Chinese Car Buyers Embrace Online Sales, Dealers Still in the Loop

E-commerce is nothing new, especially in what is probably the world’s most connected country: China. The thing is, Chinese are embracing online sales for new cars, too – and that’s good for business.

Spyker Cars Says Saab won’t Meet its Sales Target this Year, Now Talking with Chinese Companies for Funding

The roller coaster that is Saab has taken another turn, and unfortunately for the Swedish brand, the future doesn’t look so bright. In spite of a tentative agreement to let Russian banker Vladimir Antonov invest 30 million euros in Saab’s parent company Spyker in return for a 29.9 percent stake, the investment still needs to be approved by the European Investment Bank, which means the Swedes are still short on cash and cannot resume full production.
Today, Spyker reported a loss of €79 million before interest and tax for its first quarter earnings, while the company’s CEO, Victor Muller, said that Saab will not meet its sales target this year.

VIDEO: Geely’s McCar Bundles Four Seats and a Scooter in a Mini Package

At the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, Chinese automaker Geely displayed an interesting concept car called McCar, whose funny name reportedly stands for “Magic car” and “Motorcycle Car” , and has nothing to do with the famous chain of fast-food restaurants – unless you take into consideration the fact that there is a folding electric scooter sandwiched between the rear seats of the car

Geely Drops Five New Models and One Concept Car at Shanghai Auto Show 2011

This past week saw many new production and concept cars making their world premiere at the increasingly important from a global point view, Shanghai Auto 2011. One of the most prominent brands of the show is Geely Auto, the Chinese automaker and owner of Volvo Cars, which displayed 37 vehicles along with its latest R&D achievements.
Headlining the Chinese automaker’s presence at the show is a hybrid concept vehicle called the McCAR and five new models that the company says will soon enter production and include the Gleagle GC6, Gleagle GX6, Gleagle GS-CC Coupe, Emgrand EC6-RV and Englon SC7-RV. Head over the jump for more details and photos.

Volvo Teases Mysterious Concept Universe that Could Preview a Flagship Model

Volvo released a teaser video of its upcoming Concept Universe, without giving out any additional information other than that it's a new design study that will be launched shortly. This means it could debut at one of this month's international auto shows, either in New York (April 22 – May 1) or Shanghai (April 21 – 28). Taking into account the fact that Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, the Shanghai show could be the more probable venue of the two for the new Volvo.

Volvo to Build New Car Plant in China, Aims to Sell 200,000 Vehicles in the Chinese Market by 2015

At a press conference held earlier today in Beijing, Chinese-owned Volvo Cars announced plans to build a new plant in the city of Chengdu and continuing investigations for a second factory in Daqing, in north-eastern China. Volvo said that the deal is still pending approval from the Chinese government.
"We regard the Chinese market as the second home market for Volvo Car Corporation and a very important part of the plan to build a successful future for the company," said Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.
The Chengdu assembly plant will only build Volvo cars and have an initial output of around 100,000 cars annually, with production estimated to start during 2013. Volvo said that the decision to expand in China will not affect operations and employment in Europe.

Will China's BYD Bring the F3DM to the U.S. or will this be Just Another Broken Promise?

When it comes to making cars, China is king. We’re talking the world’s largest car market, with over a hundred individual marques. So why is it that there are virtually zero Chinese car manufactures selling cars in the U.S. aka the world’s other largest car market?
So far, China’s “Big Four” (well, the four most visible to those outside of China) have made and broken promises of bringing their vehicles to the North American market. Brilliance, Chery, Nanjing and Geely have all backed down from their plans to open dealerships and factories stateside. So far, not a single car from China's major automakers has touched down on U.S. soil outside a motor show.

Volvo to Cut Down its U.S. Lineup, V50 Among the First to go

With its U.S. sales steadily declining for 7 years now, Volvo has no choice but to radically rethink its strategy. The Swedish automaker is currently offering nine models in the States or about as many as Volkswagen does, but it sold almost five times fewer cars than the Germans in 2010.
Consequently, the Swedish brand, which is now owned by China's Geely, has decided to significantly reduce the number of models in its North American lineup and concentrate on best-selling vehicles in an effort to increase sales.

China's Geely Completes Takeover of Volvo from Ford

Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. (simply known as Geely) completed the purchase of Volvo Cars from Ford Motor Co. on Monday. According to Ford, Geely paid $1.3 billion in cash today and issued a $200 million note for the acquisition of the Swedish carmaker. The exact amount of the final sale price will be announced later this year when the final adjustments on Volvo's value are made, and could result in additional proceeds to Ford.