Yutong School Buses This is part 2 of my special Strategy series about how Chinese carmakers can achieve a better market share in their home market. You can check out Part 1 (introduction and Medium & Heavy Trucks) here, Part 3 (Pick-ups, Mini Trucks and Minivans) here and Part 4 (Commercial Vehicles summary…
VW Santana in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur - May 2014 * See the Top 339 All-models ranking by clicking on the title! * As is the tradition on BSCB, after exploring detailed sales for April and focusing on the all-new models for the month, we now go into the year-to-date charts…
Haval H6 Sport * NOW UPDATED with the Top 65 brands & Top 312 models! Click on title to see * Passenger vehicle sales in China are up 13% year-on-year in April to 1.5 million as consumers brought forward purchases in anticipation more cities will implement ownership restrictions to fight pollution…
The Chevrolet Onix has taken a clear advantage on the Hyundai HB20 * NOW UPDATED with the Top 150 best-selling models and Top 20 brands! * The Brazilian new car market is still in the red: down another 12% in April to 279,759 registrations, bringing the year-to-date total after 4…
We are in China. I promise. (Click on any photo to enlarge) This is Part 9 of my China 2014 Photo Report series, you can see all previous Reports here. We are now heading 840km North-East from Hotan to Kuqa, still in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Western China. This…
Nissan Almera * See the Top 25 best-selling models and Top 58 All-brands by clicking on the title! * After seeming to plateau in March at just -0.4%, Russian new car sales are back in hell in April, potentially handicapped by the economic sanctions imposed on the country: down 8%…
BYD markets the L3 as the 'New F3' in Uruguay. * See the Top 44 All-brands ranking by clicking on the title! Thanks Leandro * New car sales in Uruguay may have plateaued for a bit: they are down 2% year-on-year in April to 4,281 registrations, however the year-to-date total…
Kashgari man and Jonway UFO A380 After exploring the extraordinary pick-up landscape in Kashgar, some 3.400km away from Beijing in South-Western China, we now go into its overall car landscape. In Chinese classification, we have gone from first-tier city (Beijing), 2nd-tier (Chongqing), 3rd-tier (Ürümqi) and now with Kashgar we are at…
Hyundai Verna in Ürümqi (click on any picture to enlarge) This is Part 2 of my Ürümqi Photo Report, you can check out Part 1 about the surprising strength of budget Chinese brands here. Yesterday I reported on how the Shanghai Englon SC7, SC3 and SC6, Dongfeng Fengshen S30 and H30 Cross…
Urumqi street scene (Click on any image to enlarge) After Beijing and Chongqing, we now travel to Ürümqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region at the extreme West of China. As described in my previous article The cars of Chongqing - Central China, the Chinese hinterland is going to absorb most…
Chongqing street scene (Click on any picture to enlarge) Now that you know the secrets of Beijing hutongs and the most impressive Chinese carmakers at the Beijing Auto Show, we go on a bit of adventure inside China. First stop is Chongqing, one of the fastest-growing cities on earth, 1.500km…
The Siena was Fiat's best-seller in Uruguay in 2013. * See the Top 45 All-brands ranking by clicking on the title! Thanks Leandro * New car sales in Uruguay are stable in March to an estimated 4,151 registrations, bringing the First Quarter total to 12,977 units, up 5% on 2013…
Chana Star in Dongsi hutong The legendary Beijing hutongs are tiny, charming alleyways formed by lines of traditional courtyard residences. An endangered species, the real Beijing lives and breathes in hutongs where a warm sense of community and hospitality survives. I was lucky enough to spend some time visiting hutongs during…
Deceivingly good-looking: the Hawtai Shengdafei This is Part 2 of my Beijing Auto Show 2014 coverage, you can see Part 1- First impressions here. In order to report to you with as much precision as possible my experience at the Beijing Auto Show I will rank all 30-odd Chinese carmakers…
The Qoros 3 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last April. * This is Part 5 of 5 in my series on Chinese carmakers abroad. See also Part 1 (Africa), Part 2 (Latin America), Part 3 (Eastern Europe) and Part 4 (Asia) * The first 4 Parts in this series have shown Chinese manufacturers securing the…