Autoblog

• Doh! All plans for return of MG to U.S. dead
  

  Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, China

  
  
  Blame gas prices. Blame the housing market. Blame the dollar for being worth much less than it was in 2005. But ultimately, you'll probably need to blame the Chinese for the total lack of MGs being sold in the U.S.
  
  Despite initial plans by MG's new owner, Nanjing Automobile Group Corp., to sell a U.S. version of the TF roadster, the company now says conditions are just wrong here in the States. "The U.S.A. isn't on the short-term radar as an anticipated market for us, but with the right product, it would be good to return there," Gary Hagen, marketing director...
  



• Concrete chicane keeps drivers on the curvy and narrow in China
  

  Filed under: China, Etc.

  
  
  We don't have much information on this, but apparently this theme-park looking concrete chicane is in use on a roadway in China to keep speeds down. The Not So Great Wall of China is about two-feet high and one-hundred serpentine feet long.
  
  We can't imagine what people were doing on this road to necessitate one-way traffic slowed to a crawl. Or maybe the authorities are just trying to protect the trees and fields from pilots like the amphibious Audi R8 driver, since there doesn't seem to be a mammal anywhere in the area. Or perhaps a new Olympic sport? If you have any better (more...
  



• Spy Shots: 2009 Honda City?
  

  Filed under: Spy Photos, Economy, Sedans/Saloons, China, Honda, India

  Honda is set to release the fourth-generation of its City subcompact and these newest spy shots show that development is well underway. The previous generation had been based on the Honda Jazz, known in the U.S. as the Fit, but the new model moves away from that platform and grows slightly larger in the process. Expect to see either a 1.3- or 1.5-liter i-VTEC SOHC engine underhood, along with either a standard manual tranny or a CVT automatic with seven preset ratios controlled through steering wheel-mounted paddles. Although Honda has no plans --



• China may replace Germany as VW's top market
  

  Filed under: Car Buying, China, Volkswagen

  Volkswagen was one of the pioneers in infiltrating the booming Chinese market, and now the automaker's early efforts are paying off handsomely. VW is planning to sell over 1 million vehicles in the land of the Great Wall in 2008, which should mean that the automaker's China sales will surpass those in Germany for the first time ever. While that may make it sound like there's a problem with VW's Germany sales, it's more a testament to a 19% market share in a country with 1.4 billion people.
  
  Volkswagen is also keeping the heat on the Chinese market, with 14 new vehicles...
  



• What do a giant tape measure, a V8 Vantage and Stephen Hawking have in common?
  

  Filed under: China, Etc., Aston Martin

  
  click above to view a hi-res gallery of Beijing 008
  
  China, that's what. Artist Qin Yufen has just unveiled Beijing 008 with the help of Aston Martin chieftains Ulrich Bez and Kenny Chen. The art installation brings together a ginormous tape measure, a quote about disorder, a statuary tribute to Stephen Hawking that hangs from the ceiling, and a V8 Vantage in a way that ambiguously represents the mystery held by the 21st century. That is, according to artist Yufen. We think the fuzzy meaning will make the work more accessible to the public at large, as any statements made...
  



• 2 of 3 Ferrari FXX Evoluziones delivered to Hong Kong
  

  Filed under: China, Supercars, Ferrari, Special/Limited Editions

  
  Click above to view the Ferrari FXX Evoluzione in hi-res

  We're not quite sure to make of this, but apparently of the 29 hand-selected participants from the Ferrari FXX development program, only three opted (or were deemed worthy) to continue with the even more exclusive FXX Evoluzione.

  The progression of the previous initiative revolves around an even more extreme derivative of the Enzo. The FXX Evoluzione, as we reported back in October of last year, features a heavily revised variable aerodynamics package and advanced electronics, channeling 860 horsepower from the developmental supercar's 6.3-liter V12 with its atmospheric 9500 rpm redline. Of...
  




• MINI Clubman Rickshaws running around Beijing
  

  Filed under: China, Etc., Green, Marketing/Advertising, MINI

  
  Click above for more shots of the MINI Clubman Rickshaws
  
  The rickshaw is a time-honored method of transportation in China. While the vehicles were initially pulled around by men on foot, the pedal-powered versions have grown much more popular in recent years and are a symbol of Chinese culture. When Beijing MINI needed an interesting way to communicate that the Clubman model was being introduced in Chinese, especially in light of all the media attention on the Olympics, it back-halved a slew of new Clubmans, mounted a pedicab front-end and sent them out for business.
  



• Chinese companies selling $1,400 Dodge Tomahawk knock-off
  

  Filed under: China, Dodge, Motorcycles

  
  Click above for high-res gallery of the Tomahawk knock-off
  
  Back before Chrysler was bought by Cerberus, you could always count on the automaker to roll out something truly special at the Detroit Auto Show. Whether by stampeding an entire herd of cattle through downtown Detroit or putting motorcycle bits all around the V10 engine of a Viper, Dodge has always found a way to capture people's attention. The Viper-inspired Tomahawk motorcycle was especially memorable. It seems that some are still miffed that Dodge never offered the fabled bike as a regular production machine, though a few were in fact created and...
  



• Buick Enclave gets passport for sale in China
  

  Filed under: China, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossovers/CUVs, Buick

  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Buick Enclave.
  
  In addition to getting the coolest Buicks which are not available in America, individuals in China are about to get the best vehicle that Buick has to offer in the States. In a deal which was initially inked ten months ago, the attractive Enclave CUV, built at GM's Lansing Delta Township assembly plant, is headed for China. The U.S. assembled 'utes will make their way by means of Shanghai GM. The exportation of the Enclave to China is only surprising in that it took...
  



• The Clone Wars: Chinese copy banned from Europe
  

  Filed under: Economy, China, Hatchbacks, FIAT

  Fiat's Panda is the best selling minicar in Europe, and has been for four years. When China's Great Wall Motor -- Chrysler's Chinese partner -- decided to make a minicar called the GWPeri, it borrowed from the best. That is, if by "borrowed" you mean created a car that differs only from the Panda in it's headlamps and bumper details.
  
  Fiat didn't just do a double-take when it saw the GWPeri, it sued Great Wall Motor both in Italy and in China to prevent the car from being sold in Europe and China. A court in Turin recently decided that...