FAW Group outlines aggressive China EV strategy; targeting 15% EV market share in 6 years

During the recent Beijing motor show last, FAW Group outlined its new energy vehicle strategic plan. By 2020 the automaker intends to have 6 new energy vehicle platforms and 16 vehicle models with mass market capability. FAW plans to take a 15% market share in the EV segment.

FAW also launched 4 new EVs at Auto Beijing 2014: Besturn B50-PHEV, Besturn B50-EV, VITA-EV and Oley-EV. The PHEV can reduce fuel consumption by more than 60% compared to a conventional vehicle, FAW said, while the range of the EV models is between 150-200 km (93-124 miles).

The EVs can be fully charged in 6 hours, or in 30 minutes with fast charging. The price range of the 4 new EVs is from 219,800 to 258,800 yuan (US$35,000 to $41,000).

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Dai Dali, general manager of FAW’s new energy vehicle unit said that the company hopes to sell several thousand electric vehicles by next year, especially in the most polluted cities.

We will first target cities that are under the greatest pressure to cut air pollution, particularly those that have set limits on new [non-electric] car licences.

—Dai Dali

FAW has made about 300 EVs so far on a trial basis.

2015 Volkswagen Passat CC Spied, Uncovered, in China

Volkswagen showed a concept version of its upcoming 2015 Passat CC “four-door coupe” model at the Beijing Auto Show last month. That concept car, called the New Midsize Coupe upon its debut, wasn’t particular coupe-ish. Still, it had legs, with Volkswagen execs telling the guys at Autoblog that it’s look was what “customers all over the world can look forward to over the next few years.” It seems they meant that literally, if the new-for-2015 Volkswagen Passat CC seen here- which was caught testing in China last week- is any indication.

Here’s what the New Midsize Concept looked like in Beijing …

… and here, below, is what the 2015 Volkswagen Passat spied in China looks like. As you can see, the sharp body crease about door-handle-high is there, as are most of the (admittedly production-ready) concept’s interior design elements.

Expect new diesel and hybrid options to make up the bulk of the Chinese CC offerings- but, despite the success VW’s had with diesels in the US, don’t expect to see a diesel hybrid 2015 Volkswagen Passat CC stateside anytime soon. Any US version is far more likely to be based on Volkswagen’s recently announced gas-electric hybrid system.

Sources | More Photos: Car News China, VW viaAutoblog.

Volvo Cars: China may replace US as its largest market this year

China is poised to replace the US as Volvo Car Group’s (Volvo Cars) largest market in 2014 with sales of at least 80,000 cars, up from 61,146 in 2013, the company said. Sales in the US in 2014 are expected to increase in line with the broader market.

The emergence of China as Volvo Cars’ leading market represents an important step towards the company’s long term goal of selling 800,000 cars a year; this would break a 20-year cycle during which it has consistently sold around 400,000 cars a year.

The premium segment of the car market in China is forecast to grow by 20% this year. Volvo Cars expects to outpace this growth, indicating it is gaining market share from its competitors. Volvo Cars’ confidence is borne out by first quarter sales figures for the China market, which reveal sales rose 25.4% compared to the first quarter of 2013, to 17,286 cars.

During the first quarter, the Volvo XC60 SUV was the best-selling model, followed by the S60L long wheelbase sedan and V40 hatchback. The sales start of the V40 Cross Country as well as an ongoing expansion of the dealer network will further support Volvo Cars’ continued growth in China.

At the Beijing Motor Show, Volvo Cars also officially introduced the Volvo S60L Petrol Plug-in Hybrid (PPHEV), underlining its commitment to bringing electrification technology to China.

The S60L PPHEV features the same electrification technology as the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid, which has been successful in Europe.

The S60L Petrol Plug-in Hybrid will be launched in China early 2015. The car will be built in the Chengdu plant, which already now produces the gasoline-powered Volvo S60L.

The first car to be assembled in the Daqing plant in northeastern China will be the Volvo XC Classic, a locally-built variant of the current Volvo XC90, production of which in the Torslanda plant in Sweden will cease this summer. The XC Classic will be sold solely in the Chinese market after its launch later this year. Other models to be built in the Daqing plant will be confirmed at a later stage.

April 20, 2014 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackB

Volkswagen could build plug-in hybrids in China

When you're Europe's largest automaker and your largest global market happens to be the one most notorious for its pollution (China), some solutions just present themselves. Volkswagen may be heeding that call. During the upcoming Beijing Motor Show, the company is expected to announce plans to produce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in China, Reuters says, citing sources within the company.

Few details have emerged, though the plug-ins will likely be produced at VW's Foshan factory in South China, which currently makes the Golf and Audi A3 and has plans to eventually make 600,000 vehicles annually. News has been percolating for a while, as Oliver Schmidt, general manager engineering and environmental office for Volkswagen Group of America, said last March that the company was planning at least two plug-in hybrid lines under the VW badge (and another three with its Audi and Porsche affiliates), including possibly a Touareg and Jetta PHEV. VW said late last month that it was looking to speed up development of "particularly eco-friendly models" made by Shanghai Volkswagen as well as developing a "new, very eco-friendly vehicle" with First Automotive Works (FAW).

Earlier this year, VW unveiled its Golf GTE plug-in hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show. That model has a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an electric motor to provide 201 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The car can travel as many as 81 miles on electric power alone.

News Source: Reuters

China getting ready for 5m plug-in vehicles by 2020

Imagine all of the cars and light-duty trucks in Washington and Oregon combined. Then imagine them all being either battery-electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. That's what Chinese leaders have in mind by the end of the decade.

The China State Council is pushing for a combination of automotive industry production and public acceptance to allow for as many as five million plug-in vehicles to be on the roads in China by 2020, Green Car Congress reports.

