Chinese Cars Reportedly Hitting US Showrooms Next Year

Globalization is not a one-way street. The US may have spread its tentacles across the world, but they are not gripping as tightly as they were some decades ago - in the automotive industry it was the Japanese that came back first and took what they could, and now Bloomberg reports that the Chinese will begin selling their cars Stateside as of next year too.

The first PRC-based manufacturer to do so will be BYD, short for Build Your Dreams, a relatively new automaker backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. It has confirmed that their four model-strong range will make its debut towards the end of 2015.

This is BYD’s second attempt to penetrate US defenses, after failing to do so when it first set out to, in 2010, with a plan to sell the all-electric E6 hatchback, a model successfully used as a taxi at home.

In addition, aside from selling regular passenger cars, in March, the Chinese automaker will also be hitting the switch on electric bus production in California; another one is being planned for Sao Paulo, Brazil in the near future.

Volvo owners Geely will be next to arrive, according to the same report. They plan to ship cars co-developed with the Swedes into the US as early as 2016.

Scroll down and check out the two videos of the E6's first arrival of US shores... five years ago.

By Andrei Nedelea

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BYD Launches New Qin PHEV in China, Goes from 0-100km/h in 5.9 Sec, Coming to Europe

BYD Auto, the Chinese carmaker backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, has officially launched its new Qin plug-in hybrid sedan in China, with the company stating that it plans to offer the car in other markets around the world, including Europe from early 2015, albeit with a different name.

Initially offered in a limited quantity of 100 cars for real-life testing purposes, the Qin is now available for regular order with prices in China, prior to any EV subsidies, ranging from €23,725 to €26,225 (£19,645 to £21,715 or US$32,435 to US$35,840).

The dual mode Qin sedan links a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine to a pair of electric motors, which all together, deliver a combined output of 299hp (223kW) and peak torque of 440 Nm (324 lb-ft).

BYD says it can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h (62 mph) in an impressive 5.9 seconds and has a top speed of 185km/h (115 mph) with a claimed overall fuel consumption of as low as 1.6 l/100km (177mpg UK or 147mpg US), obviously with the use of the batteries. In its latest production outfit, the Qin can be driven in pure electric mode for up to 70km (44 miles).

Other highlights include four driving functions – EV+ECO, EV+SPORT, HEV+ECO and HEV+SPORT modes, a standard 12.1-inch TFT instrument panel, smart key system and BYD’s remote driving facility, which according to the automaker, "allows the car to be maneuvered remotely at very low speed from the outside of the vehicle where permissible".

Standard safety features for the Chinese-market model include Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Electric Park Brake, ISO-FIX mounting points for child safety seats, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), Control Deceleration Parking and 12 air bags.

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Skoda Looking Set to Sell 1 Million Cars in 2014, 1.5 Million by 2018

VW’s Czech subsidiary Skoda Auto is on track to sell 1 million cars worldwide for the first time in 2014 thanks to the addition of the new models and increased production of existing ones.

Skoda spokesman Jozef Balaz said sales exceeded 900,000 vehicles in 2013, although final figures are not yet available. Skoda aims to reach annual sales of 1.5 million by 2018 as part of VW Group’s plan to become the world’s largest carmaker.

“The trend of a build-up of orders should continue, at least in the next months, so the preconditions are there that we could reach this step (of selling 1 million cars in 2014),” Balaz was quoted as saying by Reuters. “We view that million as a logical step to meeting the (longer-term) target,” he added.

Skoda has yet to announce 2013 revenues, which were affected in the first half by the switch to a new generation of the Octavia model. However, an increase in sales in the second half has put it back on track, with Octavia making up about half of Skoda’s total 2013 sales.

The Czech carmaker is focusing on eastern markets like Russia and China to meet its 1.5 million annual target.

By Dan Mihalascu

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China's Qoros 3 Sedan Designated 2013’s Safest Car by Euro NCAP [w/Videos]

In September last year, the Qoros 3 Sedan became the first car made in China to get five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests. That was an impressive feat, but what’s even more impressive is that Euro NCAP has designated the Qoros 3 Sedan as the safest car it has tested last year (in that time frame, not in general), regardless of category.

The Qoros 3 Sedan scored the best result for Adult Occupant Protection in Euro NCAP’s 2013 program, while its safety passenger cell proved to be “extremely robust” in front-end, side impact and pole impact collisions. Obviously, the Chinese car was the safest of its category (Small Family), with six other cars being designated the safest in their class.

These cars are the Renault Zoe (Supermini), Lexus IS 300h (Large Family), Kia Carens/Ford Tourneo Connect (Small MPV), Jeep Cherokee (Small Off-Road 4x4) and Maserati Ghibli (Executive).

The Renault Zoe and Lexus IS 300h were at the same time the all-round performers of the electric/hybrid cars tested by Euro NCAP in 2013.

Euro NCAP updated its assessment of child occupant protection in 2013, giving credit to manufacturers that allow for easy installation of most popular types of child seats, which comply with the most recent revised child safety standards. Furthermore, the organization has started to test voluntary-set intelligent speed assistant systems as part of the rating.

By Dan Mihalascu

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