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Filed under: Convertible, Budget, China, Europe, Chery
Norster 600R - Click above for high-res image gallery
There were plenty of reasons to love the Austin-Healey Sprite. Besides being super affordable when they debuted, the Sprite was light and capable of out-handling high-dollar sports cars of the era, not to mention the plucky British styling that was unlike anything else on the road. That combination has helped make the Sprite Mk 1 a sought after collectible, but it hasn't inspired anyone to come up with a recreation of the car. Until now. Feast your eyes on the Norster 600R.
This, um, unique creation isn't actually billed as an automobile, slipping instead into the heavy quad classification in the European Union to beat pesky hang ups like crash test and emissions standards. Penned by designers in Finland and built in China, the Norster 600R uses a 580cc two-cylinder engine with a whopping 20 horsepower and 36.8 pound-feet of torque. You aren't going to be taking the checkers at Le Mans with the Chery-sourced powerplant, especially considering the 1,150-pound unladen weight. Of course, the upswing of such a tiny engine is that the Norster can happily put along at around 50 mpg U.S.
At least there's that.
If you've suffered an aneurism recently and find yourself smitten with this multinational mid-engine creation, you can hop over to the Norster site for more information. Thanks for the tip, Tomi!
Gallery: Norster 600R
[Source: Nordian Commerce]
Norster 600R is a Finnish designed, Chinese built, British Frogeye throwback originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Coupe, Performance, China, BMW, Luxury
BMW M3 Tiger Edition for the Chinese market - Click above for high-res image gallery
BMW's new Joy ad campaign looks to have made it to China with the M3 Tiger - or as one Autoblog commenter called it, "the M3 by Ed Hardy." Part of the continued celebration of a quarter century of M3s and the year of the tiger, the limited edition coupe took part in a photo shoot with a supporting cast so excited about the car they spend most of their time airborne.
On a more mundane note, the Fire Orange Metallic M3 will have black exterior accents and 19-inch wheels, while black Novilla leather will coat the inside and orange tiger heads are embroidered into the headrests. Only 250 M3 Tigers are set for production, and that may be 249 more than the world needs. Hat tip to Ragan!
Gallery: BMW M3 Tiger
[Source: Moko]
More BMW M3 Tiger Edition photos surface originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: China, Opel, Australia, South America
According to the latest reports, Opel will be taking its name, not just its cars, to at least four new markets around the world. Standard practice has been to rebadge Opels as one of General Motor's other brands in countries outside of Europe, but company heads believe it's time to market Opel's European roots, especially in China.
The German automaker sold 4,000 cars in China last year, and to that end, Opel spokesman Andres Kroemer says "We will market Opel as a European designed car in the premium segment. There are a growing number of Chinese who like European cars and have the money to afford them." By comparison, Audi, a luxury darling in China with local production facilities, sold more than 130,000 cars, and it's clear that Opel's launch will eventually be followed up by local production in China for better competitive footing.
In addition to joining the world's largest auto market, the Opel brand will head to Australia and South America in the near-term, as well as other Asian markets after that.
[Source: Deutsche Welle]
Report: Opel expanding outside of Europe, headed for China, Australia originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: China, Etc.
Here's a little ray of sunshine if you happen to be traveling on the G110 expressway in China. The massive, 60-mile long traffic jam that reportedly cropped up due to road maintenance between Beijing and Zhangjiaku has all but evaporated. NBC News decided to get down and dirty by heading up the afflicted highway to see the mayhem for itself, only to find that the Chinese government had successfully dissipated the clog.
From what the news agency found, the G110 is popular among truck drivers hauling coal from illegal mines in the countryside into Beijing. There are plenty of larger, quicker roads to get goods in and out of the capital, but those highways are heavily monitored and charge drivers based on their load and the distance they travel. Until just recently, the G110 didn't have those hassles.
But after traffic began to go stack up, the government quickly erected a series of toll booths and weigh stations to keep an eye on what's going and coming through the area. For now, traffic is flowing freely along the road, even though the original roadwork isn't set to wrap up until mid September.
