Toyota sales improve in China following waning 'island spat' with Japan

Washington, Dec. 4 (ANI)

Japanese automobile firm Toyota Motor Corp. has said that new car sales in China has dropped to a softer 22.1 percent to 63,800 units in November, indicating the fallout from the anti-Japanese protests in China this summer has begun to wane, according to a report.

In October, Toyota's sales sank 44.1 percent from the previous year, while separately, Mazda Motor Corp. reported new car sales in the country fell 29.7 percent in November on year to 12,187, improving from a 45.0 percent fall the previous month, The Japan Times reports.

According to the report, from January to November, Toyota's sales in China slid 3.3 percent from the same period last year to 749,600, making it unlikely the company will achieve its target of selling 1 million cars in China this year.

Sales plunged 48.9 percent in September after the Japanese government purchased some of the Senkaku Islands from a private Japanese owner the same month, sparking extensive demonstrations across China, the report said.

The islets in the East China Sea are administered by Japan but also claimed by China as Diaoyu and Taiwan as Tiayutai, it added.

However, Japanese automakers resumed sales campaigns in China, the world's largest auto market, around mid-October as the hostilities showed signs of subsiding, the report concluded.

--ANI

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Maserati to Have Five-Vehicle Lineup by 2014: Two GranTurismos, Two Sedans, and SUV (Thanks, China!)

Don’t tell us you didn’t see this coming—after all, isn’t everybody doing it? Maserati is under orders from Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne to make nice with affluent Chinese buyers, a cozying up that also will shape the brand’s lineup globally.

Two Four-Door Models, Shared Ferrari Tech

What it will affect most are are the brand’s premium four-door cars—yes, plural. There will be a new Quattroporte, plus a 5-series–sized derivative for the B-level management kiss-ass who can’t possibly buy the same car as his boss. (This is a huge deal in China.) Both cars are being planned and designed by Pininfarina together with the Fiat Auto Centro Stile as we speak. New engines will enter the Maser fold, too, including a 400-hp MultiAir-equipped, turbocharged version of the Pentastar V-6 and a newly available 300-hp V-6 turbo-diesel benefiting from Fiat Powertrain Technology’s latest generation of JTD II high-pressure diesel injection and management. Whether the latter can come play in the U.S. is yet to be decided.

It was clear that the trick, all-wheel-drive-enabling PTU that hangs off the front of the Ferrari FF‘s engine wouldn’t stay exclusive to Ferrari for long. We’ve been told that that both Maserati sedans will offer all-wheel drive versions using the ingenious technology, and the cars also will have ZF’s eight-speed automatic gearbox to help ease fuel-consumption and improve highway cruising manners.

The two cars shouldn’t be porkers, either, since the Fiat family’s close ties with Alcoa should allow it to merge some of Ferrari’s lightweight and rigid aluminum chassis technology into the Maserati models. At the same time, responding to complaints of cargo volume, rear passenger space, and ride quality, the rear suspension on both future four-door Tridents will be designed to allow 20-percent more cargo capacity and a repositioning of the gas tank. (The gas tank is currently placed on end right up against passengers’ lower backs.) The fresh Quattroporte arrives at the end of 2012 and the mini-QP comes one year later.

Maser SUV by 2014

While the Italians occupy themselves with the next Quattroporte lineup, the U.S. boffins at Jeep HQ have been handed the challenge of hammering Maserati SUVs out of Grand Cherokees by 2014 and no later. Maseratis off Detroit’s Jefferson Avenue assembly line? Dogs and cats sleeping together? We shall see. Actually, those 4×4 Maserati soft-roaders seem destined to exit the ex-Bertone facility outside of Turin—Fiat bought Bertone in 2009—since just this week the plant’s 1100 or so union workers approved a restructured labor agreement that could allow a $750 million investment to prep for Maserati SUV production. Production capacity would then be 50,000 units once all is in full swing, which means other Fiat-Chrysler models could join the Maser whomper at the factory.

So, by 2014, look for a five-model lineup at your local Maserati dealer: Quattroporte, mini QP, GranTurismo, GT convertible, and the performance SUV. So many Masers—thanks, China!

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BMW Opening Design Studio in Shanghai to Keep A Finger on the Pulse of China

April 25, 2011 at 3:49pm by Alexander Stoklosa

The BMW Group’s in-house design consulting firm, DesignworksUSA, will be opening a new studio in Shanghai later this year—supplementing the feeds from existing studios in Los Angeles, Munich, and Singapore with some Chinese design flair. DesignworksUSA may be a subsidiary of an automotive company in BMW, but it dabbles in industrial and product design for a variety of industries, having designed everything from the Embraer Legacy jet to a reimagined 1950’s-era Emeco aluminum chair. Of course, the consulting firm doesn’t forget its parent; contributions to BMW’s stable include the Z4, X Coupe, and Rolls-Royce Phantom.

DesignworksUSA’s Singapore studio has been in operation since 2006, but given the rapidly growing influence of China on the global automotive industry, DesignworksUSA’s execs know it’s important to have a presence in China. This will enable the company to work on non-automotive products there and get a feel for the tastes of Chinese consumers. We’re sure that China’s role as the quickest-growing market for BMW and the largest automotive market in the world played into the decision, too. (BMW is presently represented in China in a partnership with Brilliance Auto.)

This certainly sounds like a good strategic move for the future of BMW design—we just hope it doesn’t lead to a long-wheelbase Z4.

Tags: BMW, China, DesignworksUSA |

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