Taiwan’s All-Electric Studio X-Gene Avant GT

It’s called the Avant GT and it looks like someone tried to make a Porsche Panamera out of a Honda Crosstour. The pure-electric model was first shown in Shanghai earlier this year and it’s the product of five companies – none of which have any real experience building cars – including Taiwanese design firm Studio X-Gene, financial partner Altair ProductDesign and technological partners Delta Electronics, Wistron and Qisda.

The Avant GT is being marketed as, “a pure electric sports grand tourer” – which I suppose makes it Taiwan’s Tesla or Fisker wannabe. Let’s see what the company bigwigs have to say about it, starting with Studio X-Gene executive director Albert Yang:

"The Avant GT is a unique project for Studio X-Gene and represents the quality of automotive design expertise available in Taiwan today. Partnering with Altair ProductDesign proved invaluable. Combining our design knowledge with Altair's engineering and optimization expertise has allowed us to deliver this exciting, high-performance new vehicle to the Shanghai Auto Show and really make an impact on the automotive community."

When will it be on sale? We don’t know. How much will it cost? We don’t know that either, though we guess we'll find out soon enough.

By Tristan Hankins

Story References: Studio X-Gene via Cnet

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Neora EV Car Images , Videos And Specifications

Among the many world premieres hosted at the Auto Shanghai 2011 (April 21-28) is a new concept model for an all-electric sedan from Taiwanese automaker Luxgen. Called the Neora, the study is meant to demonstrate the firm’s technological prowess as well as to preview a future design language.

The plug-in four-door sedan concept is propelled by an electric motor with 180kW or 241-horsepower that drives the front wheels. According to Luxgen, the Neora tips the scales at 1,600 kg or 3,527 pounds and is capable of completing the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in just 6.5 seconds en route to a top speed of 250 km/h (155mph). The electric motor is fed through a 48 kWh lithium-ion battery set, which is said to offer a driving range of around 400 kilometers or 248 miles on a single charge.

“[The] Neora perfectly represents LUXGEN’s brand spirit of Think Ahead, and the new form of appearance will be the design cues for LUXGEN’s upcoming models in the future,” said the company’s Vice President, James Shyr. “Its streamline flow, and the innovation of lightweight, as well as fuel economy, represent the novelty of LUXGEN’s energy saving future technologies,” he added.

The Taiwanese automaker’s automobile range currently includes two models, the Luxgen7 SUV and the Luxgen7 MPV.

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan: China Edition

Another day, another photo of General Motors’ 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. This time, GM’s China site published a three-quarter view of the local market version of Chevy’s mid-size sedan finished in a blue hue. Blame the angle the picture was taken, but the new Malibu looks less dynamic, more plain here than it did on the previous image of the US-spec model. Of course, that’s our two cents worth, so feel free to express your thoughts in the comments section below.

The official unveiling of the 2013 Malibu is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 18 through a high-definition video streamed over the Internet, which coincides with the April 19 auto show debut of the mid-size sedan in Shanghai. It will also be shown at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday.

General Motors has revealed that the new Malibu will be sold in 100 countries worldwide with assembly taking place at numerous plants, including China and two factories in the States. It will be offered at launch with region-specific four-cylinder engines.

Source: GM via eGMcartech

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Ford to Introduce 15 new Cars in China and to Double Workforce by 2015

With only a few days left before the start of the Shanghai Auto Show, Ford Motor Company announced a very ambitious plan for China as the automaker aims to introduce 15 new vehicles and to double its workforce in the world's largest car market by 2015.

“Together with our partners, we are leveraging the strength of the One Ford plan and our global platforms to bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, reinforcing our commitment to offer a full portfolio of vehicles for our Chinese customers," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa president. "The 15 new vehicles are part of Ford’s plans to introduce 50 new products and powertrains to the Asia Pacific region by 2015,” Hinrichs added.

In order to achieve this ambitious goal, Ford will more than double the number of dealerships it has in China 340 today, to around 680. The first of the 15 new Ford models to be introduced in China is the all-new Ford Focus, which will go into production in 2012 at a brand-new $490 million plant in Chongqing that will have an initial capacity of 150,000 units a year.

Ford also announced that it will double the size of its professional workforce in China by 2015, adding 1,200 new jobs. The company will create 550 jobs this year in numerous departments including, engineering, manufacturing, marketing sales and service, finance, IT, communications, government affairs and legal division. The new jobs in China will be located at the company's operations in Shanghai, Chongqing, Nanjing and Nanchang.

Ford's investments in China are very important as the company expects 70 percent of its growth in the next ten years to come from its Asia Pacific and Africa region.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Volvo Teases Mysterious Concept Universe that Could Preview a Flagship Model

Volvo released a teaser video of its upcoming Concept Universe, without giving out any additional information other than that it's a new design study that will be launched shortly. This means it could debut at one of this month's international auto shows, either in New York (April 22 – May 1) or Shanghai (April 21 – 28). Taking into account the fact that Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, the Shanghai show could be the more probable venue of the two for the new Volvo.

The short video is not very revealing, simply showing the car under a cover and a few design sketches. However, we get a glimpse at a drawing showing a sharp front end a rear end that looks more fastback than sedan.

