General Motors thru its SAIC GM Wuling joint venture rolls out the first vehicle under the Baojun brand to take advantage of the fast growing demand for compact vehicles in China. The carmaker’s Baojun 630 comes in three trims and will cost $9,750 to around $11,495.

The Baojun 630 aims to address the demand in the 2nd-tier and 3rd-tier cities in China. The sedanwas first unveiled during the 2011 auto show in Shanghai. The Baojun 630 was developed in the automatic center of SAIC-GM which will eventually be improved in order to produce SUVs and MPVs.

The SAIC GM Wuling team up is looking at around 20,000 units of the Baojun 630 this year. The join venture has a goal of adding a new car model each year to be marketed under the Baojun brand. Baojun means “treasure horse” in Chinese. It also aims to get a big chunk of the market for compact and subcompact vehicles through 2016.

The Baojun 630 is a well positioned vehicle in the market covering the segment of those who can afford cars priced between $10,00 to $12,000 which is considered with the largest potential in the booming economy of China.

Baojun dealerships have mushroomed in eight cities across China including those in Najing, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Jinan, and Shijazhuang. By end of 2011, the brand is expected to have 150 showrooms to cover more cities.

GM is among the car giants which formed a joint venture with local Chinese car manufacturers to take advantage of the demand for budget cars in the second tier metros of China which are dominated by local brands like Chery and Geely.

Lorenzo Sistino, the Executive VP for Internal Operations of the Fiat Group, presented the first Fiat 500 in Shanghai, China today. This is the very first Fiat model to ever arrive in China, and as a special treat, a “special version” of the Fiat 500 models were created. In these so-called Fiat 500 “First Edition” models, the graphic designs of five Chinese graphic designers were imprinted on the car’s bodywork. How’s that for pop car art? Only 100 units of Fiat 500 First Edition were made and will be available in a limited time offer only, which is way ahead of the car model’s regular China launch on September 15, 2011.

The Fiat 500 “First Edition” boasts of the so-called Lounge Trim. It has a beautiful pearl white paint finish. In contrast to the white paint job, the interiors are made with red leather and the door pillars carry special badges. Under the hood, the “First Edition” Fiat 500 carries a 1.4-liter MultiAir engine that has 101 ponies attached to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

As for the standard Fiat 500 units that will be available in showrooms this September, the same engine and transmission system will be attached. There are three trims available—the Sport, Lounge, and Pop. For those who might miss on the special bodywork that honors the work of young Chinese designers, you can always choose from 12 different paint finishes and about 9 different materials and color for the upholstery. Interior trims can either be ivory or black.

There are rumors that the 2012 Fiat 500 model will be sold outside its U.S. network of dealerships. But the hot issue these days is about its fuel rating. The initial figures for the 2012 Fiat 500’s fuel rating are speculated to be 40mpg. However, the official figures confirmed by the U.S. EPA is 30mpg for city driving and 38mpg for highway driving. When combined, the final rate is at 33mpg. These figures are achieved with the specific 2012 model carries a MultiAir 1.4-liter engine attached to a five-speed manual gearbox, thus the high expectations about its fuel ratings. On the other hand, when attached to the an automatic transmission, the 2012 Fiat 500 has a fuel rating of 27 mpg for city driving and 34 mpg for highway driving, amounting to a combined 30 mpg for automatic transmission.

Nevertheless, the manual transmission 38mpg it produced is not bad when you compare it to similar models like the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and the Chevrolet Cruze whose fuel ratings are at 40mpg or a little bit higher. Still, even with such great fuel rating results, there’s nothing that compares to having a perfect 40mpg fuel rating figure.

Leaving the fuel rating talks aside, the initial price tag for the 2012 Fiat 500 is pretty damn attractive. The Pop model starts at $15,995. Now that’s a price its competitors have to beat. So even if the 2012 Fiat 500 land on a perfect 40mpg fuel rating, it’s price tag is something to look forward to for Fiat enthusiasts.

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The numbers of millionaires in China is growing fast and about 30% of these people on top of the social pyramid are women. Makers of exotic cars are also benefiting on this statistic as a lot of Chine female millionaires are getting the fast cars just like freshly baked pies.

The sales of luxury vehicles globally have jumped to more than 60% in 2010 and experts are already forecasting another jump by 35% this year.

Maserati sharing their sales record confirms that 30% of their sales to China are deliveries of their exotic cars to the homes of women millionaires. The picture in Europe is a bit different with 10% of Maserati speed monsters delivered to female consumers. China is going fast the market ladder to be Maserati’s second biggest market next to Italy.

