Autoblog

click either image to view high-res galleries

The ever increasing importance of the Chinese auto market is on full display this week at the 2007 Guangzhou Motor Show, and fortunately we have the Autoblog Chinese crew pounding the show floor as we speak. You can check out their coverage here (translated courtesy of Google), although for those not fluent in Chinese (like us) you'll have settle for looking at all the pretty pictures. Yesterday we told you about the debut of both the Mazda2 sedan and Ford Verve Sedan Concept at the Guangzhou show, and today we have live shots from the show floor courtesy of Autoblog Chinese. Technically these two cars are very much related, as the Verve concept is expected to inspire a production car of the same name that will be sold in the U.S. and markets abroad. That new small car will be based on the same platform as the Mazda2, and after the strong showing of four-doors in China this week, we bet a sedan version of the production Verve is certainly being planned alongside a three-door hatch. Click any image below to view either gallery of high-res shots taken from the floor of the 2007 Guangzhou Motor Show.

Gallery: Mazda2 Sedan


Gallery: Ford Verve Sedan Concept

Foreign car makers have formed partnerships with Chinese auto firms in order to make vehicles sold as one of the existing brands. One of Honda's partnerships builds Honda Fits for the Euro market. Another of Honda's joint ventures is with Guangzhou Automobile, a state-run enterprise, that created Guangzhou Honda. That tie-in is about to do something new, in creating a third brand for the Chinese market. The first step will be establishing an R&D subsidiary to oversee the project. The size of the investment hasn't been disclosed, however, it was asserted by unnamed sources that it would exceed the funding normally allotted to these kinds of ventures by standalone Chinese companies.

[Source: Just-Auto, sub req'd]

In an effort to keep its finger on the pulse of a quickly-expanding automotive market in China, Nissan's joint Chinese venture, Dongfeng Motor Co., has opened up a $41 million technical center in Guangzhou, China. The new center will develop vehicles for the Chinese market in cooperation with other Nissan technical centers around the globe. The facility, which replaces a smaller research operation, will also help develop less expensive components for Nissan cars around the world through the center's ties with China-based suppliers.

[Source: Automotive News]