China may extend 'cash for clunkers' plan to year end
Shanghai, May 24 (Gasgoo.com) China's auto trade-in policy will expire at the end of this month, with vehicle sales under this 'cash for clunkers' program failing to achieve some expected results, media reported. This policy will likely be extended to the end of this year, and Shanghai has already announced this extension.
Th Chinese government started the auto trade-in policy on June 1, 2009 and extended it to May 31, 2010, providing subsidies from 5,000 yuan ($732) to 18,000 yuan to each consumer replacing their old polluting car with a clean new one. Original subsidies were from 3,000 yuan to 6,000 to each.
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Dongfeng Motor starts building new heavy-truck plant
Shanghai, May 24 (Gasgoo.com) Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company, a subsidiary company under Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd., yesterday started construction of a new heavy-duty truck plant in Shiyan city, central Hubei province, local media reported.
The new factory being built by and for the commercial vehicle unit of the Dongfeng-Nissan joint venture will have an annual production capacity of 80,000 heavy-duty trucks, of which the first-phase project of 40,000-unit capacity is scheduled to start production in June 2011.
FAW-VW to make Audi models in Guangdong plant
Shanghai, May 25 (Gasgoo.com) After completing construction of FAW-VW's new Guangdong plant, the joint venture will put the Audi model into production, Audi insiders told reporters recently.
Although the specific model has not been determined, the new southern plant has already positioned in mid- and high-end models of the Volkswagen and the Audi brands, FAW-VW insiders said.
SAIC-GM-Wuling to launch self-developed sedan in Q3
Shanghai, May 25 (Gasgoo.com) SAIC-GM-Wuling, General Motors Corp's minivan venture in China, plans to launch a new self-developed sedan in the third quarter of this year and officially put it into production at the end of 2010, according to Daily Economic News.
Guangzhou-Honda's concept cars have been getting much attention from the media for being the first own-brand passenger car made by a joint venture in China. The upcoming SAIC-GM-Wuling passenger car is now "making the carmaker the second brave joint venture to eat an oyster."
SAIC eyes 20% of China's new-energy vehicle market
Shanghai, May 26 (Gasgoo.com) China's biggest automaker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) aims to capture a 20% market share in China' s new energy vehicle market by 2015, its chairman Hu Maoyuan said at an annual shareholders' meeting yesterday.
SAIC has decided to focus on the development of all-electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. In addition to the 970 vehicles currently in their trial run at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the company will launch the Roewe 750 car, a new mixed model, saving 20% on fuel, at the end of this year. Besides, it will launch a strong hybrid vehicle, saving 50% on fuel, in 2012, Hu said.
SAIC Motor expects to sell 3 mln vehicles this year
Shanghai, May 26 (Gasgoo.com) SAIC Motor, Chinese partner of General Motor and Volkswagen AG, expects its sales in the first half of this year to increase to more than 1.65 million vehicles from 1.23 million a year earlier and forecasts 2010 sales of 3 million units, media reported.
China's vehicle sales may contract in the fourth quarter, with full-year volume of 15.5 million units, president Chen Hong said at the company's annual shareholders' meeting in Shanghai yesterday.
Peugeot to base Asian operations head in Shanghai
Shanghai, May 27 (Gasgoo.com) French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen announced a shake-up of its senior management yesterday and will relocate an executive board-level official to Shanghai to oversee the company's Asian operations, media reported.
Gregoire Olivier, aged 49, until now Peugeot's head of automotive strategy, will be based in Shanghai as head of the carmaker's operations in China and other Asian markets. Expansion in China has become a priority for Europe's second-largest carmaker.
BYD, Daimler sign JV contract today for electric car
Shanghai, May 27 (Gasgoo.com) China's leading battery and electric-car maker BYD Co., Ltd. and German automaker Daimler AG signed a contract today to form a 50:50 joint venture that will develop a new green-car brand for the Chinese market, media reported.
Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche and BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu signed the contract in Beijing today, finalizing a deal to develop an all-electric vehicle for China. The two companies believe that China will become one of the world's largest markets for all-electric, "zero-emission" vehicles.
Honda halts five China plants, losing 240m yuan daily
Shanghai, May 28 (Gasgoo.com) Honda Motor Co., Japan's second- biggest carmaker, has so far halted four of its Chinese auto assembly plants, and one parts plant in Foshan, in southern China's Guangdong province, where hundreds of employees went on strike on May 17 due to strong dissatisfaction over wages and benefits.
According to data roughly estimated by industry insiders, the four vehicle plants and the parts plant halted may cause Honda daily loss of 240 million yuan ($35.1 million). Meanwhile, Honda's other parts suppliers have also been influenced by the walkout and some plants begin to give workers time off.
Mercedes China sales to hit 300,000 units a year by '15
Shanghai, May 28 (Gasgoo.com) Daimler AG said yesterday that sales of its luxury brand Mercedes-Benz are likely to increase to 300,000 vehicles a year by 2015 in the Chinese market, media reported.
The German auto giant is aiming to sell at least 100,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in China this year, up from the 67,000 in 2009. Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. sold a record 11,040 vehicles in April, up 105% from a year earlier, and sales in the first four months grew 110% to nearly 35,000 units.