The Chinese government is also looking to boost average new-car fuel economy to about 47 miles per gallon in 2020 from about 34 miles per gallon in 2015, when the State Council is targeting for about a half-million vehicles to be electric drive.

China will enact a combination of research and development funding and subsidies that will be used to boost sales of plug-ins. The government will also speed up the development of an electric-vehicle charging infrastructure and will tilt tax policies to be more plug-in friendly.

China was already expected to account for a substantial chunk of the more than 600,000 plug-in vehicles expected to be sold in Asia Pacific by 2017, as forecast by green-technology research firm Pike Research last year. The auto industry is certainly getting ready. This month, General Motors debuted a demonstration fleet of Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in vehicles in China. GM and the China Automotive Technology Research Center (CATARC) will operate and study the fleet for about a year. At the Beijing Motor Show this week, a number of plug-in vehicles were on display, like the CH Auto Lithia and the Venucia E-Concept.


Source: Autoblog Green

GM shows design of Chevrolet EN-V 2.0 mobility concept vehicle in Beijing

General Motors showed the company’s vision of the Chevrolet EN-V 2.0 concept at Auto China 2012 today. It is an evolved design of the company’s mobility concept revealed at World Expo 2010 Shanghai. The EN-V 2.0 concept would use technologies such as the mobility Internet, electrification and telematics to help change the automotive landscape and ensure a sustainable future for our industry. —Kevin Wale, president and managing director of the GM China Group The original EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) concept was a centerpiece of the SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 Shanghai. The two-seat electric vehicle was based on the convergence of electrification and connectivity. It was developed to show the possibilities for alleviating concerns surrounding traffic congestion, parking availability, air quality and affordability for tomorrow’s cities. The EN-V 2.0 concept adds features that consumers demand such as in-vehicle climate control and personal storage space. In addition, it would be capable of driving in all weather and city road conditions. GM expects to use EN-V 2.0 prototype models in pilot studies throughout China. Source: Green Car Congress

Pics Aplenty: Citroën to roll out sexy Numero 9 plug-in concept

PRESS RELEASE

Marketed alongside Citroën's main range, the DS line explores new automotive territory. Based on more radical choices, it opens new perspectives in premium vehicle design. Inspired by ninety years of history and automotive excellence, the DS line illustrates the best of Citroën expertise in terms of creativity and technology. Two years after its launch, the DS line – comprising the Citroën DS3, DS4 and DS5 – has already notched up more than 200,000 sales.

Pursuing its career, the DS will be launched this year in China. To mark the event, Citroën has designed a new concept car, Numéro 9, to be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show. This concept heralds the future of the DS line and signals the styling cues of the next three models in the line: a C-segment premium sedan, an SUV and a D-segment executive saloon.

Concept car Numéro 9 sublimates the DNA of models in the DS line. It expresses radical choices in design with immediately recognisable styling that is both inspired and emotional. Sophistication is allied with a high-quality finish for original driving sensations and features that are truly useful every day. Its charismatic body styling revisits the shooting brake, while the new front end is designed for plug-in full-hybrid technology. This concept car boasts remarkable levels of performance (50 km range, 295 bhp, boost function, 39 g/km of CO2). High standards, bold design, creativity and the best of technology.

Honda to introduce three hybrids to China market this year, local production of EVs

With two weeks to go until the opening of the Beijing International Auto Show, Hond Motor (China) Investment outlined its mid-term business strategy for China, covering both the Honda and Acura brands. Overall, Honda will introduce more than 10 new and full-model-change Honda models during the 3-year period from 2013 to 2015, and is targeting a doubling of 2011 unit sales in 2015.

Within this year, Honda will introduce three hybrid models to the China market. All three models, the CR-Z, the Insight and the Fit Hybrid, are equipped with Honda’s original IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) lightweight and compact hybrid system. As the next step, Honda says it will introduce a new hybrid system more appropriate for mid- to large-sized vehicles as well as a plug-in hybrid system. (Earlier post.)

Honda will also introduce in China the new Acura NSX, which uses the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) hybrid system. (Earlier post.)

All Honda vehicles sold in China will shift to new engines that apply Earth Dreams Technology. The engines of all Honda brand vehicles will be renewed by the end of 2015. In this way, Honda will strive to realize the highest fuel economy in each vehicle category in the China automobile market.

Honda is also currently preparing to produce hybrid models locally in China, and anticipates that local procurement of key components such as batteries and motors will reduce costs in order to popularize hybrids in that market.

As for electric vehicles, Honda began demonstration testing in Guangzhou last year. Based on the results of this testing, Honda is preparing to begin local production at Guangqi Honda sometime toward the end of this year.

For Acura, Honda will introduce this year the ILX, a small-sized sedan, and the RDX, a small-sized SUV; introduction of the RLX luxury sedan is slated for next year. Starting in stages next year, the Acura brand is planning to introduce models equipped with new, relatively small-sized engines, for which demand is high in China. The powertrains of all Acura models also will be renewed by the end of 2015.

R&D. Honda is considering the establishment of a Honda design studio in China. The R&D teams of the joint venture companies, the development team of Honda China and Honda research centers in Japan will work together to enhance Honda’s R&D capacity in China.

Production. In July of this year, the second plant of Dongfeng Honda will begin production. Guangqi Honda is also making progress with a plan to build its third line and is aiming to begin production on this new line in 2014.

Motorsports. Honda says it will initiate the promotion of racing activities and expand the awareness of motorsports activities which haven’t yet gained great popularity in China. Honda will participate in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) starting this year. In addition, Honda will race on a spot participation basis in the China Touring Car Championship (CTCC), starting this year. For this year’s China Grand Prix in November, Honda will participate both in WTCC and CTCC.


Source: Green Car Congress