FAW rolls out Besturn B50 today, to sell by May

Shanghai, March 3 (Gasgoo.com) The long-awaited Besturn B50 sedan model of FAW Car Co., a subsidiary of FAW Group, rolled off the production line in Changchun today. It is the second model of the FAW Besturn brand, after the 2009 Besturn B70, said xinhuanet.com today. The Besturn B50 will go on sale by early May.

Last April, the Besturn B50 made its debut at the 2008 Beijing auto show. It is based on the previous generation Mazda6 platform, and equipped with a 1.6L gasoline engine with peak power of 76/6000 (kW/rpm), available with manual and automatic transmissions.

The Besturn B50 stands on a modified Mazda 6 chassis, as FAW and Mazda produce the Mazda 6 in their joint venture operation. A hybrid version of the Besturn B50 is expected to be available later.

Since FAW manufactures in China the Prius on behalf of Toyota, surely a hybrid engine will be a natural next step for FAW Group, who has seen Besturn as one of its own brands, like the HQ (Red Flag) brand.

The Besturn B50 will be delivered to the market in late April or early May this year, at a price between 110,000 yuan ($16,100) and 150,000 yuan.