Author: yoann besnard

Nissan has unveiled the Livina C-Gear at Beijing expanding its lineup in order to boost its sales in China.

A five-seater, the C-Gear is sportier than the normal Livina and comes with large plastic wheelarches and a new front bumper. On the inside, the C-Gear features a black interior with silver panels. the boot has a capacity up to 383 litres.

The Livina C-Gear is powered by a 100bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine which can be hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Inported in Europe, the Livina C-Gear would be a cheap competitor to the Renault Scenic Conquest and the Volkswagen CrossTouran, but Nissan will only sell it in Asia and in South Africa.

FAW-VW has unveiled its latest creation, the new Bora saloon set to compete with the new SAIC-VW Lavida.

Chinese car sector is a very complex business where it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Volkswagen has two joint ventures with SAIC and FAW which competes with each other. Unlike the Lavida which is rumoured to share its underpinnings with the Passat, this Bora is based on the Polo platform.

Surprisingly, the VW-FAW Bora retains the same wheelbase as the Lavida, but it’s shorter by 54 mm at 4,540 mm. The exterior styling is also different as the Bora takes its styling cues from the Jetta.

Like its VW Shanghai counterpart, the new Bora will be available with a choice of two 4-cylinder petrol engines that can be paired to either a manual or a six-speed Tiptronic gearbox. The new Bora will be available in China in two trim levels "Trendline" and "Comfortline".

Standard features include ABS, front passenger airbags, power steering, power windows, climate control system and a CD-Radio. The top version Comfortline adds 15in alloy wheels, sliding sunroof, chrome package, anti-theft warning system, and cruise control and parking sensors.

Along with the new V101 and V802, ChangAn also displayed the CV8 model, the company’s flagship.

The CV8 was unveiled last year at the Shanghai Motor Show. This saloon is powered by 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine which delivers a power output of 150bhp. The equipment includes navigation system, electronic suspension and rear view camera.

ChangAn has unveiled two futures models at Beijing, a compact model called V802 and a saloon called V101.

The V802 will reinforce the company’s lineup by sitting between the CV6 and the larger CV8. The compact model is still a concept car but like the CV8 unveiled last year as a concept car, the V802 will likely hit the showrooms next year.

The V101 is a more conventional saloon due to take on established rivals such as the Buick Excelle or new contenders such as the SAIC-VW Lavida. This saloon is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol unit which delivers a power output of 95bhp and a torque output of 101 lb ft.

SAIC-VW joint venture has unveiled its first all-new vehicle the Lavida already reported by Petrol-Head.

At first glance, the Lavida is a well designed car although it won’t win any awards. Despite sharing its platform with VW model, the link with the German carmaker is hard to spot except with the front fascia. At 4,608 mm long, 1,743 mm wide and 1,465 mm high, the Lavida is a four-door saloon with similar dimensions to that of the Peugeot 407.

The interior is a bit better than the exterior styling thanks to a dashboard which combines wooden panels and Volkswagen wheels and buttons. However the overall shape takes its styling cues from the Ford Focus. With a 2,610 mm wheelbase the Lavida  should be roomy enough for four people.

When the Lavida goes on sale in China this summer it will be powered by two four-cylinder engines that can be combined with a manual or a six-speed Tiptronic. The entry level will be powered by 1.6-litre while the topping engine will be a 2.0-litre. VW Shanghai’s saloon will be available in three trims, "Trendline", "Comfortline" and "Highline".

The base vehicle will be equipped with standard ABS, driver and front passenger airbags, climate control, MP3-capable CD-Radio, power windows and anti-theft warning system. The more luxurious versions "Comfortline" and "Highline" also get 16in alloy wheels, a chrome package, sliding sunroof, leather seats, side and head airbags, cruise control, parking sensors, automatic climate control system and CD changer.

BAW has a long tradition of building off-road vehicles, but this time, the carmaker has unveiled two new saloons in addition to the concept car B40.

BAW, short for Beijing Automobile Works started building Gaz G67 under licence then teamed up with Chrysler in the eighties to produce the Cherokee model. With such a heritage, the Chinese carmaker has decided to unveil the B40, a concept car which is a mix of the Jeep Renegade Concept seen at Detroit and a Jeep Wrangler. Details remain scarce although it is known the B40 is equipped with a GPS system.

What’s interesting about BAW is its strategic move to build saloons. The carmaker unveiled three cars at Beijing, the 700, the 700R and the 800.

The 700 is a conventional saloon and there is no doubt that it will be used as basis for a future model. Like all carmakers at the motor show, BAW also unveiled a hybrid version called 700R. The 700 is said to feature a engine range including 1.8-litre and 3.0-litre petrol engines.

Along with the 700, BAW displayed a larger saloon, simply called 800.

Great Wall has unveiled a small electric car similar to the G-Wiz at the Beijing Motor Show.

Generally, Great Wall engineers are taking their inspiration from Europe or Japan to design a new model. But this time, they probably thought that it was less risky to have a look across the border in India and came back with the G-Wiz as reference to develop an electric-powered city car.

Like the G-Wiz, the Kula is a two seater which is based on a shortened Peri’s platform. Technical details remain secret, but Great Wall claims the Kula achieves a top speed of 40mph and has a range of around 90 miles.

Great Wall hasn’t confirmed yet if the Kula would reach the production stage.