Short torque

By Motoring | China Daily | Updated: 2015-09-28 07:45

Mercedes-Benz event showcases designs through the ages

Mercedes-Benz held a four-day event called "The Shapes of Freedom" to showcase its design concepts in Beijing from Wednesday to Saturday.

Attendees had the chance to step into a time tunnel, tracing Mercedes-Benz's coup�� design all the way back to its origin, from the 250SE to the latest GLE Sport SUV.

"The pleasure of driving does not just come from the roaring of the engine, because beautiful design affects you even before you climb into a car. Gorgeous lines have the ability to move us from far away," said Nicholas Speeks, president and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service.

"Each generation of Mercedes-Benz vehicles has the duty of transmitting our classic heritage and outlining the future. And every generation of Mercedes-Benz designers has a responsibility to give our brand character and style," said Duan Jianjun, executive vice-president of BMBS.

Hubert Lee, director of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Beijing said, "Mercedes-Benz designs always exist in very personalized forms, and have never been confined to conventional thinking. Each model has its own distinctive character. We will never stop pursuing the best designs, putting our inspiration into form."

Volkswagen helps train young football stars during China tour

German automaker Volkswagen and VFL-Wolfsburg football club finished their youth camp tour of four Chinese cities and a two-day training camp in Urumqi.

Volkswagen China and VFL-Wolfsburg started this year's camp in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, on Sept 14, and toured Hongan in Jiangxi, Chengdu in Sichuan, and put on the finale in the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The camps included training sessions for young football players and workshops with local coaches.

The German's A-level coach group led by legendary player Roy Prager included theory and also guided local coaches in practice.

Prager said the key to training is to engage youth with passion. He said he was proud to help more and more Chinese players improve their skills and realize their football dreams.

The camp has provided professional training to more than 600 young Chinese players, after Volkswagen China started its Rainbow Bridge CSR projects last year.

Britain's Bentley sets up education fund for Chinese students

British premium brand Bentley established an education fund with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation on Sept 23. Ricky Tay, managing director of Bentley Motors China, said the fund will help 500 students in Anhui, Yunnan, Sichuan and Hebei provinces finish their three-year studies at senior middle school from 2015 to 2017.

He said the fund will also finance 50 college students from 2018 to 2021. Statistics from the CFPA show there are at least 7 million poor senior middle school students in China.

Faulty Takata airbags lead to FAW Mazda recall of thousands of sedans

FAW Mazda is recalling 279,266 sedans in China because of faulty airbags manufactured by Takata Corp, the Japanese supplier whose frontal airbags have caused recalls of millions of cars around the world.

The recall began on Sept 25 and involves the Mazda 6 made in Jilin province from March 29, 2003, to Dec 29, 2008. There is a risk that the problematic airbag will eject shell fragments at the driver and passengers when it deploys and inflates.

The affected cars will undergo inspections and the airbag inflators will be replaced with a new one at no cost. FAW Mazda, a Sino-Japanese joint venture, will contact customers through dealers to inform them of the recall and replacement.