FAW Car starts to sell 1.6L Besturn B50 sedan

Shanghai, May 18 (Gasgoo.com) The 1.6L Besturn B50 sedan went on sale on May 16 as the first model of FAW Car Co's own-brand Besturn series, said xinhuanet.com today. This low-emission Besturn model will benefit from the government's small-car sales tax policy and sell for 98,800 yuan ($14,500) to 125,800 yuan. 

On March 3, the Besturn B50 rolled off the production line at the Changchun plant of FAW Car, a subsidiary of FAW Group, and was displayed at the 2009 Shanghai auto show last month. It is based on the previous generation Mazda 6 platform, and equipped with a 1.6L gasoline engine with peak power of 76/6000 (kW/rpm), available with manual and automatic transmission versions.

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. FAW Group sees Besturn as one of its own brands, like the HQ (Red Flag) brand.

Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese government has released a slew of auto support plans, including cutting the sales tax by half to 5% on small cars with engines of 1.6 liters or less as from January 20, and this small-car stimulus policy will run through the end of this year.

Boosted by these incentives, China's auto sales recovered in the first four months this year from the slump of late 2008. Sales of small vehicles rose rapidly and contributed most to the total sales growth of the auto market. The 1.6L Besturn 50 will join the small-car ranks.