Short Torque

Surging Kia sales

Sino-Korean car joint venture Dongfeng Yueda Kia's sales surged by 41 percent to 96,000 units in the first half of this year over 2008.

The company said the strong performance will enable it to reach its full-year sales target of 190,000 units earlier than projected. Last year the company sold 142,008 cars.

It has opened 21 new franchised sales outlets in China in the first half of this year.

The venture based in coastal Jiangsu province is now making the Cerato compact, Rio subcompact, Sportage SUV, Optima mid-sized sedan and the Forte, an all-new model introduced last month.

The venture will reportedly begin sales of the Soul subcompact before the end of this year.

Debut in Brazil

Chery Automobile Co began delivery of its Tiggo compact SUV in Brazil earlier this month, marking its official entry into the world's No 9 vehicle market.

The 2.0-liter Tiggo, assembled at Chery's plant in Uruguay, retails at around $25,000 in Brazil through 27 local dealerships.

The company also plans to export its QQ micro car and A3 compact made in China, as well as the A1 subcompact built in Uruguay, to Brazil by the end of this year.

It aims to sell a combined 10,000 units from the four models in Brazil next year. Vehicle sales in Brazil grew by 14.5 percent to 2.82 million units last year, which are projected to reach 3 million this year despite the global financial crunch.

Acura outlet in Guangzhou

Honda Motor Co's luxury brand Acura opened a new franchised sales store in Guangzhou earlier this month, its fourth in booming Guangdong province and the 17th across China.

Most of its other outlets are in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xiamen, Wuhan and Hangzhou. By the end of this year, Acura plans to expand its number of showrooms to 35.

The brand, which just arrived in 2006 in China, aims to sell 4,000 vehicles in the world's biggest vehicle market this year, up from 2,900 last year.

Acura's lineup on the mainland includes the RL and TL sedans as well as the MDX SUV, its best-selling model in China. The brand will also introduce new products later this year.

Wenzhou auto fair

Wenzhou International Automobiles & Auto Parts Fair 2009, hosted by the Wenzhou municipal government and sponsored by the Wenzhou Economic and Trade Commission, will be held from September 18 to 20.

The city in Zhejiang province is called the "City of Autos" due to high demand from its citizens for all types of luxury cars.

The fair is designed to further spur Wenzhou's automobile import sector.

Organizers have confirmed that nearly 600 enterprises and 14 purchasing groups have registered for the fair to date, including main industry players YBM Group China, Ruili Group and China Yunding Holding Group.

Premium Volvo owners

Four astronauts - Yang Liwei, Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, national heroes for their space mission - recently bought Volvo S80Ls as the carmaker started its national "Volvo S80L Social Elite Club" in July.

Volvo says the club provides a network for well-heeled participants through forums and seminars.

"Volvo will convey the astronaut heroes here on land with our premium quality and holistic top safety," said Alex Klose, CEO of Volvo Cars China.

Launched in March, the S80L inherited the S80 flagship model's design essence and technology while making enhancements to meet the needs of Chinese customers.

Equipped with Volvo's renowned safety technology PCC and a powerful engine, the car has found niche in the high-end consumer group.

The astronauts' purchase "proves the S80L is the first choice for successful and tasteful social elite".

(China Daily 07/27/2009 page7)