Short Torque

Skoda sales surge in China in 2014

German carmaker Volkswagen Group's Czech unit Skoda sold 280,000 cars in China last year, surging 26 percent year-on-year.

This makes China Skoda's biggest single market in the world.

Last year, the brand's global sales grew by 12.7 percent to 1.04 million units.

Skoda produces its Fabia, Octavia, Superb, Rapid and Yeti models at Shanghai Volkswagen, the German group's joint venture with China's SAIC Group.

Maserati's luxury models gain favor

Luxury sports car manufacturer Maserati announced it sold 9,400 units in China last year, up 148 percent from the previous year.

Among its global sales volume of 36,500 units in 2014, China has become the second-largest market following the United States.

The top selling models included the Quattroporte and the Ghibli. Both are powered by a 330-horsepower twin turbo engine with rear wheel drive.

Shanghai GM's Wuhan line opens

With an initial investment of 7 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) and covering an area of 2.38 square kilometers, Shanghai GM's branch in Central China's capital of Wuhan was completed and went to operation on Jan 28.

The branch is expected to have the capacity to produce 240,000 units per year, according to the company.

It is the marque's fourth production base in China after Shanghai, Yantai and Shenyang.

The new Buick Excelle will be the first model off the branch's production line. Some compact and midsize cars, SUVs, and new energy models in the Buick and Chevrolet families will also roll out from there.

Renault due to release new model

Renault sold 34,000 units last year in China.

It has formed a close collaboration with Dongfeng, with a new vehicle produced by Dongfeng scheduled to enter the market this year.

A new plant in Wuhan has a planned production capacity of 100,000 units and the company expects to increase that to 500,000 units.

Lifan's 320E aims at low-tier cities

Chongqing-headquartered carmaker Lifan is expected to hit the market soon with its first low-speed electric vehicle, the 320E, targeting customers in China's lower-tier cities.

The company's electric vehicle arm now has an annual production capacity of 10,000 units and that figure is expected to top 100,000 units in the near future.

Motoring

(China Daily 02/02/2015 page18)