[Source: NBC News | Image: AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan]
China's 60-mile long traffic jam ends originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: China
We will never complain about our commute again. Ever. According to MSNBC, gridlock traffic has now grown to cover a total of 60 miles between Beijing and Zhangjiakou. It's been that way since August 14th, and officials say that the situation doesn't look to improve until workers wrap up road repairs on September 13. If that wasn't bad enough, a slew of broken-down vehicles and fender benders have cropped up as a result of the slow-going commute.
Traffic has gotten so bad that drivers have taken to striking up card and chess games while waiting for things to get moving again. Street vendors have also set up shop along the afflicted highway, offering food and drinks at an inflated price. Local government has unleashed a total of 400 police officers to keep crowds calm during the long slog home.
Remember, drivers. It could always be worse. Unless you live near Beijing, that is. Thanks for the tip, Brendan!
[Source: MSNBC]
China unveils... 60-mile traffic jam? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: SUV, China, Earnings/Financials, India, South Korea
India's Mahindra & Mahindra may be joining forces with South Korea's Ssangyong to share technology, costs and to create one of the biggest producers of SUVs in the world.
Ssangyong hasn't exactly had the best track record when it comes to foreign ownership. While China's SAIC Motor Group was at the helm, the South Korean automaker took a nose-dive that eventually led to bankruptcy, which is where the company is now. Earlier this month, Mahindra was picked as the preferred bidder for Ssangyong, though the principles involved in the transaction aren't willing to say how much Mahindra & Mahindra has offered for the sinking Korean company.
Back in 2004, SAIC purchased 49-percent of Ssangyong for $500 million, but was largely criticized for failing to invest enough in the partnership. Analysts typically point to the lack of investment as the main reason behind the venture's failure. Bloomberg reports that the Mahindra bid is somewhere in the $452 million range. Ssangyong has market value of $340 million.
[Source: Bloomberg]
Report: Mahindra joining forces with Ssangyong originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Performance, China, Lamborghini, Rumormill, Luxury
Lamborghini Estoque - Click above for high-res image gallery
Hold on to your lugnuts, kids, because here's a rumor that's so far out it practically qualifies as science fiction. Taken straight from Gasgoo.com, which has provided plenty of worthy news in the past, is this nugget: Lamborghini "will import its super luxury four-door sedan, Lamborghini Estoque to China for local production in 2012 with a price tag of around 4 million yuan ($589,000)."
To be fair, it appears as though Gasgoo is just reporting on what's being reported in other Chinese media. However, in case you haven't been keeping up with the Estoque's flirtations with production reality, first Lamborghini planned to make it after it was introduced two years ago, then the economic implosion supposedly killed it in early 2009, but Lamborghini quickly said that wasn't true, then this month company CEO Stephan Winkelmann hinted about how a third model would help the brand.
To us, none of that means the 2008 Paris Motor Show traffic-stopper is going to be built at all. Somehow, though, the Chinese media have heard that not only is it going to be built, but it will be built in China as soon as 2012. On top of that, even though it hasn't been developed, it's already been priced, and at that price you could buy almost three Aston Martin Rapide sedans. Or, more accurately, three Rapides and an infinite number of leprechauns, gorgons, drop bears and the latest creature of fable, a Chinese-built Estoque.
Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque LIVE
Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque Concept
Live photos copyright (C)2010 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL
[Source: Gasgoo]
Crazy Rumor of the Day: Lamborghini Estoque to be built in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Sedan, China, Europe, Volkswagen, Rumormill, Luxury
2011 Volkswagen Phaeton - Click above for high-res image gallery
This time, with feeling. According to both Bloomberg News and USA Today, Volkswagen is once again considering bringing the ill-fated Phaeton back to the U.S. market. The reasons behind the move are many, but center around VW's intention to triple its market share here in the land of the free by 2018. In order to do that, the company is planning on rolling out its luxury bruiser one more time, bolstered in part by the success Hyundai has seen with its Genesis sedan. Of course, that particular luxury cruiser doesn't cost anything close to the Phaeton's $85,000 MSRP - even the Korean automaker's forthcoming Equus range-topper will likely not command that sort of money - and its success in the U.S. remains as-yet unproven.
Bloomberg spoke with Juergen Borrmann, the director of the carmaker's Dresden facility. Borrmann said that the company is gunning for the U.S. and that by the time the model hits our parking lots, it will be completely reworked.
