Beijing Auto confirms acquiring some Saab assets
Shanghai, December 14 (Gasgoo.com) Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. today confirmed that it has inked a deal to acquire some of the assets of General Motors' Swedish unit Saab, including intellectual property for two sedans and equipment to produce those cars, Dow Jones reported.
Beijing Auto has bought the intellectual property rights for Saab's current 9-3 sedans and 9-5 mid-size car (excluding its new 9-5 version), and will also acquire turbine engines and gearbox technology from Saab, as well as some of the brand's manufacturing equipment, the Chinese automaker said in a statement.
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GM-SAIC JV may launch $3,500 small car in India
Shanghai, December 14 (Gasgoo.com) China's auto giant SAIC Motor and its U.S. partner General Motors have recently set up a Hong Kong-based joint venture to focus on India and other Asian markets. The 50:50 new venture, General Motors SAIC Investment Ltd (GMSIL), may launch an entry-level low-cost car for the Indian market, said India's leading auto news source Wheels Unplugged.
The A1 segment car could be positioned below Spark and cost between US$3,500-4,000, and may also target similar markets like India, including Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and even possibly China. Though GM India has no immediate plans for its entry-level low-cost car, the small car may be rolled out from its Talegaon unit.
BYD rolls out first locally made car in Egypt
Shanghai, December 15 (Gasgoo.com) Chinese carmaker BYD Auto has rolled out its first locally produced car in Egypt and released it to the Egyptian market, Xinhua News reported. The roll-out and launch ceremony was held in Cairo on December 13.
The first BYD car that rolled off its production line in Egypt was the F3 model, which is one of the best-selling sedans in the Chinese market. BYD F3 sold 32,000 units domestically last month, leading China's November sedan sales.
Dongfeng Motor Group Nov sales up 75% to 139,652 units
Shanghai, December 15 (Gasgoo.com) Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Corp, sold 139,652 vehicles in November, up 74.90% from a year earlier, the group said in a statement last week.
November sales of its passenger vehicles (PV) came to 102,491 units, up 70.22% year on year and those of its commercial vehicles (CV) reached 37,161units, up 89.24%.
Mercedes sees its 2010 China sales up 15%
German auto maker Daimler AG said Monday it expects sales of its Mercedes-Benz vehicles to rise more than 15 per cent by volume in China next year, as the country's luxury car market expands.
"The year 2009 was the most successful year for us, Daimler, in the region," Ulrich Walker, chairman and CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia, told reporters.
Changan Ford sells 42,260 Fiesta cars in Mar-Nov
Shanghai, December 16 (Gasgoo.com) Ford Motor's Chinese venture Changan Ford Mazda sold 5,440 Ford Fiesta cars last month, and the all-new model's total sales since its March launch came to 42,260 units, media reported today.
Earlier this month, the company reported sales of 22,738 Ford brand vehicles in November, up 152% from a year earlier. Through the first eleven months, Changan Ford has achieved total sales of 210,982 units of Ford brand vehicles, up 47%.
Chery set to participate in 2010 Dakar Rally
Shanghai, December 17 (Gasgoo.com) Chery Auto is set to participate in next year's Dakar Rally as the first home-grown Chinese auto brand ever involved in this auto sports event, media reported yesterday.
The 2010 edition of "The World's Toughest Race" will start on New Year's Day in Buenos Aires and end on January 16 in the same city. This year, the route will measure 9,000km. Four of the 14 legs of the race will run through the Atacama Desert. There will also be two crossings of the Andes at altitudes of about 4,700m.
Brilliance, Toyota in talks on possible minivan JV
Shanghai, December 17 (Gasgoo.com) Brilliance China Automotive said today that it was in talks with Toyota Motor on technology cooperation and a possible joint venture for minivan production, Reuters reported.
Brilliance, a Chinese partner of BMW, has a long-term relationship with Toyota that has been transferring technology know-how on minivan production to the eighth-largest Chinese automaker.
Fuji Heavy seeking China partner for lcoal production
Shanghai, December 18 (Gasgoo.com) Subaru-brand car maker Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to begin production in China by finding a local partner in the world's largest auto market, Kyodo News reported yesterday, citing the company's president.
"We've already made the decision to begin (local production) in the future," Fuji Heavy President Ikuo Mori said recently, adding the company is studying who to partner with and which vehicle to produce in China. It may choose a local partner within a year, Mori said.
Dongfeng to source Nissan Bluebird cars from Yulon
Shanghai, December 18 (Gasgoo.com) Mainland China's automaker Dongfeng Motor Group expects to source the Nissan Bluebird (Sylphy) mid-sized sedans from its Taiwan partner Yulon Group, SinoCast reported yesterday. This deal will help ease Nissan's output constraint in its joint venture with Dongfeng.
Dongfeng Motor Group Chairman Xu Ping will start his visit to Taiwan tomorrow to talk with the Yulon Group CEO Kenneth Yen about the two companies' further cooperation, a move to benefit from the soon-to-be-signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between the mainland and Taiwan.
