Will China's BYD Bring the F3DM to the U.S. or will this be Just Another Broken Promise?

When it comes to making cars, China is king. We’re talking the world’s largest car market, with over a hundred individual marques. So why is it that there are virtually zero Chinese car manufactures selling cars in the U.S. aka the world’s other largest car market?

So far, China’s “Big Four” (well, the four most visible to those outside of China) have made and broken promises of bringing their vehicles to the North American market. Brilliance, Chery, Nanjing and Geely have all backed down from their plans to open dealerships and factories stateside. So far, not a single car from China's major automakers has touched down on U.S. soil outside a motor show.

Senior analyst Bill Visnic of Edmunds.com explains why: “This isn’t computers or cellphones, where you just get into a big-box store. You need some dealerships, and those things are tremendous investments of time and resources. [The Chinese] thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was.”

BYD hopes to change all that. China’s sixth largest automaker provided plug-in hybrid cars to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and now plans on bringing that hybrid, the awkwardly named F3DM, to the U.S.A. for Spring 2012. It still could be an uphill challenge, though.

The fallout from the slump in auto sales after the Global Financial Crisis, the government’s bailouts of two of the Big Three, the liquidation of numerous dealerships and the reduction in hybrid sales that came with the sudden drop in fuel prices is still being felt in much of America’s automotive heartland. Add to that the small market share commanded by hybrid and electric vehicles – just 2.2% worldwide according to JD Power – and BYD may be in over their heads already.

AS Mike Omotoso from JD Power explains:

“Because consumers are wary about electric vehicles and their driving range and batteries, they are even more likely to go with more established companies like G.M. and Nissan. The problem with the Chinese car companies is they are trying to run before they walk.”

Only time will tell if BYD’s U.S. plans end in fruition or failure.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: New York Times

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Beijing Olympics debut for Chery’s A5 Hybrid Vehicles

As China is wearing its eco-conscious outfit for the 2008 Beijing Olympics that will begin in two days time (August 8 – 24), it comes to no surprise that the organizers decided to use a fleet of 50 hybrid cars as part of the transportation arrangements for the Games. Known as the “Olympics Green Messengers”, the vehicles of choice are China’s own Chery A5 BSG and A5 ISG Hybrids that are expected to go into full production in the months following the games.

The A5 BSG is a start-stop hybrid that uses a 12-volt Belt Starter-Generator (BSG) linked to 1.6 litre gasoline engine that’s matted to a 5-speed manual gearbox while the A5 ISG is a more comprehensive mild-hybrid equipped with a 1.3-liter gasoline engine and a 12 kW crankshaft-mounted 151-volt Integrated Starter-Generator (ISG). -Continued

According to Chery, in the ECE Urban drive cycle, the A5 BSG achieves a 7% improvement in fuel consumption over the baseline product while it is expected that the improvement will be greater than 10% in real-world urban driving. For the more complex A5 ISG with its 1.3-liter engine, Chery says that while performance is equivalent with that of a larger 1.6 litre engine, fuel consumption improvement over the NEDC cycle is expected to approach 15% compared to the 1.6-liter benchmark vehicle.

Video: Revised Camaro Bumblebee from Transformers 2 Film

Here we go again; just as we were getting used to not hearing anything about the Transformers Movie, our friendly Autobot Bumblebee from the second installation of the Tranformer film called “Rise of the Fallen” has made its way into the internet well before the movie hits the screens in summer 2009.

The film’s producers –in cooperation with GM of course- have given the Camaro based Autobot a more aggressive look thanks to a Z28-like sport treatment that includes a new front bumper with a spoiler, a hood scoop and a slightly different paint job. See more images along with a small video after the jump. -Continued

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Transformerlive

Chinese-Made Dodge Breeze Scooped

Chrysler LLC’s Chinese-built minicar, the Dodge Breeze which is basically a rebadged Chery A1, has been caught… red-handed. As you can see in these scoop pictures that have been circulating in various Chinese forums, despite the manufacture’s attempts to conceal any “Dodge” or “Breeze” badges, someone overlooked the company’s logo on the hub-caps, thus revealing the car’s true identity.

According to reports, Chrysler LLC will start deliveries of the Dodge Breeze to the North American market and in particular Mexico, towards the end of the year. As for the U.S., it is still under discussion whether or not the Chery-built mini car -and consequently, Chrysler, is ready to enter the American market. -More pics after the jump

Auto China Unveiled Chery A3 and Storm 2

Euro-style is not just the envy of North America, Chinese car makers wants it just as badly and Chery has called in the help of renowned design studio Pininfarina to achieve just that. Pininfarina is of course best known for its designs for Ferrari (599 GTB), Maserati (GranTurismo S) and other established marques.