The chunk of sales for this female millionaires in China is not only true with Maserati. The same story is brewing in the stores of Lamborghini and Ferrari. For example, the wealthy female sector in China accounts for 20% of Ferrari sales in the country. The Volkswagen Group and Bugatti are already looking into the current trend in sales and we are pretty sure, they are preparing to take advantage of it.

The Maserati brand has been catering to the likings of women by adding more colors to their lineup like Bordeaux and red. Another trend in China is that rich people are doing the driving themselves and getting rid of their chauffeurs.

Experts are also looking into the trend of women buying sports cars as a way to have equal footing with men who traditionally made crucial decisions in businesses.

When buying a new car, you can get rid of your old one with for the poor.

Good news to all the fans of the aLL STaR Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS!  You can now take a sneak peek and also monitor its production online through the 2010 SEMA Project Build Ups fan page in social networking website Facebook.  The aLL STaR Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS will make its debut in Las Vegas this November.

The aLL STaR Performance crew has teamed up with the following automotive groups for the Chevrolet Camaro SS that will participate in the 2010 SEMA Project Build Ups:

• Image Dynamics
• MagnaFlow Exhaust Products
• Azentek, Status Racing
• Baer brakes
• Air Lift Suspension
• Forgestar Wheels
• American Racing Headers
• Lysholm Superchargers
• STACK
• Autometer
• Trent’s Trick Upholstery
• Falken Tires
• Dupont
• Innovate Motorsports
• Ignited HID
• Extreme Dimensions
• TechAFX
• Royal Purple
• Real AutoWorks
• S.P.E.C
• Light WurkZ
• StreetGlow
• Metra
• Webasto

As far as the official sneak peek photos will reveal, the aLL STaR Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS outstanding features include custom-made Baer brakes, a Lysholm supercharger to boost its 6.2L V8 engine, Air Lift Digital suspension, a smashing group of 22×11” Forgestar wheels, and a kick ass Dupont paint mix.  Gene Marcle will document the upgrading of General Motor’s pony car along with his team so that fans can stay updated on its production via Facebook just until it makes its debut in November in Las Vegas at the 2010 SEMA Project Build Ups.

Volkswagen recently unveiled a luxury trim of the Passat CC tagged as the Exclusive.

The luxury trim of the vehicle gives buyers an interior made from two-tone high quality leather and an exterior finish in Moonlight Blue or Black Piano. The Moonlight Blue finish coming with a pearl-effect is only being offered for the buyers of the Passat CC Exclusive.

The leather will have the nougat and black theme with the stitches using a honey-like color to blend in. The door panels inside will also have the same leather material to exude luxury. The cabin is also given some chrome touches, ambient lighting, and illuminated strips to give the interior a lounge feel.

Those who might prefer to get the new Passat trim in Piano Black will be able to get it rolling on Chicago 18 inch rims.

The Exclusive can be acquired through all the engine variants of the Volkswagen Passat CC. The price for the package starts at 35, 225 Euros.

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If you have been paying attention to the news lately, then you probably know that GM last year was down the toilet and they actually had to take out a loan from the U.S government.  Well, I can tell you for sure that, that loan was just that a … loan and the government is expecting payment and GM is coming through!

Payments are being made constantly and with the first quarter of the year coming to a close, GM is paying $192 million to Canada and of course one billion back to the United States.  Another installment should be given on March 31st as well.

Personally, I think that GM is doing something good right now. They are getting things done and making up for their debts.

When you think of Toyota – what is usually the first thing that you think about?  Well, I usually think about quality, however – if you got yourself a brand new Toyota car that was China-made, you want to definitely return it.  The reason?  The door panel has definitely melted is the reason.  While it is not your fault, if they are recalling all of the Toyota Camry’s that were China-made because of this problem, you should definitely return it!

While the fact that they are going to fix the problem for free might be great news for you, it is not for Toyota, for the customer service is already something that has went downhill, if they are skimping on quality as well and having to recall cars – it does not look good for this Japanese automaker.

The reason that the door panels melt is caused by excessive lubrication that was used during manufacturing, which can cause overheating and eventually melting.

Just a short time ago, the VW chairman Ferdinand Piech was very interested in procuring a very small stake in Suzuki.  While those rumors were denied by Suzuki, the rumors are once against surfacing again and the German magazine Manager Magazin, is actually the one that seems to have the inside scoop.  It looks like Suzuki is actually thinking about going with a joint venture on a few models with VW, which is something I am very excited about.

The main reasons for the joint is because Suzuki is very fond of producing compact cars and as we all know, Volkswagen is the leader for small cars, with them remaking the VW Bug, so to me?  This is a partnership made in heaven!  Of course, there have been a lot of talks and conversations between the two automakers, nothing is finalized just yet.

However, the VW did go into a partnership with Porsche, so that could definitely secure them a spot for a partnership with Suzuki as well!