Volkswagen People's Car Concept Hovers its Way into Virtual Reality

Following the release of a few photos of the concepts designed under the Volkswagen brand's ongoing 'People’s Car Project' initiative in China, the German company brought to life one of these studies with the help of CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery).

The prototype that Volkswagen chose to exhibit in the video is the Hover Car, which is a concept for a two-seater, circular shaped vehicle that uses electromagnetic levitation to float just above the regular road network.

Jump past the break to see the VW Hover Car concept in action.

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GM Wants Cadillac to Follow in the Successful Footsteps of Buick in China

Last year, Buick sold 177,633 vehicles in the States and 645,537 cars in China, with the Excelle, which is the local version of the Verano sedan, taking the first spot overall in the passenger car segment.

Cadillac, on the other hand, delivered 152,389 vehicles in the U.S. but only about 30,000 in the world's most populous country, despite an increase of 73 percent over 2010.

Given China's thirst for luxury products, it is no wonder that General Motors would like to repeat the success of Buick with its flagship brand.

According to General Motors CEO Dan Akerson, who was speaking on the company's first quarter earnings call for 2012, there is a plan in motion to boost Cadillac's sales in China six-fold in the next few years.

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GM Sells Record 227,217 Vehicles in China in April, Toyota's Sales up 68 Percent in the Country

April turned out to be a very positive sales month in China for two of the world's largest automakers, General Motors and Toyota.

The Detroit firm and its joint ventures in China set a domestic sales record for April of 227,217 vehicles, up 11.7 percent from the same month last year. In the first four months of 2012, GM's sales totaled 972,369 units, an increase of 9.4 percent on an annual basis.

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Ford Quietly but Successfully Blocks China's JAC Efforts to Produce F-150 Pickup Truck Clone

Do you remember China's JAC 4R3 pickup truck clone of the Ford F-150 that made headlines earlier this year? For those who can't recall what happened last week, let alone in February, here's a bit of a refresher.

In January, JAC Motors presented a doppelganger of the Ford F-150 called the 4R3 to its domestic dealers, with plans to begin series production towards the end of the year. Naturally, photos were taken at the event and it didn't take long for the news to reach the other side of the Pacific.

At the time, JAC was planning to debut the 4R3 at last week's Auto China 2012 in Beijing, but as you may recall, that didn't happen. Why, you ask? Well, evidently, Ford did what it had to do to protect itself from JAC's unapologetic move to clone the F-150.

Speaking to Autoline's host John McElroy, Bill Coughlin, President and CEO of Ford Global Technologies and Intellectual Property Chief, said that the Blue Oval took all the necessary steps to prevent this from happening.

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Peter Horbury Talks About the Future of Chinese Auto Design

Unlike other powerhouses in the auto industry from Germany, Japan and the U.S., Chinese carmakers are still trying to find their way when it comes to design, with a sizable portion of domestic brands simply copying styling elements or even vehicles in whole from Western brands.

There are of course plenty of other vehicle manufacturers from China that are experimenting with designs in a bid to develop their own individual and distinct styles with mixed results.

One designer who is not only closely observing what is going on in China but is also participating in the process of defining the indigenous auto design is Peter Horbury, who last year moved to China to take over the role of senior vice president of design at Geely, Volvo’s corporate sibling under the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.

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Video of the Day: Chinese Soccer Mom

According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, the term soccer mom "broadly refers to a middle-class woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting her school-age children to their sporting events or other activities" in a minivan or an SUV, preferably a full-size model.

In some less fortune parts of the world where buying any type of car is out of the question for many people, the alternative is far more dangerous, though it seems to get the job done in moving around a small school of kids. Watch the clip right after the jump.

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Volkswagen Showcases Three Ideas from its People’s Car Project in Beijing

After 33 million visits to its website and more than 119,000 ideas submitted, you would be inclined to think that Volkswagen would have more to show than these three concepts from its ‘People’s Car Project’ (PCP) that was launched in China 11 months ago.

The three vehicles and technology concepts created by users and further developed by the German automaker that went on display at the Auto China 2012 in Beijing are the Hover Car, the Music Car and the Smart Key.

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Acura's Red NSX Concept Filmed Around the Turntable at the Beijing Show

After showing you the first photos of Acura's NSX concept car in a more passionate red shade, we now have a short walk around video clip of the car from the brand's Beijing Auto Show stand.

China along with the U.S. and Canada will be amongst those few markets around the globe that will get the production NSX with Acura's badges on the bonnet, since the hybrid sports car will be offered as a Honda in most other regions when it goes on sale in 2015.

Head over the break to watch the video.

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Ford to Invest $4.9 Billion to Revamp its Chinese Operations, Lincoln not Part of the Plan for Now

Being the number two automotive group in the US, and the fifth largest worldwide behind Hyundai, is no mean feat for Ford. Having an almost non-existent 2 percent share in the world’s largest car market, however, is.

Last year’s Thai floods resulted in a US$92 million loss for Ford's Asian operations in 2011. Adding insult to injury, Ford also reported a US$95 million loss in Asia for the first quarter of 2012. To make things worse, during the same period, its sales in China declined by 14 percent while both General Motors and VW gained market share.

