REPORT: China's Changan delays plan to enter North American auto market originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Geely GE

REPORT: China rolls out 89 new models in six months - that's one every two days originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

REPORT: Chinese expect to build cars in Mexico in 2010, may sell cars at big-box retailers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Lincoln MKT Concept - Live Reveal

Gallery: Lincoln MKT Concept

HongQi announces new photochopped Lincoln MKT crossover! originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The ZX40 isn't much -- a electric hatchback starting at just under $15,000 with a range of 40 miles and a top speed of 25 mph -- but it's here from China, and it's street legal in the U.S. The battery-powered hatch from Miles Automotive is built by Tianjin-based Qingyuan and represents one of the first Chinese-manufactured vehicles available for sale in the United States. It is available to the general public through Miles Automotive dealerships, but the distributor says that its target market is townships, the military and other fleet-seeking organizations. Also, soon be on the market is the hatch's big brother, the the XS200, will travel up to 200 miles, top out at 80 mph and cost around $28,500.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Ready to buy Chinese? EV for $15k originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Aug 2006 10:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For the past decade or so, China has been looked upon by the automotive industry as something approaching a gold rush in waiting, with millions of units ripe for the selling. That may yet be true, but it's hard to reconcile that with the notion that China overbuilt to the tune of two million excess vehicles last year, and plans are in the works for about eight million more units. This, according to the country's National Development and Reform Commission.

Chinese vehicle sales are projected to hit 9 million units by the time 2010 slips from the calendar, so perhaps there won't be a glut of vehicles to drive prices and profits down. In the meantime, Chinese automakers are increasingly turning to exports to keep shifting units, which makes sense given that its vehicles are roughly 50 percent less expensive than European offerings, and 30 percent less expensive than Japan and South Korea.

What do you think, will China pan out? Or are automakers (both foreign and domestic) putting too much stock in its potential? Speak your mind in 'Comments.'

[Sources: Shanghai Daily; Taipei Times]

China manufactures two million extra vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Jun 2006 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Time to unmark your calendars. Chery, the opening salvo in what is likely to be a tidal wave of Chinese imports into the U.S., is running behind schedule. Visionary Vehicles chief Malcolm Bricklin is relenting on his bid to have cars in American dealerships by late 2007, and when the vehicles arrive, he doesn't expect them to sell as many as originally expected.

Bricklin had targeted 250,000 units in Chery USA's first year, but it will appear that hopefuls and critics  will need to wait until some time in 2008 before seeing how the whole thing pans out.

[Source: Bloomberg News]

(top tip, GP)

Chery to take longer to ripen than Bricklin expected originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Jun 2006 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Automotive entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin's business successes and failings over the years have been well documented in the media over the years, with Autoblog being no exception. All eyes are on Bricklin to see if his grandiose plans for Chinese automaker Chery can meet with Subaru-like success, or whether the result will be more on the order of the dismal failure of his self-named Bricklin 'safety' sports car, or the discount embarrassment that was Yugo's foray into North America.

But apparently, all of this isn't enough for the once-and-future importer. According to Fortune Magazine's Alex Taylor III, Bricklin is chronicling his daily life leading up to the launch of Chery with a video crew that follows him around 24/7-- reportedly, more than 1,000 hours of footage has been recorded.  Could 'Bricklin: The Movie' be far behind?

[Sources: Fortune Magazine via CNNMoney; AutoNews]

Coming soon to a theater near you: "Malcolm Bricklin: The Movie"? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Jun 2006 15:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The growing Chinese auto market has apparently sparked the growth of a highly-discerning group of customers, which might be a bit surprising considering that 84% of Chinese new-car transactions take place with first-time car buyers. With information moving faster than ever before and in a market flooded with over 100 brands, however, consumers can afford to be picky.

Proving that the gearhead affliction shows no geographic boundaries, over one-third of Chinese auto buyers place drivetrain performance as their most-important concern (compare this to only 19% of buyers here in the US). On the other hand, credit mania has not yet swept China, with nearly 90% of buyers choosing to pay in cash.

 [Source: BusinessWeek]

Increasingly savvy Chinese auto consumers quickly becoming tough sell originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Mar 2006 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.