China

  • Daimler's Dr. Dieter Zetsche and BAIC's Xu Heyi shake hands on a new joint venture - image: Daimler

    The relationship between Mercedes’ parent Daimler and China’s Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) isn’t a new one. Beijing Benz Automotive Company (BBAC) has been building Mercedes-Benz passenger cars since 2006, while another Beijing subsidiary began producing Auman-branded Mercedes trucks in 2012. Under the Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Company Limited umbrella, Mercedes sells both imported and locally-produced cars under one roof, a clear indication that the German automaker has faith in its Chinese partner. Today, Daimler has announced that it will take a 12-percent...

  • A123 Systems Prismatic Cell
    Chinese Firm Buys Fisker Battery Supplier A123 Systems

    When lithium-ion battery manufacturer A123 systems declared bankruptcy last October, the move left Fisker Automotive without a battery supplier for its Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan. Fisker downplayed the drama, insisting that it had sufficient inventory for the near future, and that the sale...

  • Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche with the Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe in China
    China State Fund Seeks Stake In Daimler: Report

    Chinese sovereign-wealth fund China Investment Corp. is reportedly seeking a stake in German auto giant Daimler, the parent of the Mercedes-Benz and Smart brands. The information was first reported by China’s People’s Daily newspaper, which said the wealth fund was looking to purchase...

  • 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee
    Full Jeep Lineup May Be Manufactured In China

    As it looks to counter the effects of declining European sales, Fiat is turning an eye towards China. Still viewed as the world’s largest automotive market, Fiat thinks there’s opportunity to resume Jeep production in China for the local market. Today, all Jeep models are produced in...

  • 2013 Lexus ES 350
    Lexus Cuts Production Over China Tensions: Report

    Just last week we told you about increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in China, prompted by a territorial dispute over a series of uninhabited islands (this time). The Chinese are nothing if not nationalistic, and the dispute has led to the vandalism or destruction of a few Japanese car dealerships...

  • China and Cars
    Japanese Automakers Face Off With China

    If you know your world history, you know that China and Japan have a long history of not getting along well with one another. While relations between the two have generally been cordial as of late, a recent dispute over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands has stirred-up strong anti-Japanese sentiment...

  • Ford's management team with the 2013 Lincoln MKZ

    Lincoln may be almost a century old but the brand is barely recognized outside of North America. This is something Lincoln is keen to change, so today it is taking the first key step towards establishing itself as a global luxury automotive brand by announcing its entry into the Chinese market. But putting a luxury face on an automaker in a region where it’s virtually unknown is a tough endeavor, which is why there’s no immediate rush to get Lincoln’s range into showrooms. Chinese customers won’t be able to buy any Lincoln models until the second half of 2014, with the...

  • 2010 BMW 5-Series Sports Wagon
    BMW Expands Its Used Car Presence In China

    Despite continued growth in new car sales in China, some believe the market is close to peaking. If you’re trying to establish a presence as an automaker, the next best thing to selling new cars is selling certified used cars. That strategy for the Chinese market is being embraced by both...

  • Volkswagen's People's Car Project concepts
    Volkswagen Gets China's Take On The People's Car Of The Future

    Volkswagen--the People's Car--is aiming to become the car of the People's Republic of China. This look at the future of VW car tech comes courtesy of the People's Car Project at Auto China 2012. The ideas themselves come from 119,000 ideas submitted from the 33 million visits to the project's site...

  • BMW logo
    BMW Opens New Design Center In China: Is That A Good Thing?

    Following on the heels of this week’s Beijing Auto Show, BMW has announced that it’s opening a new Designworks studio, with a Connected Drive Lab, in Shanghai’s upscale Huangpu District. The area is described as a commercial and financial center of one of the world’s fastest...

  • AMG's first stand alone dealership, the Beijing Sanlitun AMG Performance Center
    First AMG-Only Dealership Opens In Beijing

    The Beijing Sanlitun AMG Performance Center is unlike any other Mercedes-Benz dealership in the world; you can’t buy a Mercedes-Benz E Class or C Class model there, but you can buy anything in the current AMG high-performance portfolio. The idea of an AMG Performance Center is nothing new...

  • Chrysler 300 Ruyi Design Concept for the 2012 Beijing Auto Show
    Chrysler Returns To China With Jeep Wrangler And Chrysler 300 Concepts

    To mark the return of Chrysler to the Chinese market, the automaker is showing two design concepts built specifically for the Chinese market at this week’s Beijing Auto Show. Named for a symbol of prosperity, the Chrysler 300 Ruyi Design Concept is sprayed in Maximum Steel and trimmed with a...

