PJ AUTO BLOG

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai September 9) – Dongfeng Peugeot has reported a recall of the 2.0 L automatic variant of its 408 sedan to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarentine yesterday. The recall will target a total of 25,792 408s manufactured between last January and this August.

The recall was called due to a fault in the engine when running at low speeds, which in extreme circumstances could cause the engine failing when accelerating or driving at low speeds. Dongfeng Peugeot will provide free repair and maintenance for all affected 408s (pictured).

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai August 17) – In response to media speculation that it will begin manufacturing vehicles in China soon, Infiniti announced yesterday that it has no official plans to begin domestic production, Gasgoo.com (Chinese) reported. Infiniti denied any information contained in the reports.

Nissan's luxury subdivision has recently been the focus of media attention, with numerous reports that it will begin domestic production in 2015. According to the reports, Infiniti's first Chinese car will be from the M series (pictured), while Zhejiang's capital of Hangzhou would be the center of production.

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai August 10) – As plans to expand domestic Chinese production of Mercedes-Benz cars develop further, rival luxury brand Audi is instead embarking on importing more vehicles to the country.

On the unveiling night of Audi's R8 Spyder Matrix (pictured above), FAW-VW Sales Executive Vice President Zhang Xiaojun told the Beijing Youth Daily that the joint venture would be bringing over a slew of new Audi vehicles to the country, in order to both increase its brand image and lay the foundation for eventual domestic production.

According to Mr. Zhang, although the joint venture's domestically manufactured vehicles were all leaders in their respective segments, the true appeal behind FAW-VW's Audi vehicles lies in their foreign charm. As a result, a key goal of the JV is to import more models to China. The number of Audis imported more than doubled from last year, with the total amount from January to July exceeding 30,000 units. In addition to the R8 Spyder and A8L (pictured below), Audi will be bringing over the A1 subcompact and A7 Sportback wagon in the latter half of the year.

Despite the recent declines in the automobile market, Mr. Zhang believes that prospects for luxury vehicles in China will continue to remain bright for many years to come. If Mr. Zhang's assessment is correct, Audi should have no problem fulfilling its 2015 sales goal of 700,000 vehicles.