JAC Rein: Hyundai Santa FE Chinese Clone on Sale in Europe

While here in the States Chinese automakers have yet to make their presence known, in Europe we're seeing more and more companies entering the market. One of the latest Chinese firms to land on European shores is JAC that has begun selling its cars in Greece. The vehicle you see in the above picture is the Rein, a clone of the first-generation Santa FE SUV with a set of Lexus RX-style tail lamps that is built by JAC in China under a license agreement with the Korean automaker.

The Chinese clone of the Santa FE is powered by a 2.0-liter gasoline engine producing an output of 142-hp and it is offered in two trims, Basic and Full that are priced at €17,900 ($22,800 U.S.) and €19,900 ($25,400 U.S.) respectively. Even though the Rein is a perfectly legit clone, we can't help but wonder what Hyundai and especially its official Greek dealer has to say about it. If anything else, from a buyers point of view, imports such as the Rein tarnish the Korean automaker's image in the market.

Thanks for the photos and the info Nick!

Daimler to form New Chinese Joint Venture with Beiqi Foton

Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler AG has signed a letter of intent to form a new 50:50 joint venture with China's Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd to produce medium and heavy-duty trucks and exchange technology in China. The deal between the companies has not been finalized yet as it has to gain the approval of the Chinese government. If the agreement is approved, Daimler will have two commercial vehicle joint ventures and one passenger car joint venture in China, in addition to its financial services operations there.

"This joint venture is another step in realizing both our long-term commercial vehicle strategy and our China strategy," said Dr. Rüdiger Grube, Daimler AG Board of Management member responsible for corporate development. "Foton is the right partner for us. This cooperation is a win-win situation for both companies and, most importantly, for our customers."

"At BAIC we are very happy to expand our business relationship with Daimler to include commercial vehicles at Beiqi Foton, in addition to our cooperation for passenger cars at BeijingBenz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive," said BAIC Chairman Xu. BAIC is the primary Chinese shareholder for both Beiqi Foton Trucks, Ltd. and BeijingBenz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive Ltd. (BBDC).

China's Brilliance Shows off its Goods at the Detroit Show

The 2009 Detroit Auto Show marked the first official appearance of China's Brilliance on the U.S. automotive scene. BMW's Chinese partner introduced four of its most prominent models to the American public, including the Pininfarina designed M1 mid-sized sedan and the M2 compact saloon, as well as the M3 Coupe and FRV C-segment hatchback. Thanks to Mitsubishi's decision to pull out from this year's show, Brilliance was able to occupy (along with China's BYD) that space on the main floor of the Cobo Centre.

Brilliance has already began selling many of its vehicles to several European countries as well as emerging markets such as Russia and Egypt. The Chinese automaker has not made any announcements lately about if and when it will launch its line-up in North America, but we gather that with the current economic crunch and the effects it has on the American auto market, it won't be any time soon.

Porsche Panamera to be Unveiled at China's Shanghai Auto Show in April

China's growing importance in the global auto market is the reason behind Porsche's decision to perform the world debut of the new Panamera at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show from that runs from April 20 - 28. The five-door sports saloon that will enter the market in late summer will initially be available with a range of V6 and V8 direct-injection petrol engines covering a power range from 300 to 500HP. Depending on the model, power is transmitted to the rear or to all wheels by a six-speed manual gearbox or optionally, the Porsche seven-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) (Double-Clutch Gearbox). For more pictures of the Panamera, click here.

2009 Buick Regal Mega Gallery: The Opel Insignia Heads to China

As strange and absurd as it may sound to our North American readers, the new Opel Insignia is sold in China under the Buick Regal nameplate. And how about here in the States, we hear many of you asking. Well, the Insignia was supposed to arrive in the form of the next generation Saturn Aura in a year or two, but GM's economic woes have reportedly put a hold on the U.S. market debut of the sleek looking sedan until further notice. If you want our opinion, we would have found it more rational for GM to introduce Opel's models under the Buick logo and do away with Saturn, but then again, we're no high-rank execs...

Back to the new China-only Buick Regal, the mid-size sedan differs from its German counterpart only in a few cosmetic details like the front grille, the side air vents and the exterior mirrors.

On sale now in China, the new Regal sedan is offered with two 4-cylinder petrol engines, a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter unit with 165HP and a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine producing 217HP. Both engines are matted to a standard six-speed manual gearbox with Buick announcing 0 to 100km/h (62mph) times of 9.8 and 7.8 seconds for the Regal 2.4L and 2.0T respectively.

Source: Buick , Via: Autoblog.com