Chinese Car Companies

By Chris Haak 06.28.2007 Last week, photos and video started circulating online of the horrific crash test results of the Chinese Brilliance BS6 sedan. The car was tested using the well-recognized Euro-NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) offset frontal crash test at 40 miles per hour by ADAC, a German auto club. In cars that ace these tests, the passenger compartment stays almost completely intact with no intrusion of the floor into the driver's footwell or the instrument panel into the driver's face. The best cars often still have functioning driver's doors, yet sacrifice so much of their front end absorbing the crash energy that ... Read Full Story

By Brendan Moore 08.03.2007 Sources at both Fiat and Chery say that an agreement for Chery to build Alfa Romeo cars in China will probably be signed next week. The Alfa Romeo 159 will be the first car built under the new agreement and the Alfa Romeo 147 will follow in short order. Chery already has an agreement with Chrysler to build cars for Chrysler for export to the U.S. and Latin America under the Chrysler brand name, and it also has an agreement with a small Israeli company named Quantum Group to export Chery-branded cars for sale worldwide. Alfa Romeo cars are only ... Read Full Story

By Brendan Moore 08.03.2007 Sources at both Fiat and Chery say that an agreement for Chery to build Alfa Romeo cars in China will probably be signed next week. The Alfa Romeo 159 will be the first car built under the new agreement and the Alfa Romeo 147 will follow in short order. Chery already has an agreement with Chrysler to build cars for Chrysler for export to the U.S. and Latin America under the Chrysler brand name, and it also has an agreement with a small Israeli company named Quantum Group to export Chery-branded cars for sale worldwide. Alfa Romeo cars are only ... Read Full Story

Suzuki's take on a personal mobility vehicle - the PIXY+SCC concept By Brendan Moore 11.12.2007 Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) and General Motors, partners in a highly successful joint venture in China, will show a “personal mobility concept” at the upcoming Expo in Shanghai. The personal mobility concept segment is comprised of clean, sustainably-powered small or micro vehicles. The personal mobility concept envisions an emerging class of clean-energy vehicles, such as solar-powered cars, that moves single-person urban transport to another level of efficiency and sophistication. It is an increasingly popular focus of research and development in the automobile industry. SAIC Chairman Hu Maoyuan stated, ... Read Full Story

By Brendan Moore 07.13.2007 Chery Automobile Co. of China, who just last week signed a production agreement with Chrysler to sell Chery cars in the U.S. under the Chrysler brand in 2008, has stated that they will double their exports in calendar year 2007. This looks to be a pretty safe bet since Chery reported quadrupling their exports in the first 6 months of 2007. China currently sells their cars in more than 50 countries, most of which are in developing regions. Chery may be the first Chinese car company to enter the U.S. market, by virtue of their agreement with Chrysler. According to ... Read Full Story