The recently concluded Beijing Motor Show, saw almost all auto makers displaying their expertise with a bang. No wonder there are reports of more than 900 cars being displayed.

Big is beautiful for the country with the largest population. China is one of the fastest growing automobiles market in the world and is untouched by the overall global slowdown. It the market where all major auto makers are posting double digit growth rates and is a market no one can afford to miss.

As per reports, the Beijing Motor Show saw a mix of both the small cars, crossovers and the big SUVs being showcased at the country where the market is booming like never before. What was interesting was the fact that no one was over emphasising on the small car movement here, while the demand for big car remained potent as ever. Maybe the new rich Chinese are potential customers for every luxury car maker and so the big American style cars were displayed with pomp and show.

ET Automania checked out which automakers made news internationally and whether there was anything interesting for India at the Chinese biggest auto show.

German auto maker Audi stole the show by globally launching the all new Q5. The second in the Q series, the sporty SUV would be competing with the likes of BMW X3 and X5. The car is likely to be first launched in Europe this year. It is loaded with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission and a drive select control system and the lamps cluster would be sporting LED technology.

Read the complete story

The Cadillac that ain't your father's may be just be two-wheeled. Word of a new Cadillac motorcycle sporting gee whiz ethanol hybrid technology has just surfaced in D Business. The Caddy that leans will be built by V20 Consulting in New York and shown off at the next LA Auto Show. The irony of an outside company building a technology demostrator isn't lost on us, but it isn't the first time the General has collaborated with someone on a motorcycle. Just a couple hundred feet from the Detroit offices lives the first Caddy chopper, built by and currently for sale at Great American Chopper in Clawson, MI.

Knowing it was there, we took a quick jaunt to their shop so you can see what may inform the next motorcycle. According to the folks who work there, reports of Caddy boss Jim Trailer actually buying this bike are greatly exaggerated, so if you want to take a look for yourself and live in the Detroit area, it'll be there for all to see. [MotorAuthority via Hell For Leather.

Ford's Microsoft-powered Sync system has been a huge hit with car buyers and the he one bit of sunshine in the Blue Oval’s gloomy outlook. But with the automaker's exclusive deal  with Microsoft winding down, the software giant has signed a deal with Hyundai and Kia to provide its vehicles with the hands-free navigation, communication and entertainment system.

The Microsoft-Ford marriage ends in November, which is about the same time the Korean automaker will offer Microsoft Auto in its vehicles worldwide. The crew in Redmond says upcoming versions of Sync will add navigation and emergency response to exclusive features Ford now offers, such as text messaging and wireless streaming of Internet radio from Web-enabled phones.

Martin Thall, general manager of Microsoft's automotive business unit, told the Detroit Free Press the latest version of Microsoft Auto, the operating system Sync is build upon, soon will be available for "general release to the automotive community.”

Read the complete story

IS IT an Audi TT? Is it a VW Beetle? No, it's a Peugeot, and it's had the green light for production and will be coming to Australia.

Code-named the 308 RC Z, the curvy 2+2 coupe will be unveiled in its final production guise at next year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

The concept version at the Detroit Auto Show this year had a 1.6-litre engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger capable of producing 160 kW and 280 Nm, and a top speed of 235 km/h.

The distinctive construction included a carbon-fibre roof panel framed by two polished aluminium rollover protection bars. A polycarbonate rear window with two curved sections improves aerodynamics, sloping down to chrome exhaust tips. The shape of the rear contributes to increased downforce to replace a spoiler.

Finely milled metallic particles on the grey exterior body creates the impression the vehicle has been formed from a single block of metal. However, this paint job is unlikely to make it to the production version.

The 308 RC Z concept car also has a lane-departure warning system, directional bi-xenon headlights, lightweight carbon-fibre body parts and an onboard telematics system.

Tesla Motors opened its first dealership in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday, attracting a gaggle of reporters.

The location of the site in the tony Westwood neighborhood reflects the high-end shopping experience it intends to create for the flashy $109,000 Tesla Roadster. The next store, slated to open in San Carlos, Calif. in a couple months, will be set up to appeal to the Silicon Valley tech elite.

The company told the Associated Press that it is impressed with demand: it has taken 600 orders for the Roadster and has a waiting list of another 400. CEO Elon Musk owns the first one produced.

The fancy showroom near Beverly Hills takes its inspiration from Apple stores, Musk said.

"The Apple stores have worked out well. It's a fantastic consumer experience," Musk told AutoWeek. "We wanted a nontraditional automotive experience, and we have it."

Read the complete story

It's hot. Last year it almost touched 18. And this year it’s expected to go through the roof. New launches in motown are all set to ignore price hikes and the threat of an impending credit squeeze. With automakers bullish on new rollouts, this year promises to be a blockbuster for car lovers across the country. At the top-end fat cat segment of the automobile business, brands such as, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lexus, Aston Martin and Maserati might finally make their Indian debut.