Consider us interested.
Supposedly, the American version will feature a slew of different engine choices compared to the cars currently on sale in Europe and China, as well as a significantly different interior materials. According to the report, our model will share very little with the next-generation car set to hit the market next month. Hey, if at first you don't succeed...
*Update: Volkswagen says that while it thinks that there are opportunities for the Phaeton in the U.S., right now no final decisions have been made. At the same time, the carmaker says that it is continually working with the Dresden plant to evaluate potential markets for the luxury sedan.
Gallery: 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton
[Sources: Bloomberg News, USA Today]
Reports: Phaeton coming back to the U.S... again *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: China, Technology, GM
General Motors has reached an agreement with one of its primary Chinese partners, Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. (SAIC), on the joint development of powertrains for small vehicles.GM and SAIC will develop and produce a family of four-cylinder engines ranging from 1.0- to 1.5-liters with direct injection and turbocharging. The GTDI engines should cut fuel consumption by around 20 percent compared to similarly-sized engines with equivalent output.
The engine will be used in GM and SAIC vehicles in China and around the world, and to go along with the new engine, the partners will also develop a small dual-clutch transmission that should provide a 10 percent boost in efficiency over current six-speed torque converter automatics. Work on the engine and transmission will occur at GM's powertrain engineering center in Pontiac, MI and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai.
GM has yet to announced when the new powertrains will debut in production, but mid-2011 is a safe bet.
[Source: General Motors]
Continue reading General Motors and SAIC to jointly develop small engine and dual clutch transmission
General Motors and SAIC to jointly develop small engine and dual clutch transmission originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Coupe, Performance, China, BMW, Design/Style, Luxury
Another day, another morsel for the rumor machine. The Bavarian obsessed crew over at M3 Post have caught wind of a report on Bimmer Today that suggests BMW will crank out yet another special edition version of the M3. Supposedly the car has been penned just for the Chinese market and is being built in honor of the year of the tiger. From what we understand, the car will feature a Fire Orange Metallic paint scheme borrowed from the heavenly M3 GTS. Throw in a handful of black accents, including a set of 19-inch rollers, and you've got yourself one very feline-themed coupe.
But wait, there's more. The interior will get unique Tiger Edition logos stitched into the headrests and slathered on the door sills. If the Bimmer Today post is on the money, BMW will only crank out 250 examples of the car. We're guessing that the package is mostly a dress-up ordeal as no details have surfaced about performance enhancements.
If you find yourself living in the U.S. and pining for this particular color scheme, fear not. We hear there's a chance that BMW might repurpose the same combination for a Great Pumpkin edition here in the States, complete with Linus from the popular Peanuts comic strip embroidered on the seats. Okay, not really, but with the recent rash of special-edition M3 models we've seen recently, you never know...
[Source: Bimmer Today via M3 Post | Image: Mittelbayerische Newspaper]
BMW to celebrate Year of the Tiger with special edition M3? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: SUV, China, Plants/Manufacturing, Jaguar, Land Rover, India
Land Rover Defender - Click above for high-res image gallery
Tata Motors CEO Carl-Peter Forster has announced Land Rover production would begin in India in 2011 and Jaguar is looking for a partner to produce cars within China. Although Forster didn't announce which model would be built in the sub-continent, the T5 platform used for the current LR4 and Range Rover Sport seems a likely candidate. That same platform is expected to be used for a replacement model for the classic Defender which is expected to debut in 2012.
Because foreign automakers are required to work with local companies in China, Jaguar is in negotiations for a production deal in the economic powerhouse. China's luxury market is still growing and local production would undoubtedly make it easier for Jaguar to get a larger slice of the pie.
Gallery: Land Rover Defender
[Source: Autocar]
Land Rover to launch production in India originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Hybrid, Sedan, China, Technology, GM
Let's try this again, shall we? General Motors has announced that it will jump back into the mild hybrid game by the third quarter of 2011. Larry Nitz, the company's director of hybrid and electric powertrain engineering, made the announcement at a seminar in Traverse City, Michigan, though he declined to comment on exactly which models would get the fuel-saving tech next year. Nitz did say that at least one American model and one Chinese model would be a mild hybrid by the end of 2011, which leads us to believe that the tech will work its way into the Buick lineup.