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Chinese Woman Kills Man by Squeezing his Testicles During a Parking Space Quarrel

Just reading the title of this story will make any man cringe, as this must be one of the worst ways to die…

The tragic incident took place in Haikou City in southern China earlier this week when an unnamed 41-year-old woman tried to park her scooter in front of a man's shop to pick up her kids from school.

According to reports from local news stations, the 42-year old owner of the shop came out and told her not to park in front of his store. The woman snapped back and words started flowing from both sides.

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Cadillac XTS Features Capless Fuel Filler, will be Produced in China as Well

This week, we learned two new things about the 2013 Cadillac XTS, the first being that it features a new capless fuel filler assembly and the other that General Motors has plans to build the full-size sedan in China for the domestic market.

We will begin with the new capless fuel filler system that replaces the traditional twist-off cap, with Cadillac promising a cleaner and safer experience.

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Seat Launches in China with Delivery of the First Customer Vehicles

In its latest and probably most promising effort to turnaround its money-losing Spanish division, the Volkswagen Group has launched Seat on the Chinese market with the official opening of eight dealerships and the handover of its first customer vehicles.

The Spanish brand will further expand its dealer network in the country with seven more showrooms in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanning, Xi’an and Xiamen, and more importantly, in Beijing and Shanghai, before the end of the year.

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Uncover the Beauties of the Auto China 2012 in Beijing

The importance of attracting the eyes of consumers on their automotive products with gorgeous female models is a concept that the organizers and exhibitors of the Beijing Motor Show know all too well. In fact, allows us to say that they are getting better and better at it with each passing year.

But hey, don't take our word for it, hop over the break and click through the photos to get a taste of what you missed out on at the Auto China 2012.

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Kia Carnival Minivan gets the Procrustean Stretch for the Chinese Market

One of the new models that flew under the radar at this week's 2012 Beijing Motor Show is Kia's China-only Grand VQ-R, which is a long wheelbase version of the Carnival minivan, known as the Sedona in some markets including the U.S.

Like the Sedona, the VQ-R has a 130mm longer wheelbase than the Carnival at 3,020mm as well as a 190mm longer rear overhang. The seven-seater minivan measures 5,130mm long, which makes its 320mm longer than the existing short wheelbase VQ / Carnival.

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Rolls Royce Debuts Phantom Extended Wheelbase Series II at the Beijing Motor Show

Taking center stage at Rolls Royce's booth at the Auto China 2012 in Beijing is the 2013 Phantom Extended Wheelbase Series II with which the British automaker completes the refreshed Phantom lineup, following the debuts of Saloon, Coupé and Drophead Coupé at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Like other Phantom Series II models, the Extended Wheelbase model features improvements in design, drivetrain and technology.

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2012 Beijing Motor Show: Super Gallery with 305 Photos

There's no denying the growing importance of the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition or Auto China, as over the years, the show has transformed from a regional spectacle to one of the top global events in the automotive industry.

This year's edition of the Auto China hosted a variety of world premieres from both local manufactures and international brands that chose Beijing to show off tens of dozens of new production and concept cars of all sorts and sizes.

If you hop over the break, you can feast your eyes on a comprehensive gallery with high-resolution photos of many of the vehicles that broke cover at the show.

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JAC Unwraps Heyue SC RWD Coupe and Rein II SUV at the Auto China 2012

As it turns out, the rumors about JAC presenting a near-production version of the Tong Jian S11 coupe concept were true.

At the Beijing Motor Show, JAC lifted the curtains off the Heyue SC Coupe, which retains the styling of Tong Jian's original prototype from the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show sans the different alloy wheels and racing stripes.

However, instead of a hybrid driveline, the Heyue SC Coupe sports a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine producing 163-horses and 217Nm (160 lb-ft) linked to a manual transmission that drives the rear wheels. JAC says the coupereach a top speed of 205km/h (127mph).

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Hyundai Debuts China Market Elantra Alongside New Santa Fe and Concept Cars in Beijing

This year's edition of the Beijing Motor Show coincided with the 10th anniversary of Hyundai's joint venture in China. In celebration of the occasion, the Korean automaker revealed the domestic market versions of the Elantra, which has been renamed Langdong, and the Sante Fe SUV, while it also brought along two concept models, one of which is pictured above.

Speaking at a press event in Beijing, Hyundai Vice President Seung-Tack Kim said: "A decade ago, Hyundai was known for making only small cars. Today, our Equus and Genesis luxury cars compete with the best vehicles that Europe can make. Ten years ago, we were a follower in the auto industry. Today, we are a leader – and ready for the future."

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CH-Auto's Lithia Electric Sports Car Prototype

Visitors to the 2012 Beijing International Auto Show will no doubt take notice of CH-Auto's Lithia sports car concept.

The sharply styled prototype that comes with a hint of Audi R8 on its profile makes use of an electric motor fed by a set of lithium-ion batteries, said to offer a maximum driving range of around 150 kilometers (93 miles).

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Auto China 2012: Brilliance Auto Greater China II Concept and H230 Compact Sedan

The BMW Group's Chinese partner Brilliance Auto displayed three new models at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition including an impressive concept for a mid-size sedan called the 'Great China II'.

The Chinese company said the prototype study would spawn a production model within the next two years that will sit atop of its range. The saloon measures close to 5 meters in length and features a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain.

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