Buick Excelle is the Best Selling Car in China for 2011, GM and VW Take 7 of the Top 10 Spots

In Europe, the most popular model in terms of sales in 2011 was the aging Volkswagen Golf with 485,547 units followed by the VW Polo and the Ford Fiesta, while in the United States, Ford's F-Series took first place with 584,917 units and was trailed by the Chevy Silverado and the Toyota Camry.

In China, while the overall top sellers continue to be commercial microvans, the bestselling passenger model for 2011 was the Buick Excelle with 254,000 units, according to data provided by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
The Buick model is offered in three different guises, the Opel Astra hatchback based Excelle XT, the Excelle GT sedan that is the same as the U.S. market Verano, and the older generation Excelle sedan. 
GM's Chevrolet Cruze finished third while the Chevrolet New Sail placed seventh. The VW brand saw the Lavida, Jetta, Bora and Santana models rank second, fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
Completing the top 10 list is China FAW Group's Xiali, the Hyundai Elantra Yuedong and the Ford Focus that finished eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.

Luxgen M7 MPV testing in China

New spy shots from the upcoming Luxgen M7 MPV testing in China, it will debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April. Luxgen is a brand from Taiwanese car company Yulong Motors. The Luxgen M7 MPV will be made in Taiwan and on mainland China by the Dongfeng-Yulong joint venture.

The Dongfeng-Yolong joint venture already makes the Luxgen 7 SUV and will soon start making the Luxgen 5 sedan. The Luxgen M7 MPV will be powered by a 2.0 turbo with 170hp and 256nm mated to a 6-speed automatic. The same engine is also available in the Luxgen 5. The Luxgen 7 SUV is powered by a marginally stronger 2.2 turbo with 175hp and 275nm.

The Luxgen M7 MPV was formerly known simply as ‘Luxgen 7 MPV’, I guess the ‘M’ was added to prevent confusion with the Luxgen 7 SUV. Much more clear now, ain’t it so?

Japanese Automaker Rips Off Caddy, Rolls-Royce for China

Mitsuoka is arriving in China with some new cars, based on pre-existing ones.

Japanese automaker Mitsuoka has opened their first showroom in Beijing, China, and CarNewsChina was there to snap some photos of their latest wares. There are three cars up for sale, namely the Orochi, Himiko and Galue Convertible. There is something interesting about these new models, however, as they are shockingly (sarcastic voice) similar in design to models we are already familiar with.

The first model they offer is the Himiko roadster, which runs on a Mazda-sourced 2.0-liter engine.

The engine puts out 162hp and 139lb-ft. of torque. It looks surprisingly like the Morgan Aero 8 and is based on the Mazda MX-5. It runs 850,000 yuan, or $154,000 U.S.The second model is the Galue Convertible, which appears at the front to be a replica of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe. The rear is very Cadillacy. It runs on the Ford Mustang's 4.0-liter V6 engine with outputs of 215hp and 240 lb-ft. of torque. It prices at 1.15 million Yuan, roughly $182,000 U.S.The last model is the Orochi supercar, which takes its motivation in the form of a 233hp 3.3-liter V6 engine from Toyota.

Range Rover Overfinch China Edition

Exclusive to the Chinese market, this massive yellow Range Rover by Overfinch is about as outrageous as a Range Rover gets.

UK-based Overfinch has been creating high performance derivatives of the Range Rover since 1975, and it seems a JLR dealership over in China has commissioned the specialist tuning firm to create this monstrous Range Rover 5.0-liter V8 SC Overfinch China Edition.Powered by a supercharged V8 that develops a healthy 503hp, the China Edition features China-yellow paint (think the stars in the Chinese flag), a lowered suspension, a host of aero parts, yellow-clad interior and custom-made seats.
Made to special order only, the Overfinch China Edition is priced at 3 million Yuan, (north of $470,000), which may well make it the most expensive Range Rover in Asia.

From Sports Stars to China Cars Silver Chrome is the Color of Choice

When people look back at 2011 they will remember it for the birth of silver chrome car wraps. 

There's no getting away from the fact that covering a car in colored chrome is becoming increasingly popular with people from all walks of life.Companies specializing in chrome wraps such as the Czech firm Tintek, which offers colors from gold to orange for $10,000 a pop, are doing a roaring trade, and whether adorning the cars of British soccer players or Chinese Buick Regal club members, we're finding silver chrome all over the place.
First up we have a shiny chrome Aston Martin DBS; a $200,000 sports car owned by Stoke City midfielder Jermaine Pennant. Ostentatious vehicles and Premier League footballers go hand in hand, but a Buick Regal smoothed over in silver chrome in Beijing is not something you'll come across every day.This particular model belongs to a proud member of the Beijing Buick Regal club and we're not sure what's stranger: the chromed out car or the fact such a club exists in China.

Mazda3 Sedan Gets a Spot of Extreme Chinese Tuning

A tuning car in perfect harmony with its surrounds with a mean looking exterior and surprisingly sweet interior. Parked on an ice-cold street of Hebei Province, this modified Mazda 3 sedan adorned with gold wings, an F1-style front spoiler and mock-racing livery looks ready to rumble and cut through the dirty snow.At the back we have the obligatory over-sized wing and partially blacked out lights (race cars don't need lights), which fails to stir any emotion in the elderly passerby; but it's on the inside where things get interesting.
To balance the yang of the Mazda's exterior, a distinctive yin interior features dainty plastic diamonds embellishing the air vents and air-con knobs, which also get pretty little pink plastic rings.A silver gecko has been affixed to the center console for good measure, or perhaps good luck.

Rolls-Royce Phantom ‘Year of the Dragon’ Bespoke Package for China

To honor this special occasion and butter up to the Chinese market, the limited-edition Phantoms are ready, covered in images of the country’s most revered mythical creature. A one-off development to mark the upcoming Year of the Dragon, Rolls-Royce released this bespoke program at the Guangzhou Auto Show back in November.With around a month to go before the Chinese New Year, the British carmaker has released a set of interior and exterior shots of their exclusive special-edition model, which includes a twin coach-line with a hand-painted gold dragon on the side of each of the eight models to be manufactured.
Inspired by the Forbidden City in Beijing, the interior has plenty of dragon references, including a hand-embroidered depiction of a dragon on the headrests, a dragon inlay on the passenger panel, and an LED-illuminated treadplate bearing 'Year of the Dragon 2012' on the door sills.The interior panels bear the Phantom model name in gold and rear passengers get two hand-stitched cushions with embroidered double R-R logos and piping. There's no indication of price but given this is for the Chinese market expect a figure ending in many zeros.

Skoda Fabia Epitomizes Extreme Tuning in China

China may well be the emerging superpower of the 21st Century, but their tuning programs still have a long way to go. 

A lot of thought went into the design process and manufacture of the Skodia Fabia hatchback, a car made in China by a Shanghai-VW joint venture. The same, however, can't be said for the tuning program this particular model was subjected to.Extra wings, bigger wheels, an enormous sound system, pink racing seats, air intakes all over the place and the icing on the cake: Ferrari 458-style moveable wings under the front bumper. Brilliant.
The red and white interior is just as garish with a number of large screens, pink-backed bucket seats, and striped color-changing lights attached almost at random to the door panels and boot.We can't fault their endeavour but the application leaves a lot to be desired.