Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 8:17 AM
#central kindom #news & review
via: der spiegel
not surprisingly, price is what attracts the customers
"The car is 40 percent cheaper than a comparable Western model," says Bijvelds, who clearly enjoys the shockwaves he is sending through established automobile manufacturers in Europe. "All 200 of the cars here have already been sold."
but you would wonder - "is it a CHINESE car at all?"
But the Landwind is much more than a Chinese "Yugo" -- it's a tinny symbol of globalization......The engine comes from Japan's Mitsubishi and the body closely resembles the Opel Frontera, which used to cost €30,000 until General Motors suspended its production a year ago. Thirty percent of Landwind's manufacturer, the Nanchang-based Jiangling Motors Company, is owned by American car-maker Ford. And General Motors gave the Chinese permission to use the Frontera's design. Indeed, the connections to the west can be seen everywhere in the project.
TBC...