May 29, 2013
- The entire world should be very scared of China. I last visited Beijing in 2005 and at that point the roads, if you could call them that, were clogged with Volkswagen Santanas, Chinese Buicks and roughly 10 million bicycles. Now, a mere eight years later, you can drive a Bentley down the highway at 70 [...]
April 23, 2013
- Major market cities like Beijing and Shanghai are saturated, while up-and-coming cities provide opportunity.
April 19, 2013
- VW's rise to dominance in China appears inexorable, but is it in danger of pushing itself too far? The Volkswagen Group is a seemingly unstoppable beast.In China, the world's largest car market, it already has a 20 per cent share of the entire market (one with more than 100 brands to the 36 in North America and 45 in Europe).And the announcement today of a staggering €9.8 billion investment planned over the next three years is unlikely to do anything than further cement VW Group's place at the...
April 1, 2013
- Within seven years, China will outstrip the United States to become the world's leading market for premium cars. It already beat the U.S. for top auto market in general in 2009. The Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation said last week that China would overtake the U.S. as the world's leading economy by 2016. No doubt about it, when it comes to being big: China is fast becoming the new biggest. Niche auto markets are no different. On the luxury end, China...
January 27, 2013
- With toxic smog engulfing Beijing and much of China, the government is considering tighter emissions standards that match Europe's. That could benefit General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai.
January 16, 2013
- The third-generation Skoda Octavia majors on interior space and practicality and offers a whole lot of car for the money It’s the third-generation Skoda Octavia, the ever-popular family hatch which the Czech manufacturer confidently believes will break into the top 10 global best-sellers when sales of this all-new version get up to speed later this year.Designed to appeal to car buyers regardless of whether they dwell in Beijing or Bromsgrove, the new Octavia majors on practicality by...
January 12, 2013
- Expect an influx of versatile new baby SUVs and crossovers, plus a couple of more stylish offerings Buyers of small family cars have never had so much choice. No longer relegated to hatchbacks, the market has expanded rapidly in recent years to include ever-popular crossovers and practical four-door coupés.A decision over which model to plump for is likely to be even harder to make in 2013 with new class entrants such as the Vauxhall Mokka and Suzuki S-Cross making an appearance. The Mercedes...
November 23, 2012
- The Guangzhou motor show is rapidly rising in profile thanks to a number of local big-name car makers The Guangzhou Auto Show is an interesting one. Not quite as important as Beijing or Shanghai but still home to a plethora of new model launches.Japanese brands were the biggest draw on the day, not because of their model launches but because of territorial issues between China and Japan. Chinese consumers have reacted strongly to the perceived slight by avoiding Japanese products. Sales for...
October 22, 2012
- Dozens of debuts, some of global importance, underline the importance of the Sao Paulo motor show to the world car industry We’d imagine the past 26 Sao Paulo motor shows together didn’t have as much significance as the 27th running of the bi-annual event in 2012.Such is the rise of the global car and the sharing of common platforms and engines between cars sold in Brazil and Britain, Bangalore and Beijing that far flung shows such as Sao Paulo can no longer be dismissed as irrelevant...
June 4, 2012
- Although most spyshots preview the production version of an upcoming car like the 2014 Chevrolet SS, the 2013 Nissan Sentra we’ve spied here is a rare exception to that rule. Why? The Nissan Sentra was unveiled in April at the Beijing auto show, as the Nissan Sylphy. The 2013 Nissan Sentra spied testing here with [...]
April 26, 2012
- Also in this episode: Chevrolet trademarks the SS name, Bugatti builds another
- There's a certain German sports car that the designers at CH Auto might have been dreaming about before they penned the Lithia. We don't think this kind of inspiration is anywhere near criminal, though, and before anyone broaches the topic of Chinese design, they should know that the CH Auto's design chief is an ex-General Motors man: Dan Darancou, who has work on the Buick Invicta Concept and the SEMA Chevrolet Camaro Black on his resume. CH Auto helps automakers prepare cars for sale in...
April 24, 2012
- Skip a couple years in China, as I had, and you're not likely to recognize it when you return, especially the capital city of Beijing. Peering out from my hotel, through the ever-present smog, new high-rises have transformed the landscape and even on the Sunday afternoon I arrived I could see and hear the construction crews at work across the city. My first trip to China came shortly after General Motors opened its first joint venture assembly plant a dozen years ago. Back then, Beijing was a...
- Among the 2012 Beijing auto show’s debutantes is a large new sedan called the 950, offered up by China’s homegrown Roewe brand. It has lovely proportions, a big back seat, a strong front end with bold headlamps that sort of look like—hey, wait a minute—that’s a Buick LaCrosse! After a little digging...
- It’s not uncommon to forget to secure your car’s gas cap once you’ve finished pumping gas, but Cadillac wants to eliminate the likelihood of that happening to future XTS owners, thanks to the luxury sedan’s capless fuel filler. The automaker showed off its newest innovation at the Beijing Motor Show this week, where it also [...]