Even though Jacoby did suffer a mild stroke last month, the vice chairman of Volvo Car Group, Hans-Olov Olsson told reporters that that his health was not the reason why Volvo's board members decided to replace him.
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There are of course plenty of other vehicle manufacturers from China that are experimenting with designs in a bid to develop their own individual and distinct styles with mixed results.
One designer who is not only closely observing what is going on in China but is also participating in the process of defining the indigenous auto design is Peter Horbury, who last year moved to China to take over the role of senior vice president of design at Geely, Volvo’s corporate sibling under the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.
However, you may be very surprised to know that the SC7-RV hatchback is based on one of Geely Englon's older studies from 2010 on a replacement for the classic London Cab, the TXN.
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Volvo until now has built all of its models around the platforms and powertrains from its former owner Ford. Now it is seeking a new partner to jointly develop its next generation of compact models.
Currently owned by Chinese carmaker Geely, Volvo recorded an impressive 20 percent increase in sales last year. Still, with some 450,000 units, it remains a small player in the global automotive industry, thus the need for cost sharing on new model development.
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Today, Spyker reported a loss of €79 million before interest and tax for its first quarter earnings, while the company’s CEO, Victor Muller, said that Saab will not meet its sales target this year.
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Headlining the Chinese automaker’s presence at the show is a hybrid concept vehicle called the McCAR and five new models that the company says will soon enter production and include the Gleagle GC6, Gleagle GX6, Gleagle GS-CC Coupe, Emgrand EC6-RV and Englon SC7-RV. Head over the jump for more details and photos.
"We regard the Chinese market as the second home market for Volvo Car Corporation and a very important part of the plan to build a successful future for the company," said Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.
The Chengdu assembly plant will only build Volvo cars and have an initial output of around 100,000 cars annually, with production estimated to start during 2013. Volvo said that the decision to expand in China will not affect operations and employment in Europe.
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So far, China’s “Big Four” (well, the four most visible to those outside of China) have made and broken promises of bringing their vehicles to the North American market. Brilliance, Chery, Nanjing and Geely have all backed down from their plans to open dealerships and factories stateside. So far, not a single car from China's major automakers has touched down on U.S. soil outside a motor show.
Consequently, the Swedish brand, which is now owned by China's Geely, has decided to significantly reduce the number of models in its North American lineup and concentrate on best-selling vehicles in an effort to increase sales.
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For whatever reasons, Geely decided to modify the design of the 5.29 meter or about 17.3-foot long executive limo making it look more Chinese and less British.
According to Autonews, Li was referring to Volvo's dependence on Europe for production and Europe and North America for the most part of its sales.
Geely's chairman believes that this issue will be solved by building a factory in Beijing, China, that will make 300,000 Volvo cars a year, or about the same amount the automaker currently produces at its plants in Sweden and Belgium
The Detroit company said that the transaction will be made in the form of a note in the amount of US$200 million and the remainder in cash.
It's worth noting that Geely has acquired Volvo at a fraction of what Ford paid for the Swedish automaker at $6.5 billion in 1999.
Ford said that even though Geely owns 100 percent of Volvo, due to the fact that the Swedish automaker's cars share core components and technologies with its own vehicles, it will continue to supply the company with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle components for an undefined period.
Automotive News states that there may have been a "snag due to problems at Ford Motor Co."; regardless, Chairman Li says, "We're ready to seal the deal...If the deal fails, the problem is not on our side. We have not violated any part of the agreement."
Ford added that while some work still needs to be done before the deal is sealed such as final documentation, financing and government approvals, the company anticipates that a definitive sale agreement will be signed in the first quarter of 2010, with closing of the sale likely to occur in the second quarter of the same year.
"The prospective sale would ensure Volvo has the resources, including the capital investment, necessary to further strengthen the business and build its global franchise, while enabling Ford to continue to focus on and implement its core ONE Ford strategy," Ford said in a statement,
The Detroit automaker added that it would continue to cooperate with Volvo Cars in several areas after the sale, but it does not plan to retain any shares in the business.
It is said that Geely is offering the U.S. automaker somewhere around $2 billion dollars for Volvo Cars which is less than a third of what Ford paid for the Swedish brand a decade ago.
With the prospected sale of Volvo, Ford will offload the last brand in the Premier Automotive Group that also included Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.
You'd expect that a Ferrari replica from China, a country where the automotive industry has turned European and Japanese car cloning into a science, would at least be presentable. Because what you are seeing pictured above is just a computer-generated image of what the tuner hoped his modified Geely coupe would resemble. If your taste buds (and stomach) can handle it, click through to see the end result...Via: Gaibar
Alas, a Chinese car with a unique design that does not resemble any other vehicle around. As we reported earlier, Geely's design team refreshed the GT Coupe Concept's looks for the Shanghai Auto Show and while they were at it, they also added a pair of Lamborghini-style scissor doors that open without the use of a key and a working interior which is somewhat less impressively styled than the coupe's exterior.The GT Coupe, which was first seen at last year's Beijing Show, is powered by a V6 gasoline engine. Geely said that it is considering the development of a production version of the coupe under its new brand name, Emgrand, in the near future.
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Photos Copyright: UP