Category: Chinese manufacturers

Great Wall fears nothing. Despite a threat from Fiat over the Peri model which is a carbon copy of the Panda, the Chinese carmaker launched the Peri and has unveiled an electric version at the Beijing Motor Show.

The electric Peri is powered by a 67bhp electric engine and relies and lithium-ion batteries to store the energy. The carmaker claims the electric Peri achieves a 112 miles range and a top speed of 90mph.

Plugged on a special terminal, the Peri can be 70% recharged in 10 minutes. However details remain scarce.

Along with the surprising E6, BYD has also displayed the hybrid-powered F3 and F6 models once again already seen at Detroit and Geneva.

Less exciting than the E6 concept, the F3 and F6 are powered by a dual-mode hybrid solution which offers a 70 miles range in electric mode. A small petrol engine recharges the batteries while running like a generator. Unlike the E6 which comes with a lithium-ion battery pack, the F3 and F6 are equipped with normal batteries which penalize the recharging time. The F3 takes 10 hours to get fully charged. Aware of the problem, BYD has featured a second plug on the F6 enabling the batteries to be filled more quickly when plugged to a special device.

The F3 is a previous generation Toyota Corolla revamped by BYD while the F6 is a unique saloon sold as a flagship on the Chinese market.

The Chinese carmaker has unveiled the E6 model, an all-electric car, which might go on sale within two years.

The E6 is available with two engines options. The entry level is powered by two electric engines, a 100bhp unit at the front and a 53bhp unit at the rear and weighs 2,020 kg. The other version, which weighs 2,175 kg, is powered by only one engine at the front which delivers 214bhp. Both versions are reported to feature lithium-ion batteries which enables the two cars to achieve a 186 miles range. What’s interesting about the E6 is its ability to charge its recharge its batteries at 80% in 15 minutes.

BYD claims the entry version reaches a top speed of 87mph while the topping version achieves 115mph. The two versions runs the 0-62mph in just 9.2 seconds.

Not only the technical side looks promising, but BYD also had the idea to design an appealing car which combines an, estate and saloon styling cues. At 4550 mm long, the E6 will likely be roomy enough for five passengers.

Geely has unveiled a new small car dubbed Panda because of its front fascia similar to that of the eponym animal.

A five-door hatchback, the small car tries to hide its styling cues copied from the Toyota Aygo by featuring panda-like nose on the front end. However, the rear doors and the hatchback are a carbon copy of that of the Aygo.

The adopted name causes concerns. Initially, the car was known as Aoo, until the first information released by the carmaker revealed the Panda moniker. But then Geely discovered that an Italian carmaker had had the silly idea of registering the name for a small car. Will the current Chinese Panda keep its name?

The Geely Panda is powered by an in-house petrol engine which delivers 71bhp. The small car costs around £3,600.

Here are the pictures of the new BS4 Estate that Brilliance launched at the Beijing Motor Show.

Two weeks ago, Petrol-Head had released a few spyshots of the unexpected BS4 Estate. The spyshots were pictures of a prototype likely to be made in Italy. However, there was some doubt whether the car was real or not. Information remain scarce. Like the BS6 and BS4m the estate variant might be designed by Pininfarina. The exterior is rather appealing and there is no doubt that Brilliance wants to move upmarket thanks to the help provided by BMW.

The new estate will join a market segment which still needs to mature in China. Chevrolet and Peugeot sell the Sail and the 307SZ respectively there. Soon, Chery will launch the A5 estate.

Pictures of the expected BS4 estate have emerged on the Internet although there is some doubt whether they are official or not.

Like other Chinese carmakers, Brilliance wants to get media attention during the Beijing Motor Show. In addition to the BC3 coupé and the BS2 compact models, the company will unveil the BS4 estate. However the pictured BS4 looks rather odd. A closer look at the alloy wheels reveals something unusual, a like if an unskilled graphics designer had used Photoshop. There is also only one roof-bar on the left and the Italian registration plate is a fake.

The BS4 estate is expected to be available with two petrol engines, a turbocharged 1.8-litre and a 2.0-litre outsourced from Mitsubishi. The equipment will feature ANS, EBD, folding 60/40 rear bench. The boot capacity is estimated to reach 1,700 litres.

A few weeks after Mahindra & Mahindra, the Chinese carmaker FAW has entered the bid over Bertone acquisition.

Carmakers from emerging markets are launched in a race to acquire as soon as possible the expertise needed to sell their vehicles worldwide. Fortunately for them, Italian coachbuilders are in the doldrums and make perfect preys for the ambitious players. Bertone sales is a new example of the competition between them.

Like the Indian carmaker, FAw is very interested in Bertone’s production facility located at Grugliasco in Italy which has a capacity of 100,000 cars per year. FAW owns joint venture in China with Volkswagen and Toyota and builds under licence Daihatsu and Mazda models.

Geely has released two pictures of the concept car, called Geely GT, due to be launched at the Beijing Motor Show next month.

The concept car seems to be a combination of a Maybach Exelero, a Ferrari 612 and a Nissan GT-R, but the result looks rather appealing and it’s even possible to say that the GT has a true character. Details remain scarce and no information regarding the engine has been released.

Geely started business by building fridges in 1986. The company switched to motorbikes in 1996 and became a carmaker in 1997. Last year Geely delivered 200,000 cars.