Auto Industry

How BMW conquered China
Mar 18, 2011 (WiC 99)

BMW’s famed circular logo is a reminder of its early days as an aircraft-maker. The blue and white quadrants are supposed to convey the idea of fast-moving propellers. But in China the brand is associated with a more ancient means of transport: ...

Chang’an Auto may have the biggest ambitions among local carmakers
Mar 4, 2011 (WiC 97)

Motown and New Motor City may be almost 7,500 miles apart, and perhaps even more distant in terms of their respective futures, but Chang’an Auto now has a foot in both locations. Which of the two will prove the wiser investment? As we have ...

Did China employ industrial spies in France?
Feb 4, 2011 (WiC 94)

"Harlot, yes, but traitor, never” is a dramatic denouement in anyone’s book, but especially in the face of a French firing squad. Disappointingly, reports of Mata Hari’s final words are probably false, as too was the rumour that, in an ...

Chinese carmaker views IPO as key to global ambitions
Jan 28, 2011 (WiC 93)

It wasn’t quite the opening day that Chery’s marketing bosses were hoping for. Belying the name of the car he was driving – the Rely X5 – racer Ningjun Lu pulled out of the Dakar Rally with engine problems on the first stage of the ...

Anti-congestion measures to hit car sales in Beijing
Jan 7, 2011 (WiC 90)

A new year often begins with a determination to rein in on the excesses of the month before, and Beijing’s bureaucrats seem to have identified car purchasers as the prime candidate for a more bracing approach in 2011. In particular, new ...

Geely and BYD: the pacesetters in predicting China’s car future?
Dec 3, 2010 (WiC 88)

China may now be the world’s largest car market but it is also dominated by foreign brands. Hence the grand ambition for an industry of national champions that can (one) take the lead in new technologies and (two) outcompete its Western rivals ...

How does Volvo’s new CEO stay in Li Shufu’s good books?
Nov 5, 2010 (WiC 84)

Volvo guys are too conservative. They do nothing without 200% certainty. But I will act with 80% certainty. Combining the conservative and the radical, we can make changes in two or three years”. That was Li Shufu, chairman of Geely and new ...

Audi sells millionth car in China, setting record
Oct 29, 2010 (WiC 83)

The latest piece of contemporary art to cause a stir in China is a giant rocket sculpture topped off with a German vehicle. Calcutta-born but British resident sculptor Gerry Juddah’s latest work was unveiled last week. Named Ode to ...

After early stalls, China’s car rental industry may be set to accelerate
Oct 29, 2010 (WiC 83)

When it came to renting cars, Peter Hessler was one of China’s earliest and keenest customers. In his book Country Driving (see WiC54) he recalls his regular visits to Capital Motors. The Beijing firm had a fleet of around 50 ...

How the Michelin man’s conquering Chinese roads
Oct 22, 2010 (WiC 82)

In 1839, after several years of searching, the American inventor Charles Goodyear finally discovered a way to make rubber strong enough for widespread use. Bad luck in business meant that Goodyear died mired in debt. But his invention transformed ...

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