Audi plans to lift China production capacity
Shanghai, February 1 (Gasgoo.com) Volkswagen AG's luxury brand Audi plans to lift production capacity in China to meet surging demand in the world's largest auto market, China Daily reported today.
The German luxury car maker has plans to further expand capacity in China to meet its target of selling 250,000 cars annually by 2012 or 2013, Johannes Thammer, general manager of the Audi sales division at FAW Volkswagen, said last week.
Geely may set up HQ in Beijing after buying Volvo
Shanghai, February 1 (Gasgoo.com) After its purchase of Ford Motor's Volvo unit is completed, Geely will establish its Chinese headquarters in Beijing, according to Search-Autoparts.com. And the Chinese carmaker has announced its plan to build a Volvo factory in Beijing.
Previously, Geely Chairman Li Shufu confirmed that Volvo would have two local markets in the futuren - China and Sweden, indicating that Geely would set up its new domestic headquarters in Beijing. Currently Zhejiang Geely Holdings Group is headquartered in eastern city of Hangzhou.
Brilliance Auto to launch four new projects
Shanghai, February 2 (Gasgoo.com) Brilliance Auto, parent of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd., recently said it would launch four large new projects in 2010 and 2011, which will cost a total of 12 billion yuan ($1.76 bln), SinoCast reported.
According Brilliance Auto chairman Qi Yuminto, the new projects are mostly second-phase projects. The investment will reach 5 billion yuan in the second-phase factory of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., a joint venture between Brilliance China and BMW AG.
China's first hybrid buses go into service in Changchun
Shanghai, February 2 (Gasgoo.com) China's first 50 gas-electric hybrid buses, made by FAW Group, were put into service yesterday in Changchun, capital of northeastern Jilin province, Xinhua News reported.
The 12-meter long CA6120 URH2 hybrid bus was developed by Chinese auto giant FAW and can cut carbon emissions by 30%, said Cui Shusen, president of Changchun Public Transport Group. The bus is also structurally simple and its manufacture is much more cost-effective.
China's imported auto sales may grow 20% this year
Shanghai, February 3 (Gasgoo.com) Sales of imported vehicles in China are likely to grow 20% to more than 420,000 units this year, Shanghai Daily reported today, citing an industry insider.
After a sales increase of more than 40% since 2006, growth in China's sales of imported vehicles slowed to 31% last year at 353,000 units, mainly due to financial crisis and higher sales tax on imported cars with larger engines. Auto imports at customs rose only 2.8% to 419,000 units in 2009.
Toyota apologies for its recall problems in China
Shanghai, February 3 (Gasgoo.com) Toyota recently decided to recall over 75,000 vehicles in China due to accelerator pedals and earlier this week it made an apology to Chinese car owners over problems bought by its vehicles' faulty pedal systems, CCTV.com reported.
Henry Liu, deputy head of Public Relations Department for Toyota China, says the Japanese automaker is sorry for the anxiety and confusion caused by the recall. The company has launched a media campaign to bolster its reputation for quality, he added.
PSA talks with Changan about 2nd car venture
PSA Peugeot Citroen SA has been in talks with Chinese car maker Chongqing Changan Automobile Co about setting up its second venture in China to tap rapidly growing demand, people close to the deal said.
A company executive from Changan, which also partners with Ford, Mazda and Suzuki, denied earlier media reports saying the joint venture would be formed after the Lunar New Year holiday which falls on February 14. No financial details were unveiled.
GM China Jan sales up 97% to 219,192 vehicles
Shanghai, February 4 (Gasgoo.com) General Motors said today that it and its joint ventures sold 219,192 vehicles in China last month, up 97% from a year earlier, media reported.
Shanghai GM, a flagship car venture between SAIC Motor and General Motors, sold 90,202 units in January. The robust sales were attributed to its new generation of mid-to-high class sedans Buick Regal and Buick LaCrosse, which achieved total sales of 17,011 units.
Toyota China Jan sales up 53% to 72,000 vehicles
Shanghai, February 4 (Gasgoo.com) Japanese automaker Toyota Motor's January sales in China rose 53% from a year earlier to 72,000 vehicles, Dow Jones reported today, citing Beijing-based Toyota spokesman.
Toyota's January sales growth in China comes as its sales in the U.S. were hurt by a massive recall of vehicles and a sales halt because of problems with accelerator pads. Its U.S. sales last month fell 16% to below 100,000 units for the first time since 1999.
GM, Chinese company still negotiating over Hummer
When it comes to selling off the brands it no longer wants, General Motors' track record is not good. A proposed sale of Saturn fell through, leading GM to shut down that brand. Saab survived, only because a second buyer stepped up after the first planned sale fell through. And Hummer…well, that one's still up in the air.
Reuters reports that GM and the Chinese company bidding to buy Hummer, Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industry Machinery, have "agreed to push back the deadline for the acquisition from January 31 to the end of February as they seek approval from Chinese regulators."
Mercedes China Jan sales double to 8,300 cars
Shanghai, February 5 (Gasgoo.com) Daimler AG said yesterday that its premium car division Mercedes-Benz saw sales in China more than double to 8,300 cars last month from 3,400 of a year earlier, Dow Jones reported. However, January sales fell by more than 1,000 units from the previous month.
Global sales of Mercedes-Benz cars were up 17% year-on-year at 72,600 vehicles in January, fueled by rising demand in North America and Asia. "We expect to see significant growth in the first quarter," Mercedes-Benz sales chief Joachim Schmidt said in a statement.