GM walked away from mild hybrids after Saturn was sent to the company's scrap heap. At the time, both the Chevrolet Malibu and the Saturn Vue wore the tech, but with the Vue out of the picture, the company couldn't justify the cost of investing in the drivetrains. Unlike a full hybrid, mild-hybrid vehicles can't cruise along on just electric power. Instead, the system allows the gasoline engine to shut off when the vehicle is stopped. The electric motor then starts the engine again when the accelerator pedal is depressed.
If we were guessing, we'd say that GM will debut the rebirth of the tech on the Buick LaCrosse - a model that has enjoyed equal success in China and has the potential to revitalize the brand in the U.S.
[Source: Autoweek]
Report: General Motors bringing back mild hybrids next year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Sedan, China, Volvo, Geely, Luxury
2011 Volvo S60 - Click above for high-res image gallery
Geely isn't wasting any time in shaping up its newest acquisition's product line. The Chinese automaker officially completed its deal to purchase Volvo from Ford earlier this week, and already the Swedish brand's new chairman is making noises about a new large luxury sedan to go toe to toe with the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Li Shufu, Volvo chairman and co-chair of Geely, said that the brand already competes with luxury German carmakers in most markets, but lacks all of the hardware to do so effectively. To remedy the problem, Li wants to put the rush on a new saloon to take the fight to the Bavarians.
According to the Financial Times, Volvo repeatedly ran into roadblocks when it attempted to develop a large four-door under Ford. Evidently the Blue Oval was concerned about a long-wheelbase Swede nabbing sales from Jaguar - another brand Ford owned at the time. A new Volvo sedan is far from a done deal, though. Li says that the thought of a range-topping sedan is his, and he'll have to convince the company's new board to give it the green light. With an ambitious goal to double Volvo to 600,000 units in five years primarily through growth in large-car loving China, a D-segment player sounds like a good bet - at least for select markets.
Gallery: 2011 Volvo S60
[Source: Financial Times - reg. req.]
Report: Volvo's new chairman wants 7-Series, S-Class rival originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: China, Toyota, India, South America
The emerging markets in Asia have the most potential for growth and the transportation of choice is either high-end luxury vehicles or low-cost, basic transport for the masses. Reuters reports (via Japan's Chunichi Shimbun newspaper) that Toyota is planning to introduce something on the low-end of the spectrum; a $11,500 small car based on the Yaris. While a starting price of $11,500 is hardly a Tata Nano competitor, it gives Toyota a stronger position in emerging markets. Toyota would reportedly be able to build it locally, cutting production costs by 30-40 percent. The still unannounced small car could arrive in calendar year 2012.
Toyota may have stayed on the sidelines at the beginning of the automotive booms in South America and Asia, but it appears as though the automaker is now betting big on small transportation. The Japanese automaker reportedly plans to launch the Etios in India by the end of the year, a series of small cars for South America and a mini car build by Toyota-owned Daihatsu Motor Co. We would be surprised if any of these products will ever arrive here in the States, but they will help the world's largest automaker to increase it's presence in emerging markets.
[Source: Reuters]
Report: Toyota developing new low-cost car for emerging markets originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: China, Europe, Volvo, Earnings/Financials, Luxury
Volvo may finally part ways with Ford by the end of next week. The Detroit Free Press reports that the Blue Oval is aiming to close its $1.8 billion sale of the Swedish automaker to Geely in as little as 10 days, though Ford has merely said that its goal is to hand over the Volvo reigns by the end of the third quarter of this year. The move to send Volvo packing is part of Ford CEO Alan Mulally's strategy to slim the company down to focus on its core brands - a scheme that seems to be working so far.
In the meantime, Volvo managed to turn a profit of $53 million before taxes in the second quarter of this year. The news is a big leap from the same time last year - in the second quarter of 2009, the brand lost a heady $237 million. Ford's sale of Volvo seems to have been on glacial pace, partly due to the number of government agencies in the U.S., Europe and China that were needed to sign off on the deal. By the time the ink dries on the last document, Geely will have secured the largest overseas acquisition of any Chinese automaker so far.
[Source: The Detroit Free Press]
Volvo sale to Geely to close next week? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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