Click the image above for more shots of the Audi mooncakes
Audi has given their customers in China and Hong Kong something they can sink their teeths into. The Mid-Autumn festival, celebrating the maiden in the moon, is accompanied by tasty pastries called mooncakes that people give to each other during the holiday. Audi has baked up a set of treats topped with model names like A6, S5, and R8. If they're as good as they look, it's a nice way to give props to the moonwoman. The festival is on September 14 this year, so if you're an Audi-phile and want to get a piece of R8 mooncake, there's still time... Be sure to check out the gallery below for more photos. Thanks for the tip, Denis!
Automakers worldwide spend millions of dollars perfecting and updating their logos. Study groups offer input to help capture that timeless design and color that precisely represents their product. Once approved, the automakers drop tens of millions of dollars into promoting the new look in product and advertising. What happens when another company arrives with a mildly-modified copy-cat version of the same logo? Apparently, if the country is in Asia, not much.
A reader tipped us off to a site loaded with proprietary logos from some well-know automotive corporations, and their not-so-original Chinese, Philippine, Korean, and German... well, look-alikes. Sure, they aren't exact copies, but some of them are close enough to be kissing cousins.
The Skoda Fabia (not sold in America) is pretty small. It's based on the Volkswagen Polo platform (also not sold in America). But Skoda chairman Reinhard Jung wants an even smaller car based on the upcoming production version of the VW up! concept, and that also won't be sold here in all likelihood. Where it will, however, is in Russia, India and China.
These rapidly growing markets where Western automakers have been undertaking an equally rapid expansion via joint ventures with local companies are where Skoda wants to expand production. Currently the Czech subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group produces about 60,000 vehicles each year between the three enormous countries, which it plans to double to 120,000 units annually over the course of 2008. But by 2010, Skoda is targeting annual production of 350,000 in those markets.
Advertising a product on television can be a very complicated exercise, as each demographic and market get its own specialized message. Many people who travel overseas notice that commercials are peculiar outside their native market, and anybody that sees GM's new Cadillac commercial for the Chinese market has to be scratching his or her head.
In the commercial, a large group of 18th century Englishmen (or American colonists?) are trying to wrangle a wild horse, when a Cadillac SLS comes in to tame the beast while the wig-wearing gentlemen in puffy Seinfeld shirts and petticoats run for cover. We think the premise of the commercial is that the beauty of the SLS tames the savage horse, but with all those makeup-wearing colonists running around, we're too distracted to know for sure. Hey, here in the States we have Abe Lincoln pitching insomnia medication, so anything is fair game. Hit the jump to view this bizarre pitch, and chime in to let us know what you think.
NASCAR has a solid reputation as a race series firmly entrenched in the southern United States, but has been fighting hard to defeat that image and branch out of Old Dixie. With races lined up in such northern locations as Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New Hampshire and Wisconsin, NASCAR has long since established itself with the yanks, but with races planned for Mexico and Montreal, the good ol' boys are looking to expand internationally, as well.
It seems that south and north of the border isn't far enough, however, as NASCAR officials recently made a trip half-way around the world to China in order to look into reaching the biggest potential audience in the world.
NASCAR insists that they're not looking to set up a top-tier Nextel Cup race in China, just some junior series events. You've got to figure they've got their sites set on something more ambitious than that, however. The last venture into the Far East finished in 1998 after NASCAR held three annual exhibition races in Japan.
The international expansion forms part of a bigger campaign NASCAR has been waging to establish itself as a top-tier racing series, and the recent defection of F1 stars like Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve hasn't hurt any, either. No doubt that NASCAR has also been keeping a close eye on competing race series, including Formula One, which has been setting up more international races each season; ChampCars, which is planning a return to Europe; and most of all the Speedcar Series, which is gearing up for races across Asia in American-built stock cars.
Who ever would have thought a Will Ferrell movie would ever be considered "prophetic," even jokingly? The absurd story of a French racing driver switching over from F1 to stock cars as the last remaining challenge is coming to life again and again. But unlike Jacques Villeneuve (or Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya), Jean Alesi isn't gunning for NASCAR. The former Formula One star is the first big name to sign on to the Speedcar Series.
