Flybrian

Link to full story at Yahoo! News/Reuters GM consolidates top spot in China auto market Chinese workers work at a production line at the General Motors Corp.'s new plant in Shanghai, May 28, 2005. General Motors Corp., the world's largest auto maker, said on Tuesday its sales in China rose 47 percent in the first half of 2006, as it benefited from a stronger-than-expected domestic market. (China Newsphoto/Reuters) SHANGHAI (Reuters) - General Motors (NYSE:GM - news), the world's largest auto maker, consolidated its position as China's top vehicle seller in the first half of 2006, as booming demand helped the domestic market post healthy gains all around. GM, which overtook Germany's Volkswagen AG (VOWG.DE) last year to become China's biggest vehicle seller, sold 453,832 units in the six months ended in June, up 47 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Tuesday. It pegged its market share for the period at 12.5 percent, up from 10.8 percent a year earlier. Volkswagen posted healthy but significantly slower growth of 30.2 percent for the period, as sales rose to 345,375 vehicles. China has yet to release national vehicle sales for the first six months of the year. But vehicle sales rose 30.84 percent to 2.97 million units in the first five months of the year, with car sales up 44.2 percent to 2.11 million units. The strong industry-wide gains come on the heels of 21.4 percent growth in car sales for China last year, and just 15 percent growth in 2004 as Beijing took steps to rein in credit and cool the nation's racing economy. "GM and our China operations benefited from a stronger-than-expected domestic vehicle market in the first half," Kevin Wale, president of GM China Group, said in a statement. "We expect vehicle sales in China to remain steady through the end of 2006 and top last year's record. GM and our joint ventures are on track to once again outpace the market, with annual sales growth of more than 20 percent." GM, whose brands include Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac, said sales for its China joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group (SAIC), China's most profitable auto maker, rose 49.1 percent in the first half to 201,901 units. Volkswagen, whose brands include Audi and Volkswagen and which also has a joint venture with SAIC, also credited new models for its own strong gains in the first half of the year. "The increase in sales is the direct result of Volkswagen Group's restructuring strategy, the 'Olympic Program'," Winfried Vahland, president of Volkswagen Group China, said in a statement. "The program includes the introduction of new tailor-made models like the Passat Lingyu and the Sagitar." On Monday, PSA Peugeot Citroen's (PEUP.PA) Chinese venture said its vehicle sales rose 38 percent in the first half to 100,173 units, again crediting the rise to new models. Other major foreign auto makers in the China market include Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (7267.T), DaimlerChrysler A.G. (DCXGn.DE) and Ford (NYSE:F - news).

Link to full article @ DetNews.com China to take 2007 auto show by storm Three carmakers have big plans for Detroit displays ---------------- YPSILANTI -- Chinese carmakers hope to make a big splash at the North American International Auto Show in January after a tentative debut early this year. Three Chinese automakers are negotiating for display space at the 2007 show in Detroit and hope to start shipping vehicles to the United States in two to three years, the show's organizers said recently at a planning conference. Robert Thibodeau Jr., co-chair of the North American International Auto Show, said Hunan Changfeng Motor Co. Ltd., Great Wall Motor Co. Ltd. and Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Co. Ltd. are likely to display vehicles, joining Geely Automobile, which staged the first Chinese car exhibit at a U.S. show early this year. "It's exciting," Thibodeau said. "It's the thing of the future." In January, Geely displayed a small sedan, the 7151 CK, in a booth in the Cobo Center concourse, outside the main hall only during the press preview. Although the $10,000 CK did not meet U.S. safety and emission standards, it drew crowds of curious executives, consultants and reporters eager to see what the Chinese were capable of producing. The Chinese are now developing their auto industry with the hope of following in the footsteps of the Japanese and South Koreans to become big exporters in the United States, the most profitable auto market in the world. Geely, a privately owned carmaker, hopes to start selling vehicles in Puerto Rico next year and on the U.S. mainland in 2008. Another automaker, state-owned Chery Automobile Co., also plans to sell cars here in 2008. Geely, Chery and the three carmakers preparing to bring cars to Detroit are not among China's largest automakers, but they are among the most aggressive in an industry that is still in the early stages of a shakeout. Changfeng, Great Wall and Zhongxing could begin shipping vehicles to the United States as early as next year, although 2008-2009 is more likely, said auto dealer Richard Genthe, who was co-chairman of the 2006 show. "They are very cautious," said Genthe, who traveled to China recently to meet with auto executives. "They are making sure that when they come, they come with products that are up to our standards." He said Detroit show officials had proposed a pavilion for all of the Chinese carmakers, but the companies rejected it. "They want to stand on their own two feet," Genthe said. "They don't want to come and do an informational booth." The trio is likely to get 20,000 square feet in the Michigan Hall, in the Cobo Center's lower level, he said. ZX officials said earlier this year that they hoped to ship 40,000 vehicles to the United States annually, beginning in late 2007. The company is preparing U.S. versions of its Landmark sport utility vehicle and Grand Tiger pickup. ZX plans to display an SUV and a pickup in Detroit, said Ray Dreyfus, vice president of Chamco Auto, a New Jersey company that will import the vehicles. "That's definitely our plan," he said. ZX has not completed the display design but has tentatively reserved about 5,000 square feet at Cobo Center, he said. Changfeng introduced a cross-over vehicle at the Shanghai motor show last year, while Great Wall exports pickups and SUVs to markets such as eastern Europe. Genthe spent 11 days in China in May and June, touring auto plants and meeting with executives. With PowerPoint presentations, video clips from the show and an aid to translate his best auto dealer sale pitches, Genthe tried to convince the Chinese that they need to be in Detroit. Most of them didn't speak English, but they were all aware of the auto show in Detroit, Genthe said. He described the procedures to obtain display space and bring models to Detroit. "We are providing them with the opportunity so they can get an idea of what it costs to display at our level," he said. China's automakers are approaching the U.S. market with modest sales targets -- as did the Koreans and the Japanese before them. But after bumpy beginnings and unimpressive early vehicles, leading Asian carmakers are now formidable competitors in the U.S. market.