According to some reports, the Universe concept could preview a future S90 production model, a larger sedan than the company current largest, the S80. The new car could signal Volvo's involvement in the luxury vehicle segment, where it would compete against models like the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Audi A8 or Jaguar XJ. A move like this would seem reasonable given Geely’s plans for Volvo to enter the large sedan segment. Expect more details about the Volvo Universe concept in the following days. Until then, take a look at the teaser video below.

By Dan Mihalascu

Ford to Introduce 15 new Cars in China and to Double Workforce by 2015

With only a few days left before the start of the Shanghai Auto Show, Ford Motor Company announced a very ambitious plan for China as the automaker aims to introduce 15 new vehicles and to double its workforce in the world's largest car market by 2015.

“Together with our partners, we are leveraging the strength of the One Ford plan and our global platforms to bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, reinforcing our commitment to offer a full portfolio of vehicles for our Chinese customers," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa president. "The 15 new vehicles are part of Ford’s plans to introduce 50 new products and powertrains to the Asia Pacific region by 2015,” Hinrichs added.

In order to achieve this ambitious goal, Ford will more than double the number of dealerships it has in China 340 today, to around 680. The first of the 15 new Ford models to be introduced in China is the all-new Ford Focus, which will go into production in 2012 at a brand-new $490 million plant in Chongqing that will have an initial capacity of 150,000 units a year.

Ford also announced that it will double the size of its professional workforce in China by 2015, adding 1,200 new jobs. The company will create 550 jobs this year in numerous departments including, engineering, manufacturing, marketing sales and service, finance, IT, communications, government affairs and legal division. The new jobs in China will be located at the company's operations in Shanghai, Chongqing, Nanjing and Nanchang.

Ford's investments in China are very important as the company expects 70 percent of its growth in the next ten years to come from its Asia Pacific and Africa region.

By Dan Mihalascu

PHOTO GALLERY

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan: China Edition

Another day, another photo of General Motors’ 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. This time, GM’s China site published a three-quarter view of the local market version of Chevy’s mid-size sedan finished in a blue hue. Blame the angle the picture was taken, but the new Malibu looks less dynamic, more plain here than it did on the previous image of the US-spec model. Of course, that’s our two cents worth, so feel free to express your thoughts in the comments section below.

The official unveiling of the 2013 Malibu is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 18 through a high-definition video streamed over the Internet, which coincides with the April 19 auto show debut of the mid-size sedan in Shanghai. It will also be shown at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday.

General Motors has revealed that the new Malibu will be sold in 100 countries worldwide with assembly taking place at numerous plants, including China and two factories in the States. It will be offered at launch with region-specific four-cylinder engines.

Source: GM via eGMcartech

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New Audi Q3 SUV Officially Revealed: High-Res Gallery with 67 Photos

The wait is finally over. A mere week after the release of the teaser sketches, Audi has come out with official photos and details on its new Q3 compact SUV, which will receive its first public outing at the Shanghai Auto Show.

The Q3 is Audi’s third SUV model after the larger Q5 and Q7 and will compete against the BMW X1. Those familiar with the VW Group’s strategy won’t be surprised to find out that the Q3 is based on the platform architecture of the Volkswagen Tiguan. Audi’s interpretation of a compact SUV model measures 4.39 meters in length (14.4 ft), 1.83 meters in width (6.0 ft), and 1.60 meters (5.25 ft) in height with the roof rails, meaning its 240mm shorter, 50mm narrower and 53mm lower than the Q5.

The exterior styling is pure Audi with the design loosely inspired by the Ingolstadt firm’s Cross Coupe Quattro Concept from the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show. Compared to the Q5, Audi’s smaller SUV model introduces a sharper front design with wedge-shaped headlamps and a roofline that slopes gently towards the back for a more dynamic profile.

Inside, the Q3 features your typical high-quality Audi interior with a clean lines and seating for five. The luggage compartment offers a basic capacity of 460-liters (16.24 cu ft), but it can swell to a volume of 1,365 liters (48.2 cu ft) with the split rear seat backrests folded down. There are numerous standard and optional features including an on-board computer with efficiency program, an ambient lighting package with a bevy of LEDs, a panoramic glass roof, a storage package, sports seats and a three-spoke leather steering wheel in a new Q-specific look.

Built on the architecture of the VW Tiguan, the Q3 will be offered at launch with a pair of gasoline engines and a single TDI unit, with a second diesel to appear later on. All four of the four-cylinder engines will have a displacement of 2.0 liters.

The 2.0 TFSI will be offered in two states of tune, with 170HP and 211HP. The most powerful version propels the Q3 from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.9 seconds and on up to a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).

The 2.0 TDI will be available with 177HP and later on, with 140HP. Paired with front-wheel drive, the 140HP version will allow the Q3 to return a combined fuel economy of less than 5.2 lt per 100 kilometers (equal to 45.2 US mpg).

Both TFSI gasoline engines and the stronger of the TDI diesel units will be supplied with quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The 140HP TDI and the 170HP TFSI, will be offered with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, while the 177HP TDI and the 211HP TFSI, with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Audi says it tried to keep the Q3’s weight down by using a combination of materials. As an example, the company said the engine hood and wraparound tailgate, which houses the taillights, are made of aluminum, while the passenger compartment features a variety of ultra-high-strength steels.

In Europe, the new Q3, which will be manufactured at Seat’s Martorell plant near Barcelona, Spain, will go on sale in June with a base price in Germany of €29,900 (equal to US$43,300 at today’s exchange rates). Audi has not yet confirmed U.S. availability.

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