Bestune T77 in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia. We interviewed the Bestune team at the Shanghai Auto Show last April to try and uncover the secrets behind the success of FAW's new brand, and the logical next step was to test drive its unique model for now, the T77 SUV, which one…
Dongfeng Aeolus AX7 in Dali, Yunnan. We continue on our series of Chinese dealership test drives with the second Dongfeng this year, this time from the Aeolus sub-brand, a Westernised name for the Chinese label Fengshen. Note that it may as well be a different brand altogether so much so…
VW Lavida in Lijiang, Yunnan. After test driving the Wuling Hongguang, #1 in China from 2013 to 2017, the logical next step is to get a feel of 2018's overall leader the VW Lavida. I was able to do exactly that in Lijiang in the Yunnan province earlier this year. Originally launched…
Wuling Hongguang in Dali, Yunnan. It's time for me to test drive the car that is responsible for bringing mass mobility to an entire nation: the Wuling Hongguang. Originally launched in 2010, no less than 4 million of them have been sold in China since, dominating the country's sales charts…
Dongfeng Fengon ix5 in Kunming We continue on our Chinese dealership test drives with the Dongfeng Fengon ix5, previously Fengguang and aka Glory outside of China. This is Dongfeng's first coupe SUV, a red hot format in China at the moment that seems to be the perfect blend of SUV…
Jetour X70 in Dali. After reporting on my rental Peugeot 301 and Hyundai Celesta, it is now time to relate my visits to Chinese dealerships and all the quick test drives that resulted. From 5 in 2018, the number of new Chinese cars I was able to get my hands…
Our Hyundai Celesta near Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan. After trying out a Peugeot 301 in Inner Mongolia, we now fly the entire width of China to land in Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan province. We will attempt to visit the province's highlights during a 1.263 km loop with…
The new A-Class helps Mercedes retail sales up 14.3% in China in May. Just as wholesales continue to freefall (-16.4%), retail sales contain their decline to -4.4% in May to 1.710.251 units and -2.1% so far in 2019 to 8.420.323 (-2.1%). Keep in mind wholesales are factory shipments to dealerships and…
Baojun E200. New Energy vehicles include electric, hydrogen, PHEV and hybrid models, and in this update we are referring to retail sales including imports as these offer a much more complete picture of New Energy sales than wholesales alone. In May, sales of New Energy vehicles in China edge down…
The Lexus UX has landed in China. After scoring their first year-on-year gain of 2019 in April (+8.8%), new car imports into China accelerate to +18.4% in May to 99.449 units, leading to a year-to-date tally now down just -0.9% to 449.446. 8 of the Top 10 brands outpace the…
Toyota Tundra in front of the Potala Palace, Lhasa. After Shanghai, Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia and Kunming, Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan, we finish our Chinese exploration following the Shanghai Auto Show on a high note. After many years of anticipation and missed opportunities because of how convoluted the permit process is, I…
My rental Peugeot 301 in Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia. We are back for a new series of China Test Drives as securing my temporary Chinese driver's licence for a second year in a row enabled me to rent two cars in two different provinces and test drive 9 more at dealerships.…
The GAC NE Aion S has landed in China. After analysing May wholesales in detail, we now focus on the all-new locally-produced launches for the month, so you can stay up-to-date on the fastest-evolving automotive market in the world. Note this update is based on wholesales figures, and sometimes new…
Honda sales are up 18.1% in a market down -16.4% Far from building up on the signs of recovery the market showed earlier in the year, Chinese wholesales fall even deeper into depression in May with their steepest year-on-year drop so far at a ghastly -16.4% to 1.912.600 units, marking…
Chana CX70 in Lijiang After Shanghai, Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia and Kunming and Dali in Yunnan, we proceed on our Chinese exploration following the Shanghai Auto Show. Next stop is Lijiang, still in Yunnan province, roughly 200km north of Dali, and then we push a further 100km north to the famous…