Really, how many times do you look at the clock?

Clearly, you're not someone that has my model-building skill...I think it can be quantified as a Skill Level .008.

As a straight man, its of my opinion that she clearly doesn't use those.

Yeah, but people will actually buy GM's SUVs.

The Buick LaCrosse gets 9.5/10 in California and 6/10 elsewhere and consider the 'technology' in that car. There are many other SULEV-II vehicles in Cali as well, like the 3800 Grand Prix, Spectra, Fusion, Galant...

Add to the lowered incentives and reasonable sale days the dimished fleet sales across the board and the outright dumping of several popular models since mid-2004.

I'd argue the Classic Auroras had better ergonomics in many areas versus the '01, especially in terms of seat control placement and the location of the door handles. If it had a HUD, there would be no better laid-out car.

The 2000-05 base DeVilles were a bit too floaty for my tastes, but the DHS/DTS and '06+ DTS ride perfectly fine. I like the big car feel, big car handling, big car stability, and above all the big car comfort.

Suzuki almost beat Mitsubishi.

The Sedona is like what would happen if the Odyssey went to the fair and had its picture drawn by a $h!ty sketch artist.

Motown is not hip-hop because Motown is good. I appreciate alot of rap songs today for their rhythm and beat; they just sound good. However, there's absolutely no art in 95% of what's popular today as there was with Grandmaster Flash, et al. I think Jay-Z's 99 Problems was the last of these I've heard.

Shouldn't the press be whining about Accords, VWs, Camries, Altimas, and Galants getting wheelcovers, too? Horrible looking ones at that. Nothing is classier than a last-gen Passat with a wobbly wheelcover.

At $100,xxx+, I can.

The Azera beat the XG by 68%? Then why is it counted as one model, d'uh. Nothing couldn't beat the XG, even the 1997 LeSabre it was modeled on.

I like how the Ambassador looks like it suffered more than the Gremlin.

Wow. Those are some good ones then.

I am constantly shocked that the Corolla outsells the Civic again and again because the Corolla is such a mediocre, lackluster car.

Just for that, I wrote your name in fireworks...

Remember the guy who just strips and then sits there eating cookies? Jesus Christ, wtf?

The bad news is, all of you are going to hell. The good news is, it'll be tastefully decorated. Just kidding.

Bathy, you rock. Seriously.

What a colossal waste of everyone's time.

Avalon sales are down because the Avalon is now a superfluous car. It had one year of meaningful glory and that's it. Spend a little less for a Camry with the same features or a little more for an ES with more features. Plus, for an alleged 'fullsize' car, it has a pitiful trunk. Toyota did the same thing people constantly criticize the Big Three of doing - introducing a car that really has no advantage over any other cars in the lineup. If this were baseball, the Avalon would be hitting the showers because this is its third strike.