Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Spy Shots: New Great Wall hatchback plunders Toyota Yaris' booty]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/17/spy-shots-new-great-wall-hatchback-plunders-toyota-yaris-booty/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/17/spy-shots-new-great-wall-hatchback-plunders-toyota-yaris-booty/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/17/spy-shots-new-great-wall-hatchback-plunders-toyota-yaris-booty/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Great Wall i7 - Click above for image gallery

If we were heading up one of China's numerous automakers and we were looking through the annals of history for a vehicle design to crib, our choice probably wouldn't be that of the Toyota Yaris. It's not so much that the Yaris is a bad car, it's that the success of Toyota's little subcompact hatchback is probably based more on the merits of its nameplate and reputation for reliability and low running costs than its styling. No matter, China's Great Wall has indeed aped a good portion of Toyota's five-door hatchback for its latest entry into the small car wars, imaginatively named i7.

The rear end may have a lot of Toyota in it, but we especially like the front grille, which appears to be a Vulcan mind-meld between the design languages of both Dodge and Audi while managing to look completely horrid original. Inside, the i7 combines the unloved central gauge cluster of the Yaris with some very fake wood trim around the shifter and upholstery borrowed from a mid-Nineties Dodge Neon.

So far, there's no word on what powers the i7 or when it's expected to make it into production.


Gallery: Spy Shots: Great Wall i7


[Source: China Car Times | Photos: BitAuto]

Spy Shots: New Great Wall hatchback plunders Toyota Yaris' booty originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>great wallgreat wall i7great wall motorgreat wall motorsGreatWallGreatWallI7GreatWallMotorGreatWallMotorstoyota yaristoyota yaris clonetoyota yaris hatchbackToyotaYarisToyotaYarisCloneToyotaYarisHatchbackyaris cloneYarisCloneWed, 17 Jun 2009 09:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Great Wall Shocker: Spy shots reveal a unique-looking concept]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/18/great-wall-shocker-spy-shots-reveal-a-unique-looking-concept/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/18/great-wall-shocker-spy-shots-reveal-a-unique-looking-concept/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/18/great-wall-shocker-spy-shots-reveal-a-unique-looking-concept/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Great Wall Hover H7 - Click above for an image gallery

As expected, Chinese automaker Great Wall is using the Shanghai Motor Show to introduce the world to its latest CUV concept, the Hover H7. For years, we've been asking Chinese automakers for unique designs. Today, we take it all back. This is one seriously odd and disjointed-looking concept vehicle.

Up front is a grille that looks like it wants to be Audi-esque, though it's not nearly as successful in execution. Above that gaping maw is some sort of chrome mustache that sits below an air intake that reminds us of a bottom-feeding fish, and that's not good. Stranger yet are the front and rear doors, which feature reverse Nike-swoosh transparent panels bisected by a strong character line that seems to fall off a cliff three-quarters into the rear doors.

Also, be sure to note the side mirrors that have such little surface area that they can't possibly serve a useful purpose. On the positive side, we don't mind the Euro Ford-lookalike alloy wheels. Check out all the gory details in our gallery below. Or, ya know... you could do yourself a favor and skip it, just this once.


Gallery: Shanghai Motor Show: Great Wall Hover H7



[Source: Thetycho.com]

Great Wall Shocker: Spy shots reveal a unique-looking concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>great wallgreat wall hovergreat wall hover h7great wall motorgreat wall motorsGreatWallGreatWallHoverGreatWallHoverH7GreatWallMotorGreatWallMotorsshanghai auto showshanghai motor showShanghaiAutoShowShanghaiMotorShowSat, 18 Apr 2009 12:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Hover Crafts: China's Great Wall said to be readying whole lineup of like-badged crossovers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/15/hover-crafts-chinas-great-wall-said-to-be-readying-whole-lineu/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/15/hover-crafts-chinas-great-wall-said-to-be-readying-whole-lineu/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/15/hover-crafts-chinas-great-wall-said-to-be-readying-whole-lineu/#commentsFiled under: , ,



China's Great Wall Motor has big plans for expansion outside its home country, and rumor has it that the marque plans to launch an entire vehicle line based on its popular Hover CUV. While it's true that many Chinese automakers tend to crib designs from other manufacturers, Great Wall takes it a step further and borrows the entire chassis from an older Toyota 4Runner model. The exterior styling for the current Hover is based on the unloved Isuzu Axiom from 2002, and the engine is supplied by Mitsubishi.

According to Inside Line, a new version of the CUV is set to be shown this week at the Shanghai Motor Show, and it will likely carry the Hover H3 designation. Expect to see a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission, all for a base price of around $13K in China.

The smallest 'ute to carry the Hover nameplate will reportedly be called the M1, which could be powered by either a 1.3-liter four-cylinder or an electric drivetrain. Next up the ladder would be the M3, motivated by a 1.6-liter four-banger. At the upper-end, Great Wall is expected to show off a premium model called the Hover H7, equipped with a 3.0-liter V6 engine backed by a six-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive.

[Source: Inside Line | Image: auto.sina.com]

Hover Crafts: China's Great Wall said to be readying whole lineup of like-badged crossovers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>great wallgreat wall hovergreat wall motorgreat wall motorsGreatWallGreatWallHoverGreatWallMotorGreatWallMotorshover h3hover h7hover m1hover m3HoverH3HoverH7HoverM1HoverM3shanghai motor showShanghaiMotorShowWed, 15 Apr 2009 14:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Spy Shots: Great Wall Coolbear chillin' out]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/09/spy-shots-great-wall-coolbear-chillin-out/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/09/spy-shots-great-wall-coolbear-chillin-out/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/09/spy-shots-great-wall-coolbear-chillin-out/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for a gallery of the Great Wall Coolbear spy pics

A while back we told you about China's Great Wall Motors (GWM) and how they planned to get into the small car market, namely by Xeroxing the Scion xA and xB. Well, now we have some spy pics of the production GWM Coolbear, and it's the spitting image of the concept we saw in Shanghai a couple of years ago. Admittedly, the mirrors are less show car and more road car, but other than that, it's remarkably unaltered. The Coolbear should help Great Wall Motors expand from their truck-building roots, assuming Toyota doesn't have greater success than other carmakers have been suing China's automakers for copyright infringement. The Coolbear is expected to use a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, just like the Scion, but we don't know if it will have a similar VVT-i stamp on it. Check out the gallery below, and if you think we were kidding about this being a copy, check out the taped-over-badges on the silver car used for 'inspiration' in the studio.

Gallery: GWM Coolbear spy pics


[Source: China Car Times]

Spy Shots: Great Wall Coolbear chillin' out originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>coolbeargreat wall motorsGreat Wall Motors CoolbearGreatWallMotorsGreatWallMotorsCoolbeargwmGWM CoolbearGwmCoolbearscion xbScionXbFri, 09 Jan 2009 19:01:00 EST<![CDATA[The Clone Wars: Chinese copy banned from Europe]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/23/the-clone-wars-chinese-copy-banned-from-europe/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/23/the-clone-wars-chinese-copy-banned-from-europe/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/23/the-clone-wars-chinese-copy-banned-from-europe/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

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 went on sale earlier this year. Thanks for the tip!

[Source: Automotive World]

The Clone Wars: Chinese copy banned from Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chinachinesecloneclonescopiesgreat wall motorgreat wall motorsgreat wall periGreatWallMotorGreatWallMotorsGreatWallPeriWed, 23 Jul 2008 08:57:00 EST