While at the more modest-end of the spectrum, a slew of domestic and international carmakers are waiting to unleash a few surprises. Auto firms such as, Fiat, Volvo, Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki, Volkswagen, Tata Motors, Honda Siel and Mitsubishi Motors are all in queue to yank the covers off their gleaming beauties.

For instance, first to step on the gas would be passenger carmaker Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI). The Japanese car manufacturer is planning to launch three new models back-to-back, including the eighth generation Accord and the Civic hybrid. And, if sources in the Indian automobile industry are to be believed, a brand new version of its top selling model, the City could be on the cards as well. But when contacted, an HSCI spokesperson said: “We have no such plans to launch a new City as of now. The current City ZX is the only City available globally and is doing very well in the Indian market. The launch of our new Accord is taking up all our time.”

Read the complete story

Soaring gas prices have turned the steady migration by Americans to smaller cars into a stampede.
In what industry analysts are calling a first, about one in five vehicles sold in the United States was a compact or subcompact car during April, based on monthly sales data released Thursday. Almost a decade ago, when sport utility vehicles were at their peak of popularity, only one in every eight vehicles sold was a small car.

The switch to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles has been building in recent years, but has accelerated recently with the advent of $3.50-a-gallon gas. At the same time, sales of pickup trucks and large sport utility vehicles have dropped sharply.

In another first, fuel-sipping four-cylinder engines surpassed six-cylinder models in popularity in April.

“It’s easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in the market in my 31 years here,” said George Pipas, chief sales analyst for the Ford Motor Company.

Read the complete story

It's no surprise that at a time of $3.50 gas, sales of small cars would rise, sales of trucks and SUVs would slump. And yet these market forces have been curiously slow to appear.

No more. Last month sales of compact and subcompact cars exploded. "It's easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in my 31 years here," said George Pipas, chief sales analyst for Ford.

Ford's own Focus, which starts at $14,395, has seen its sales pop by 32% from a year ago. The Honda Fit ($13,950) has jumped 54%. And the Toyota Yaris ($11,350) has spiked 46% year to year. These trends are occurring in a decidedly down market for auto sales across the board. Small cars are clearly leaching sales from far more profitable trucks and SUVs. And this raises a provocative question:

Read the complete story

Indian automakers Thursday posted an on-year rise in April sales, bolstered by the launch of new models.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (532500.BY), the country's biggest automaker by sales, recorded a 24% rise in sales in April on increased demand for hatchbacks and sedans.

It sold 62,336 cars and sport-utility vehicles last month, compared with 50, 352 vehicles a year earlier, said the New Delhi-based unit of Suzuki Motor Corp. (7269.TO).

Local sales grew 22% to 59,539 vehicles, while exports climbed 64.5% to 2,797 vehicles, Maruti said.

Maruti sold 43,121 units of the Alto, Zen Estilo, Swift and WagonR hatchbacks in April, 27% more than a year earlier. Sales of the SX4 and the recently launched Swift Dzire sedans surged 97% to 4,187 vehicles.

Separately, the local unit of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. (005380.SE) said sales in April rose 48% to 40,001 vehicles from 27,069 a year earlier.

Local sales fell 21% to 21,501 vehicles, but exports jumped 63% to 18,500 vehicles.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd., the nation's second-biggest automaker by sales, sells models such the Santro, i10 and Getz hatchbacks, and Verna and Sonata Embera sedans.

Read the complete story

This year's Beijing Auto Show, which ran for ten days from 18th to 28th April, has been a huge success. The show, which closed yesterday, was the biggest yet, and is now the top Auto Exhibition in the whole of Asia.
Big names and glamour were in the driving seat, as a new venue played host to over 2000 carmakers from 18 countries and regions.

The new China International Exhibition Center opened in March 2008, and the Beijing Auto Show was one of the first big events to take place there. The center is in the north east of the city close to the Beijing International Airport. It offers eight pavilions, and provides 180,000m2 of exhibition space.

The facility was designed by the Beijing Institute of Architecture & Design, working in close partnership with TVS, the international planning, architecture and interiors design firm. Built to a tight deadline in only three years, the centre will also be used in the upcoming Olympics. It is the largest mixed-use exhibition centre in China and the Auto Show 2008 will be a foretaste of things to come in Beijing.

The place is huge – from the drop-off point at the entrance to the car park to the top end of the centre is a walk of almost 30 minutes. Luckily, shuttle buses were provided to ease aching feet.

As major western markets experience a slowdown, car makers are increasingly turning their attention eastwards. Present at the Auto Show were all of the top ten car manufacturers in the world, showing a total of 88 new models.

"China is different from markets in the west," said one representative. "The unique feature it possesses is a much closer balance of income. And for us that means that when one person is ready to buy a car, or move upwards in the market, then tens of millions of others are ready to do the same."

Read the complete story