Short torque

Six automakers issue recalls for thousands of vehicles in China

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine announced last week that Jaguar Land Rover, Ferrari, FAW-Volkswagen, Shanghai Volkswagen and GAC Toyota Motor recalled thousands of their cars in China.

In a separate announcement, Volvo said last week it will recall about 10,000 units of its XC90 sport utility vehicles due to airbag problems.

Jaguar Land Rover is recalling 19,943 units of its imported Range Rover series manufactured between March 15, 2005, and July 26, 2012, due to a potentially dangerous brake problem. The company is offering to replace the brake hoses for free. It also recalled 1,243 units of its imported Discovery 4 produced between Aug 15, 2012, and Sept 14, 2012, due to leaky sunroofs.

Ferrari is recalling 13 units of its 2014 imported LaFerrari model produced from May 30, 2014, to July 25, 2014. Ferrari said the car has safety problems with its seats, headrests and tire pressure monitoring system. The company said it will replace these parts for free.

FAW-Volkswagen is recalling 4,281 units of its Bora, Sagitar and Golf manufactured between July 5, 2013, and Feb 14, 2014, due to a potentially dangerous airbag.

Shanghai Volkswagen is recalling 134 units of its Touran and Tiguan produced between July 24, 2013, and Oct 5, 2013, due to airbag problems.

From Sept 25, GAC Toyota Motor will recall 83,580 units of its Yaris produced between May 15, 2008, and Dec 31, 2011, due to an airbag problem.

Geely's joint venture with BNP Paribas receives go-ahead from commission

Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd and BNP Paribas Personal Finance announced last week that their joint venture auto finance company Genius AFC has received the green light from the China Banking Regulatory Commission.

Headquartered in Shanghai, Genius AFC has 900 million yuan ($145 million) in registered capital, among which 720 million yuan is coming from Geely. BNP is providing 180 million yuan.

Sino-Japanese partnership to build production line in Tianjin zone

Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co Ltd, a Sino-Japanese joint venture, announced last week that it will build a new production line in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Zone.

The company said it will invest 59 billion yen ($47.3 million) in the production line, which will have an annual production capacity of 100,000 units. It will begin producing new models by the middle of 2018. The company plans to shut down an old production line by the end of 2017.

Motoring

(China Daily 08/10/2015 page19)