Roewe's Sharp Looking N1 Compact Sedan Debuts in Shanghai

Roewe's Sharp Looking N1 Compact Sedan Debuts in Shanghai

Now here's a proposal from China that could very well be accepted in terms of styling from Western car buyers. SAIC's renamed Rover division, Roewe, that owns the tooling rights to the Rover 75 and 25, unveiled the N1 Concept car at the Shanghai Auto Show. The N1 is in essence a thinly disguised version of the planned production model that is set to go on sale in China next year. The compact-sized sedan that will sit below the 550 in Roewe's vehicle line-up will be offered with various four-cylinder gasoline engines.

Shanghai Clone Wars: Landwind X8 vs Mitsubishi Outlander

Shanghai Clone Wars: Landwind X8 vs Mitsubishi Outlander

There are clones and there are clones. While some come pretty close such as Lifan Motors' effort to give birth to a five-door MINI Cooper, other like Jiangling Motors's Landwind X8 that made its debut at the Shanghai Show this week, is a dead ringer for Mitsubishi's Outlander. For those of you with a weak memory, China's Landwind became known for being the first Chinese automaker to enter the European market with the SUV that spectacularly failed a crash test carried out by the ADAC, Germany's largest auto club.

And it's not only the exterior design of the Outlander that has been copied, it's also the interior as the X8 gets the same exact dashboard styling with the deep set instrument panel featuring the two circular tube-like structures.

But you still haven't heard the best part of the story; according to the Landwind, the X8 will be offered with two engines: a common-rail turbo diesel from Italy's VM Motori that develops 140HP and 350Nm of torque and -get this- a Mitshubishi sourced, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine with 150HP!

Sales of the Landwind X8 are to start in China during the second half of the year.

Mitsubishi Outlander SUV

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Landwind X8 SUV

Porsche Panamera: Live Photos from Shanghai Auto Show

Porsche Panamera: Live Photos from Shanghai Auto Show

Pride of place on Porsche's stand is the new Panamera sports saloon that made its world premiere today at the Shanghai Auto Show. The five-door model that can seat up to four-passengers will compete head on with Aston Martin's forthcoming Rapide and the Maserati Quattroporte. The Panamera, which was penned by Saab's former chief designer Michael Mauer -now you know who to blame- will be initially offered with two 4.8-liter V8 engines producing 400 and 500HP. Sales are set to begin in most markets in the fall of 2009.

Shanghai Show: Brilliance FRV goes Cross-dressing

Shanghai Show: Brilliance FRV goes Cross-dressing

What we have here is a faux-crossover version of Brilliance Motors' FRV hatchback that was unveiled along with a new sedan variant of the car at the Shanghai Auto Show. Just like any modern wannabe crossover, the FRV Cross' body shell has been bolstered with lashings of protective plastic add-ons and matt aluminum underbody skid trays along with a set of roof rails and newly designed alloy wheels, but that about sums it up.

Chinese customers and quite possibly, Europeans in the very near future, will be able to choose from two four cylinder gasoline engines with a displacement of 1.3- and 1.6-liters that deliver an output of 85 and 100 horsepower respectively.

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Buick Business Hybrid Concept breaks cover in Shanghai - Details and Photo Gallery

Buick Business Hybrid Concept breaks cover in Shanghai - Details and Photo Gallery

General Motors surprised us at the Shanghai Auto Show with the unveiling of a brand-new concept vehicle bearing the Buick logo. The Business Hybrid Concept that was designed and developed in China by GM's Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), is a proposal for a full-size minivan that can accommodate a total of six-passengers in three rows of individual seats. The concept measures 5.278mm (207-in.) in length and rides on 3.198mm (129-in.) wheelbase.

The long minivan combines styling cues from Buick's own 2010 LaCrosse and the Riviera Concept that was unwrapped at the 2007 Shanghai Show with elements found on the latest Opel prototypes and especially the Meriva Concept's so-called dynamic "wave" in the rear window line that supposedly provides a better view for rear passengers. A unique feature of the concept are the power sliding rear doors with no B-pillar that help ease entrance and egress.

"The Business Concept Vehicle has a grand presence and makes a strong statement when it pulls up to the front of any establishment," said Ed Welburn, GM Vice President of Global Design. "The Chinese market and business person have some unique requirements. Our team has responded with an elegant solution to their business and personal needs."

Inside, the Buick Business Concept boasts a futuristic-looking dashboard with a three-dimensional instrument cluster that reaches across the entire width of the front panel and features a multi-layer information display. The vehicle's console can be moved up and down the two rows of rear seats while Buick claims that the second row of captain's chairs slide on hidden rails and swivel 225 degrees, enabling them to be adjusted to an infinite combination of orientations. Overall, the cabin's design is sleek and contemporary.

According to GM, PATAC designed the Buick Business Concept Vehicle to accommodate the firm's next-generation Hybrid System, which will be introduced in China in the near future. This new system that is said to build upon the belt-alternator-starter hybrid technology currently available in the Chinese-market Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid.

The next-generation GM Hybrid System will utilize an advanced lithium-ion battery that will help improve fuel economy by up to 20 percent compared to the current hybrid systems.