SUV-maker Huatai to unveil luxury sedans in Beijing

Shanghai, March 19 (Gasgoo.com) China's SUV-maker Huatai Auto is set to unveil its luxury B-series sedans at the 2010 Beijing auto show in late April, China Car Times said yesterday. The B-series will mark Huatai's entry into the premium segment of China's auto market.

The Huatai B11, which will roll off the production line this month from Huatai's Inner Mongolian factory, is probably one of the more anticipated Huatai luxury cars for this year, as it gives the emerging carmaker an entry into the semi-premium market that Chinese cars have so far failed to dominate.

The B22 sedan will be bigger than the B11 sedan. The B35 is a premium SUV. Hyundai Motor has sold Huatai a series of platforms, notably the Sante-Fe platform which might make up the underside of this SUV. Huatai has also bought in some older VM diesel engines for its cars.

A B11 was previously posted to China Car Times with a self developed 2.0 Turbo Diesel engine under the hood, which forms yet another niche market for Huatai to enter. The B11 will certainly be a car that drives Huatai forward into the future.

The Chinese SUV maker, based in Shandong province, introduced Hyundai's advanced Sante Fe in China two years ago. Huatai has been making the Sante Fe and the Terracan SUV in China for several years as its own vehicles.