Short Torque

Geely No 1 in Russia Geely has become the largest Chinese automaker by sales in Russia, according to the latest statistics from the Association of European Business. It sold 2,414 units in the neighboring country in May, up 119.5 percent from the same month last year. In the first five months, the company sold 8,987 units, up 76.3 percent. Lifan, the sales champion last year, fell to second place with single month sales of 2,353 units in May and 8,790 vehicles in the first five months.

BAIC overseas unit

Beijing-headquartered BAIC Group recently established a new, wholly owned subsidy to manage its overseas business. The carmaker announced that its target is to sell 400,000 vehicles overseas by 2020, more than 70 percent of them manufactured abroad. It plans to develop 30 key markets worldwide in the next five to eight years including Brazil, Russia, Iran, Mexico, South Africa, Indonesia and Turkey. This year the company aims to export 20,000 vehicles.

Valeo: Biggest market

French auto components manufacturer Valeo Group forecasts that China could surpass its home country to become its largest market in two to three years, said recent foreign media reports. The company said that its long-term strategy is to make its China business equal its European revenues. Last year Valeo's sales in China surpassed 10 billion yuan, about 10 percent of its global total.

Third Chrysler recall

Chrysler will recall more than 5,000 vehicles on the Chinese mainland, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and quarantine. It will begin to recall 5,153 vehicles on July 15, including the Grand Cherokee made between 2007 and 2010, and the Commander made between 2007 and 2009. It is its third recall in the country in just two months. On May 3 and May 14, Chrysler announced it would recall nearly 5,000 vehicles.

Motoring

(China Daily 07/01/2013 page19)