one. The customer will fly to Bugatti's Molsheim headquarters to pick out the color scheme and options (apparently no one told him he could do it online ), and pay a whopping 25 million yuan (approximately $3.6 million, more than twice the sticker price) for the privilege of owning the first Veyron in China. Mao who? Click on the images below and the press release after the jump for more on the Veyron's unveiling in Beijing. Gallery: Beijing 2008: Bugatti Veyron [Source: Bugatti...
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Filed under: Wagons/Estates , China , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for high-res gallery of the Brilliance BS4 Wagon The Brilliance BS4 sedan is a pretty good-looking car, so it stands to reason that its wagon variant would be easy on the eyes, as well. Unveiled in Beijing, the BS4 wagon is indeed a snazzy-looking, ostensibly practical machine. Power comes from a 1.8L Mitsubishi G93 four-cylinder making 134 hp (100 kW) at 6500 rpm. The BS4 wagon also comes equipped with an alphabet soup of safety feature acronyms like "ABS + EBD + EDS" but word association games involving "Brilliance" and "safety" only call to mind the BS6 Euro NCAP debacle (since corrected , allegedly... but still). The bad news continues, as a recent Inside Line review of the BS4 sedan concluded that the car was generally lackluster at best. Based on that, we can probably assume that the same shortcomings afflict the wagon. It does look nice, at least. Gallery: Brilliance BS4 Wagon All photos...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , China , Volkswagen , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for high-res gallery of the VW Lavida for China Shanghai Volkswagen developed the new VW Lavida in China, for China. Now it's made its big debut before the home-market audience in Beijing. Stylistically, the made-in-China design looks oddly dated, quite frankly. The petal-shaped head- and taillamps look like something you might find on a 1990's Korean import and not a newly-minted VW, regardless of origin. The Lavida's positioned below the new VW Bora (also introduced in Beijing), with a shorter overall length (around 3 inches) but an identical wheelbase, so passenger comfort should be around the same as the larger car. The interior is a blend of familiar VW partsbin stuff with elements that just seem a little odd-looking in a VeeDub, like the silver audio head unit and the silver HVAC knobs set against a healthy dose of woodgrain trim. Power comes from 4-cylinder engines displacing 1.6L or 2.0L...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , China , Nissan , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for high-res gallery of the Nissan Teana and Teana XV Back in October of last year, Nissan unveiled the Intima concept at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show . The large front-wheel-drive sedan previewed the styling for the new Teana (above, dark) and more luxurious Teana XV (above, light) that Nissan and its Chinese joint-venture partner Dongfeng debuted at the Auto China show in Beijing. The connection between concept and production vehicle is strong here, with the windswept front fasica, large greenhouse, and kink at the bottom of the C-pillar coming over intact. The flush grille, LED headlamps and suicide doors, however, did not. The Teana will have a strong link to the western world thanks to the platform on which it rides, which is also shared with the Altima, Maxima and Murano. Power is provided by Nissan's award-winning 3.5L VQ V6 engine, which is mated to a CVT transmission for the Chinese. It appears that a...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Sedans/Saloons , China , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for a gallery of the Geely TX4 LTC Geely builds the LTI TX4 under license, and naturally, it's showing off the popular London Taxi at its display in Beijing. The standard TX4's kind of vanilla though, so to grab showgoers' attention, the automaker has also plopped an electric blue "hot rod" version called the TX4 LTC in its display, as well. It might more appropriately described as a " not rod", since the TX4's stock 2.4L Euro IV-compliant diesel remains underhood. For maximum visual effect, Geely appears to have raided the Chinese equivalent of a Pep Boys, adding a faux dual exhaust, bolting on truck running boards and fitting six-spoke wheels that might be just a smidge oversized. Call us crazy, but it looks like turning could become a bit of an adventure. Inside, the passenger compartment gets a white interior and possibly some stereo upgrades along with a nice photo...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , China , Misc. Auto Shows , Roewe Click above for high-res gallery of the Roewe 550 Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation debuted the Roewe 550 over the weekend at the Auto China show in Beijing, and it joins the 750 in a lineup that was designed and engineered entirely in Britain. For those who don't remember the story, a little history lesson might be in order. SAIC fought long and hard against cross-town Chinese rival Nanjing for the right to purchase the bankrupt English automotive brand Rover. SAIC won the battle, but didn't secure the rights to the Rover name. Hence, Roewe was born and the 750 debuted as a rebadged version of the Rover 75. The Roewe 550, however, is its own car with a design that doesn't carry forward any obvious cues from Rover. Based on a shortened version of the Rover 75 platform, the 550 was reportedly being developed before MG Rover bit the dust in 2005, and SAIC has made sure to keep the car palatable to European tastes...
