"This record is yet another milestone in the history of Audi in China," remarked Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. "We were the first premium brand in China 22 years ago and have been the unrivaled market leader in this segment ever since – a success story we're extremely proud of."
The all new car will be available initially as a five-door fastback, with a four-door saloon to follow later on. The automaker optimistically told the Financial Times that customer clinics have compared the MG6 with the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Skoda Octavia and even with small BMWs. Prices in the UK are said to range between £16,000 to £20,000 (US$25,425 to US$31,780).
The U.S. government is eager to unload its 61% stake in GM after taxpayers bailed out / loaned the iconic automaker to the tune of US$50 billion. This comes despite the political ramifications of selling part of the brand to foreign investors or sovereign-wealth funds.
According to the Wall Street Journal, executives have been given a proposal that would provide China with a majority share in any joint venture involving foreign companies introducing "key new-energy components...such as advanced lithium-ion batteries and high-power electric motors". This would allow China to gain control of the technology that minority shareholders (i.e. anyone else) bring to the table.
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Percentage-wise, the highest gain came from China where sales increased by 75.6 per cent to 170,977 vehicles.
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"China has become the Volkswagen Group's largest and most important sales market. We intend to continue above-average growth side by side with our partners. With our unprecedented investment program, we intend to double our capacities in China to three million vehicles per year by 2013/14," said VW boss, Martin Winterkorn.
If the Peugeot 3008 and Infiniti had a love child, we can only imagine it would look something like Luxgen7 SUV which at 4.8 meters long, 1.93 meters wide and 1.76 meters in height, is roughly the same size as a Mercedes-Benz ML-Class.
The Taiwanese SUV is offered with a newly developed 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 175HP at 6,000rpm and 28kgm of torque spanning from 2,500 to 4,000rpm.
The workers have been demanding an increase of over 50 per cent in pay and benefits (don't be quick to judge them until you read the details below...) as well as promises that no one would go after them for participating in the strike.
The two companies said that they are planning to invest a total of 600 million yuan (US$87.9 million) in the 50-50 partnership in China.
According to a statement made by Daimler, the German automaker will bring its "know-how in electric vehicle architecture and safety" to the venture, while BYD will contribute "it's excellence in battery technology and e-drive systems".
To prove it, here are the numbers:
780,000 visitors
Yeah, that's big. And they're hoping to do even better in 2012.
200,000 square meter exhibition area (over 2 million square feet)
12,000+ journalists
1,564 "media organizations"
990 Vehicles on display
89 World debuts (14 from global manufacturers)
65 Concept cars (37 from global manufacturers)
China's BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co.) opened its own dedicated alternate propulsion division a while back in the form of the Beijing New Energy Automotive Company. Now that's a name that rolls off the tongue.
B-NEAC's goal is to build a few hundred test vehicles as taxis that would be rechargeable throughout Beijing. If the taxis are successful, stage two would consist of building a bunch more and lease them directly to the public.
For about $3,000 (US) in parts and a year's worth of time, Chen created a very-Lego Lamborghini that has a top speed of 60 mph (or 90, depending on who you trust). No word on the power source, but somehow I'm thinking an engine slightly smaller than a V12.