The new racing league will pit 24 drivers against each other in identical 600-hp stock cars in 18 races over 9 weekends across Asia. We hope to get a glimpse at the cars in a few days when Alesi hits the Virginia International Raceway for the first test session on March 5-6. What we know now is that the specially-built cars will feature a tubular fiberglass chassis and power from 600-hp engines built in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The inaugural season of the Speedcar Series, which is backed by F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone, kicks off in November and runs through April 2008.
The Emirates are gearing up for the opening of FerrariWorld in Abu Dhabi, but they won't have the monopoly for long, it seems. Union Properties, a real estate development company based in nearby Dubai, has secured the rights from Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management to construct a series of F1 theme parks around the world.
Wait a second, a series? Not just one? That's right. Union Properties is thinking big, and spending big. The first will be built in Dubai, with construction set to begin soon with a targeted opening date in 2009... right around the same time as FerrariWorld is set to open its doors. The company anticipates signing a deal for the second park some time this year, likely to be constructed somewhere in Europe. A third park in the Far East would be the next location, but Union Properties would be wise to take things one step at a time and take a page out of the Disney playbook. Disney's theme parks steadily grew in size and number over the span of decades, and while parks in Anaheim, Orlando and Tokyo might be raking in the dough (or is that the Dow?), EuroDisney was not quite the runaway success they'd hoped for.
One thing's for sure, Union isn't cheaping out on the cost. The Dubai park is budgeted for $360 million, and the company is borrowing $1.6 billion to build 'em all. This should be interesting.
Following earlier reports of talks between the two firms, Malaysian automaker Proton and PSA group (Peugeot/Citroen) have signed an agreement for inter-company collaboration.
Proton, which once enjoyed a practical monopoly in its domestic market, is facing higher competition after the Malaysian government began relaxing import laws and allowing foreign cars into the market. To keep up with the competition, Proton is entering into a partnership with PSA that will provide them with the French automaker's considerable experience, starting with product development, through assembly and quality control, and all the way down to distribution.
PSA, meanwhile, will benefit from an improved foothold in Malaysia which could serve as a base of operations for all of Southeast Asia.
Back in February, we reported on a blossoming friendship between Nissan and Suzuki, which initially saw a modest trade between the two automakers in the form of the 660cc Moco minicar (pictured), built by Suzuki but badged as a Nissan. In exchange, Nissan builds a small number of Suzuki's Jimnys in Thailand.
Now, the two automakers are expanding that relationship to include another Suzuki minicar, destined to be sold in Europe, adorned with the Nissan badge. In exchange, Nissan is handing over the designs for a minivan to Suzuki. The result will push the factory in Manesar, India, where Suzuki will likely produce the vehicle, over the 250,000 unit mark well before expected in 2009.
Toyota expects its sales in China to grow by 52 percent this year to 278,000 units, thanks to new models. Sales through June of 2006 were already up 61 percent, and Toyota is ramping up capacity to further grow in the world's second-largest auto market. The company is a few years behind Volkswagen AG and other foreign companies, but it is catching up quickly.
On deck to be sold in China include a Yaris/Vitz derivative for the Chinese market, to be produced in a joint venture with the chinese company Guangzhou Automotive Group, as well as the RAV4 compact sport utility vehicle in cooperation with FAW Group in Tianjin.
Rendered or Real? 2010 Toyota Prius
UPDATE BREAKING: Layoffs and executive shuffles at Tesla Motors
SEMA Preview: Dodge bringing Viper-powered Challenger SRT10 Concept
CAR reveals spy shots of McLaren P11 supercar
2010 Chevrolet Camaro priced: LS $22,995, SS $30,995
Knight Rider: The Liveblog -- Season 1, Episode 4
Autoblog Comparo: Moving Mountains - Toyota Landcruiser vs. Hummer H2
First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Routan
In the Autobog Garage: 2009 Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo