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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: SUVs , China , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for a high-res gallery of the HonQi SUV FAW's premium HonQi (Red Flag) division has unveiled its V12 luxury SUV concept in Beijing. While photoshopped images based on the Lincoln MKT concept surfaced on a Chinese website ahead of the show, the actual vehicle on display looks nothing like those. It is, in fact, a unique design. HonQi, you might recall, will put the 6.0L V12 engine into production next year and have it power the production HQE limousine , a Rolls-Royce Phantom doppelganger that all the party big shots are sure to be seen in. In the SUV, the engine is said to produce 402 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. The SUV concept sports more gills and slats in front than a Porsche Cayenne, and the styling incorporates features meant to appeal specifically to the Chinese audience. The nose is highlighted by the " Tiananmen Square"-shaped grille (we're guessing the appeal of this may vary) and the head- and taillamps...
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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: Concept Cars , Sedans/Saloons , China , Buick , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for high-res gallery of the Buick Invicta Concept Buick has dusted off the Invicta name, which hasn't been used by the brand since 1959, for its newest concept that debuted today at the Beijing Motor Show. The mid-size sedan previews the look of what U.S. customers will get with the next redesign of the LaCrosse sedan, and draws much of its design inspiration from Buick's most recent concepts like the Riviera and Velite. The Invicta features traditional Buick design cues like its waterfall grille and portholes, relocated on this car to the hood rather than the front fenders, but the rest of its styling is modern and fresh in a decidedly un-Buick way. The high beltline is a common element in many auto designs today, and is used well on the Invicta to give the concept a big presence for a mid-size car. We particular the shape of the lower air intake up front and the "sweepspear" character...
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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 , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz , Misc. Auto Shows Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2010 GLK 350 Mercedes-Benz debuted the GLK last January at the Detroit Auto Show in the form of two lightly veiled concepts: the Townside and the Freeside . Until now, the only place we've glimpsed the production version is on the set of Sex and the City . This weekend Mercedes will be unveiling the production GLK sans Kim Cattrall at the Beijing Motor Show , a.k.a. the Auto China in Bejing. We've also learned that the GLK will have only one engine available when it goes sale in the U.S. next January as a 2010 model. The sole motor will be a 268-horsepower 3.5L V6, which can be paired with a two-wheel-drive or 4MATIC all-wheel-drive platform, the latter being able to hit 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds while also returning 23 mpg on the highway. The design of the GLK, meanwhile, apes other CUVs that want to look tough despite their decidedly non-SUV underpinnings, hence...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , China , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for photo gallery Imagine a Hyundai Elantra minus the swoopy body line and with a more assertive, Opel-ish beak, and you have the Changfeng Qi Ling CP1A that'll be unveiled this weekend at the Beijing Motor Show. According to thetycho.com , the CP1A designation is simply a code name, and the sedan will get power from a 1.8-liter four of undetermined size and strength. That's the extent of the details at the moment, but we'll keep an eye out for more as Auto China '08 gets underway this weekend. Until then, there are three photos for you to check out in the gallery below. Gallery: Changfeng CP1A [Source: thetycho.com ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , China , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for photo gallery Every now and then, you have to eat crow. This is one of those times . Early spy shots of the Roewe 550 had me thinking it was nothing special -- and far from beautiful. Subsequent spy shots cast it in a better light, and now, with the release of official images of the final car, it's clear that this is a big deal for the Chinese automaker. The headlamps still seem a little weird -- they're sort of shaped like old telephone receivers -- but the whole package is well done and attractive inside and out. The interior gives off the Euro-modern luxury feel of a BMW, with a wide, hooded IP that houses a nifty looking gauge cluster and the to-be-expected nav/multimedia screen. Outside, it's got a sleek, attractive profile that you'd expect to see coming from a premium European or Japanese automaker, but probably not China. So much for that. This is a very nice-looking car, period. Now, assuming...
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