BYD and Brilliance at Detroit show

For the first time, two Chinese automakers will have main floor exhibit space at Cobo Center for the 2009 Detroit auto show.

Chinese automakers BYD Auto Co. and Brilliance Jinbei Automotive Co. will occupy about 11,000 square feet on the main floor. The space was reserved for Mitsubishi Motors Corp. but became available after that company pulled out of the show.

"They've been waiting, all the exhibitors in Michigan Hall, so it's a wonderful opportunity for them," said Joe Serra, show co-chairman. BYD and Brilliance "have been notified and they're thrilled."

Chinese automakers have had a presence in Detroit for years but were always in Michigan Hall -- the lower level of Cobo Center -- or the lobby. BYD and Brilliance do not sell vehicles in the United States.

Besides Mitsubishi, five other automakers have pulled out of the show. Nissan North America said yesterday it dropped out of next year's Detroit and Chicago auto shows, citing depressed economic conditions.

Nissan, the biggest automaker to skip out of the show, followed the exits of Suzuki, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari. Porsche pulled out of the show last year and has not returned.

© Source: autoweek
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Brilliance FRV - 2008 Beijing Auto Show Preview

The newest model from China's Brilliance Automotive, the compact FRV hatchback, rolled off the assembly this week and will make its public debut later this month at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show.

The FRV was first unveiled as a concept at last year's Shanghai auto show. Brilliance reportedly spent $140 million to develop the car under the internal code name A1 and has constructed a $90 million assembly line at its manufacturing facility here in Manchuria to build it. Initial annual capacity is 100,000 units, which could make the FRV the company's best-selling model.

Prices in China will start at less than $10,000. The FRV will be marketed in Europe in late 2008 or early 2009, rebadged as the Brilliance BS2.

Power is supplied by a 106-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The FRV measures about 165 inches long overall, about a foot longer than a Chevrolet Aveo 5.

What this means to you: The FRV could be part of the product portfolio that Brilliance hopes eventually to bring to North America.

© Source: edmunds
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Brilliance Jinjue FRV

Brilliance Auto, which numbers BMW and Toyota among its partners in China, has unveiled yet another car under its own brand, the Jinjue FRV.

Brilliance already has begun rolling out its range of passenger cars in Europe, and has said it could enter the North American market by the end of this year. The export portfolio includes two sedans and a coupe, with the BS6 sedan at the top of the line.

The FRV (known originally by its development code name A1) could anchor the lower end of the company's product stable. The four-door hatchback is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 106 horsepower. Brilliance said the car will begin production later this year at its plant in Shenyang.

Officials said prices in China will start at less than $10,000.

© Source: article on insideline
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