  • Audi's Q3 Jinlong Yufeng concept for the 2012 Beijing Auto Show

    In Chinese, jinlong yufeng translates into “Golden Dragon in the Wind.” While that may seem to be an odd name for an Audi concept, it plays on 2012 being the Chinese year of the dragon. Coincidentally, 2012 is also the year that Audi will launch its Q3 crossover in the Chinese market. What better way to introduce the product than with a concept tied to the year, built for recreationally oriented (i.e., young) buyers? The Audi Q3 jinlong yufeng is styled with a nod towards kitesurfing, in which participants attempt to harness the power of the wind for sport. Mounted to the roof...

  • Aston Martin's 'Dragon 88' Special Editions for the Chinese market.
    Aston Martin Reveals 'Dragon 88' Special Editions In Beijing

    Intent on making a statement at this week’s Beijing Auto Show, Aston Martin is unveiling three special edition models in its “Dragon 88” series, aimed specifically at customers in the Chinese market. Show attendees will see a DBS Volante, a Virage Coupe and a V8 Vantage S Coupe...

  • MG's Icon crossover concept.
    MG To Show Icon Crossover Concept In Beijing

    While MG may not have returned to its former glory under Chinese ownership, the brand appears to be both healthy and eyeing future market growth, as evidenced by a new compact crossover concept to be shown at the Beijing Auto Show. Called the Icon, the concept bears a striking resemblance to the...

  • 2013 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification
    China Overtakes The U.S. To Become Bentley's Biggest Market

    Sales of Bentley automobiles in the United States grew by 40-percent in the first quarter, reaching 450 units. That wasn’t enough for the U.S. to retain its long-standing position as Bentley’s largest market, as sales in China ballooned to 578 units in the same period. Christophe...

  • 2013 Cadillac ATS
    Cadillac To Begin Production Of Three Models In China

    Just five years ago, in 2007, Cadillac had no sales in China. Last year, the brand sold some 30,000 vehicles in the Chinese market, despite punishing tariffs that the government places on imported cars. That unit sales number represents a growth of over 70-percent from 2010, and GM’s global...

  • Ferrari's 20th Anniversary Special Edition, for the Chinese market.
    Ferrari Creates Special Edition 458 Italia For The Chinese Market

    In 1992, Ferrari sold its very first car, a 348 TS, into the Chinese market. To commemorate the event, Ferrari is opening its first long-term brand exhibition (outside Maranello, that is) at the Italia Center of Shanghai World Expo Park. The Ferrari Exhibition will include five themes, including...

  • Denza logo

    Daimler, together with one of its Chinese partners, BYD, has established the new vehicle brand Denza that will focus on eco-friendly vehicles including electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The Denza brand is a 50:50 joint venture between Daimler and BYD and is expected to unveil a concept of its first model, an electric car, at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show later this month. BYD, originally a battery manufacturer, is a world leader when it comes to electrified vehicles and was actually the first in the world to bring to market a mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle. It will provide the joint...

  • Screencap from promo video for China’s Sports Car Club (SSC)
    The Incredible Collection Of China’s Premier Supercar Club

    Yesterday we brought you a story about a bus company in China teaching its drivers about the many number of exotic cars they’re likely to come across during their working hours and how they should be extra careful around them. That’s not to say that China’s highways are clogged...

  • Poster shown to bus drivers explaining different exotic car brands
    Chinese Bus Drivers And Cabbies Reminded To Be Extra Cautious Near Exotics

    Following a recent spate of high-profile crashes involving supercars and luxury sedans in China, a local bus company has launched a new campaign aimed at getting its drivers to be more cautious when the pricey cars are around. Pictured above is part of a poster used by the company to inform its...

  • 2009 Mercedes-Benz S-Class with AMG sports package
    Luxury Automakers Forced To Offer Big Discounts In China

    While once they enjoyed record margins on each of their sales, luxury automakers in China are now offering big discounts to move vehicles off showroom floors. As recently as last year, buyers in China seeking a popular model like the Mercedes-Benz S600 L were paying as much as $31,600 on top of the...

  • 2013 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification
    Bentley Expecting To Double Sales, Sell 25,000 SUVs

    Ultra-luxury brand Bentley isn't concerned about the global economy, forecasting double-digit growth in several key markets this year.

  • Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4
    Lamborghini Says Supercar Sales Slowing In China

    A shrinking Chinese economy has high-end automakers predicting less growth in 2012 than they experienced in 2011.

Follow Us on Instagram @motorauthority

News First Drives Auto Shows Photos Videos Spy Shots