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Chery unveils its latest Tiggo8 SUV

Chery Automobile announced a change in status of its design center on Thursday in Beijing. It said the Chery Industrial Design Center had been formally recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a State-level facility, upgrading it from provincial-level recognition. Chery's latest SUV, the Tiggo 8, also made its premiere at the ceremony. Reflecting the recent evolution in Chery's design language, the model features a "tiger face" and "tiger eyes" in its exterior design.

Parallel auto import pilot areas expand

China will expand its test areas that receive parallel auto imports, to foster a more diverse and competitive auto market. Another eight parallel auto import pilot areas have been added to the current nine=region pilot list. The new regions cover ports in cities in Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Henan, Hunan, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing and Shandong. With parallel imports, independent auto dealers directly purchase vehicles from overseas factories or auto dealers.

China imports more cars in 2017

The China Automobile Dealers Association announced on Thursday that about 1.21 million automobiles were imported last year, up 16.8 percent on 2016. Some 904,000 cars were bought from dealers, up 0.6 percent, reversing declines seen in 2015 and 2016. Parallel imports, vehicles bought from other markets to be sold in China, surged 29.8 percent to 172,000 units. SUVs dominated the market, making up 88 percent of the all parallel imports.

Full-year drop in US sales envisaged

January's US auto sales were a little better than a year ago, but most analysts and automakers predicted a small full-year decline despite economic factors that favor the industry. Automakers reported a 1 percent increase last month to 1.15 million vehicles, and expected new-car sales falling to 16.8 million in 2018 from last year's 17.2 million. During the past few years, automakers pushed leasing to around 30 percent of sales. Car sales fell nearly 11 percent while truck and SUV sales were up 8 percent.

Aston Martin at China's doorstep

Aston Martin, the legendary British brand immortalized by James Bond movies, is seeking a joint venture in China to help break into the world's biggest market for EVs, Chief Executive Officer Andy Palmer said. Magna International Inc, the Canadian contract manufacturer, is also in talks with Beijing Automotive Group Co for an alliance, people familiar with the matter said. As the auto industry transforms rapidly toward battery powered vehicles and autonomous cars, major manufacturers are bracing for challenges including billions of dollars in investment with uncertain payoffs.

Motoring - Agencies

(China Daily 02/05/2018 page19)