Pininfarina-designed cars to debut at China show
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The cars – a hatchback, a sedan and a station wagon – were designed and engineered by the Italian design and engineering company Pininfarina.
Anhui Jianghuai will debut a five-door hatchback code-named A107, and a four-door sedan code-named A108 at the show, which takes place April 20 to 28.
“We will begin production of our A range in mid 2008. We plan 50,000 units a year,” Anhui Jianghuai Vice Chairman and General Manager Jin An told Automotive News Europe.
An said the cars are the first Anhui Jianghuai vehicles designed to meet to European safety standards. “European sales could eventually begin in late 2009,” he said.
Anhui Jianghuai cooperated with AVL List of Graz, Austria, to develop new 1.1-, 1.3- and 1.5-liter gasoline engines to power the cars.
BMW’s Chinese partner Brilliance will unveil a BS4 station wagon that was designed and engineered by Pininfarina.
The BS4 station wagon has the same 1.8- and 2.0-liter gasoline engines offered on the BS4 large-segment sedan, which went in production in China in August 2007. Pininfarina also designed the BS4 sedan.
Brilliance's European importer HSO Motors Europe expects the BS4 sedan and a revamped BS6 large-segment sedan to start arriving at European dealers in September.
Last July, HSO stopped European sales of the BS6 after the car did badly in crash tests conducted by 11 national auto clubs, including Germany's ADAC. Brilliance redesigned 65 BS6 parts to improve its safety.
In May 1996, Pininfarina was the first Italian design consultancy to sign a contract with a Chinese carmaker, Hafei Motor.
The Pininfarina-designed Hafei Zhongyi small minivan debuted in China in 1999.
Since then, Hafei introduced five other production vehicles designed by Pininfarina, including the Lobo minicar and two Saibao lower-medium sedans.
In addition to Hafei, Brilliance and Anhui Jianghuai, Pininfarina also won contracts from Hunan Changfeng Motor and Chery Automobile.
“At the moment, 30 percent of Pininfarina activities in design and engineering is performed with Chinese customers,” company design director, Lowie Vermeersch, said.
Chery unveiled the Pininfarina designed A3 lower-medium sedan and its A3 Sport hatchback variant in 2006.
At the Beijing show, Chery will unveil gasoline and diesel hybrid powertrains for its A3 range.
Chanfeng debuted the Pininfarina designed Liebao large SUV last year.
You may e-mail Luca Ciferri at lciferri@craincom.de
You can reach Luca Ciferri at lciferri@crain.com.