Chery and Pinifarina have been working on this project since 2005 and they are now ready for its unveiling. The 3-box saloon (A108) and 2-box hatchback (A107) are ready to go into production. The two cars share the same front end design for instant recognition, with the headlights embracing the grille for a sporty, elegant look.

The rear of the two cars on the other hand are purposely different, to give most cars their own appeal. The 3-box saloon is aiming to compete with the more up-scale saloon with the clean design. The 2-box hatchback will enter the sportier hatch segment and has been styled accordingly. Surely opinions will differ, but in our eyes the two cars could do well in and outside China.

Source: Pinifarina

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New Chevy Nubira Spied

The new Chevy Nubira was caught on camera in Europe earlier today. Chevy’s Nubira, also called Lacetti in some parts of Europe, will replace the current model released in 2003.

Pre-2003, you may remember the Nubira under the Daewoo brand. Once General Motors completed their acquisition of the South Korean company, most Daewoo models were branded as Chevy’s.


This all-new Nubira has a more rounded roofline, with a curvier front-end, and brand-new swept headlights. The photographer points out the glaring similarities between this car and the Opel Spectra, also produced by GM. Five-bolt wheels replace the current model’s four-bolt rims. Our photographer also noticed four-wheel disc brakes on the car.

Chevy will make the Nubira sedan available in 2008, with a wagon coming a little later. We can only hope Chevy makes the classy paint job standard!

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Chery Shooting Sport Concept

Following an intense training course in the fine art of Chinese I have found I am no nearer understanding the language. Fortunately the guys over at Autoblog Chinese appear to have a better understanding than I do and have dug up sketches of one of the most anticipated concepts of the Shanghai Auto Show named the Chery Shooting Sport Concept. Autoblog believes the style is very similar to the Renault Clio Grand Tour Concept, which we tend to agree, however lets not forget the Audi Shooting Brake Concept from the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show which also has similar styling (and a similar name). But which ever this car is based on, it seems set to be just another chinese copycat vehicle. More sketches after the jump.

Source: Autoblog Chinese

Chery Automobiles to Australia

Ateco is sole importer

Ateco, the exclusive importer of Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Citroen cars in Australia and New Zealand is expanding its line-up with Chinese car maker Chery। The deal has been three years in the making, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in November 2005.

Ateco hopes to start selling three Chery models by early 2009, namely a light passenger car, a small passenger car and a small SUV. Chery in turn is planning to unveil four models later this year and 38 new models over the next 5 years.

Last year Chery sold 261,000 units in China and exported another 120,000 units. Chery started producing cars back in 1999, in August 2007 they built their millionth car. Chery has a production capacity of 650,000 units and plans to lift that number up to 1 million annually.

“We believe that China represents the future as a source of automotive products which makes this association with Chery a very exciting development for Ateco,” Mr Neville Crichton, Ateco Governing Director, said.

Source: Ateco

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Chery Faira YY Coupe Coming to Beijing Show

Like its Chinese counterpart Geely, Chery is also readying a spectacular number of new cars and concepts for the 2008 Beijing Auto Show. To be precise, Chery will exhibit 26 models and among them, a new series of mini cars that will be sold under the name Faira. The YY Coupe (ok, it’s just a 3door hatchback, but that’s what Chery calls it) is the sportiest of the Faira series. If anything else, Chery’s Xerox team –err, we mean design team, deserve our kudos for turning a cute car –see Toyota Aygo, into a good looking sporty mini hatch. –Click through for the image gallery

Via: Auto.sina

Dodge Breeze: Chinese Built Minicar Scooped

While Plymouth might be resting in peace, one of its nametags, the “Breeze” will make a reappearance in a Chrysler Group product, and more specifically, in Dodge’s forthcoming Chinese built minicar. This scoop picture appeared on a Chinese internet forum today and it seems to confirm the rumors supporting that Dodge minicar will be a re-badged version of the recently introduced, Chery A1.

We remind you that the Chrysler Group signed an agreement with Chery Automobile Co. last July to jointly develop, produce, and distribute small cars under the Jeep, Chrysler, and Dodge brands for North America, Europe and other markets. -Follow the jump for more pictures of the Chery A1