Haima 3 hatchback to go on sale in year end

Shanghai, July 25 (Gasgoo.com) FAW Haima Motor Co, a Hainan island-based subsidiary of FAW, will put on sales the Haima 3 hatchback and Haima 3 CVT models at the end of this year, said xinhuanet.com today. The self-developed Haima 3 series were displayed at the 2008 Beijing auto show in April along with Fstar H1.

Following the success of the Haima 3 sedan launched in June 2007 and of the Haima 3 sports edition rolled out this May, the Haima 3 hatchback is also designed solely by the company's in-house design studio based in Shanghai. It will be mass-produced later this year and will hit the market by December at a price 33% lower than Mazda 3.

The Haima 3 sedan is quite a popular sedan a bit styled after Mazda. The Haima 3 hatchback follows on with the Mazda design theme. The Haima 3 sports edition, which went on sale just after the Beijing auto show, was designed by the Italian design company Studio Idea and built on Haima's H1 platform. Haima (Hainan + Mazda) is a name out of Hainan Auto and its former partner Mazda Motor.

Another Haima 3 CVT with automatic transmission will also go on sale by the end of this year. The launch of the Haima 3 hatchback and the CVT-powered Haima 3 will expand the Haima 3 lineup and boost the Haima brand's market appeal.

FAW-Haima is planning to coordinate its Haikou plant, Zhengzhou plant and Shanghai R&D (Research and Development) Center in its expansion in the competitive Chinese auto market.