Spotted in China: Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85

Here we have an extremely rare and extremely mad Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85, seen in an underground parking lot in the great city of Shanghai. The C8 Laviolette LM85 was a limited edition based on the base C8 Laviolette, only 24 examples were made from 2008 until 2010.

The Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85 celebrated Spyker’s participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, hence 24 cars. Spyker raced at Le Mans from 2004 until 2009 in the GT2 class. Sadly ‘Team Spyker’ never won the famous race but the effort was nevertheless considered a marketing success.

The Laviolette LM85 was by far the most radical car in the C8 range. Spyker used lots of aluminum to make the special some 100kg lighter than the base C8 Coupe. The roof was bare aluminum, the body was painted in a two tone ‘war color, resembling the color scheme of the race cars.

Carbon fiber fixed wing and black alloys were standard on the LM85. Badly, power was exactly the same as in the standard C8; an Audi-sourced 4.2 liter v8 with 400hp and 480nm. Top speed was 300km/h and 0-100 was gone in 4.5 seconds, 5km/h and 0.5 seconds faster than the C8.

A truly mad vehicle, and thus very good. Earlier on we met one other LM85 in Beijing.

Zotye T200 is out in China

This is the new Zotye T200 mini-SUV, it will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show later this month and it will be launched on the China car market soon thereafter. Price will start around 50.000 yuan. The Zotye T200 is basically a radically facelifted Zotye 5008.

The Zotye 5008, priced from 53.800 yuan to 74.800 yuan. The 5008 is based on the ancient Daihatsu Terios, and the T200 still uses the same platform. Zotye is also working on an all-new successor for the 5008,  which will use a new platform and arrive in late 2014.

How exactly Zotye got the blueprints for the Terios/5008 is still unclear. They likely got it from FAW (First Auto Works) where the Terios was made from 1999 until 2009 under a joint venture with Daihatsu.

Power is unchanged: 1.3 four cylinder with 93hp and a 1.5 four cylinder with 106hp, both mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Size: 4005/1570/1704, wheelbase is 2420. The Zotye 5008 is a popular vehicle in third and fourth tier cities, especially among the young who consider the cheap SUV as a perfect first car to hit those bumpy country roads. The T200 will likely push sales up a bit more.

Terios origins most visible from the back.

Design unchanged but colors are different. Dash in the 5008 was all-black, the T200 loox a bit more trendy with this beige-black combination. Steering wheel is new too.

Spotted in China: first generation Hyundai Equus Limousine

Here we have a very rare first generation Hyundai Equus Limousine, seen in the great city of Shanghai by reader & serial spotter Navigator 84, thank you for the pictures! The first generation Hyundai Equus was made from 1999 until 2008, the stretched Limousine arrived in 2000. The Limousine was a full 27 centimeters longer than the sedan and very luxurious inside.

Very few Hyundai Equus’ were exported, and the Limousine was only sold in South Korea. How this black example ended up in Shanghai is thus a bit of mystery, but it was probably brought in by a South Korean company. The Hyundai Equus was available with a 3.5 liter V6 or a 4.5 liter V8, both mated to a 5-speed automatic. The Shanghai car seems to be in perfect shape and will likely limousine around town for a many years to come.

Chinese Car Girls are looking at a Woman holding two Bottles

Two very thirsty and very pretty Chinese car girls looking at an older woman, likely a mama, holding two bottles. The woman wears a badge so she must be of some importance. Maybe she is selling water. The girls wear about 30 square centimeter latex and high heeled shoes. All three were seen on a local car tuning show in the great city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province.

Girl 5 will distract our attention…

… so girl 9 can make a move at the bag, hopefully containing many more bottles.

Bag is being stolen as we look at this pretty little face.

Later on the girls were spotted, drenched to the max, with a green Smart.  Inside sits a man who doesn’t seem to see the beauty standing at his window.

China-made Mazda CX-5 will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show

The China-made Mazda CX-5 will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show later this month and it will be launched on the Chinese car market in June. The Mazda CX-5 will be made in China by the Chang’an-Mazda joint venture.

The Mazda CX-5 is currently imported into China, priced from 233.800 yuan to 281.800 yuan.

Price for the locally produced Mazda CX-5 will start below 200.000 yuan, some Chinese media say the cheapest version will cost only 170.000 yuan. There will be two four-cylinder engines: 2.0 and 2.5, mated to a 6-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Drive train: 4×2 or 4×4. The Mazda CX-5 will compete with fine vehicles such as the Ford Kuga, the Volkswagen Tiguan and the Honda CR-V.

Beijing Shenbao D-Series is Out in China

This is, finally, the final-final final production version of the Beijing Auto Shenbao D-Series, formerly known as the Beijing Auto C70G. The production version of the Shenbao D-Series will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show later this month and it will be launched on the Chinese car market on May 11. Price will range from 165.800 yuan to 235.800 yuan.

The Beijing Auto Shenbao D-Series is the final (etc etc) production version of the BAW C71 that debuted on the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, it then returned as the Beijing Auto C70G on he 2012 Beijing Auto Show. The Shanbao namepopped up in May last year, followed by spy shots of a Shenbao D280 , followed by the debut of the Shenbao D320 on the Guangzhou Auto Show in November last year.

The Shenbao D-series is based on the old Saab 9-5. Beijing Auto Industry Corporation (BAIC), the parent company of Beijing Auto, bought the rights to the old Saab 9-5 and Saab 9-3 from General Motors in 2009, including the rights to the Saab 2.0 turbo and 2.3 turbo engines. Shenbao (绅宝) is the old Chinese name for Swedish Saab, which for unknown reasons changed to a new Chinese name ( Sabo (萨博)) in the late 1990′s. Beijing Auto so has the car and the original Chinese name.

Interior is completely redesigned with a rather cool center console. Beijing Auto is especially proud of the area around the gear lever, which indeed loox very tech.

There will be three engines available: Beijing Auto’s own 1.8 turbo and the Saab-developed 2.0 turbo and 2.3 turbo. Specs of the 1.8 are yet unknown, the 2.0 turbo poops out 200hp and 290nm, and the 2.3 turbo 250hp and 350nm. Only transmission is a paddle-shifted 5-speed tiptronic, which is an oldie from Saab as well.

Size: 4861/1820/1462, wheelbase is 2755. Front Suspension: McPherson independent suspension. Rear Suspension: Multi-link independent suspension.

Rather traditional here where something more digital could have been expected.

Very kinky gear knob, with Beijing Auto logo. Start button in the center, likely referring to the location of the keyhole in old Saabs.

Sporty red stitching on sporty black seats.

More space than there was ever available in the 9-5, but front seats are far up front and bench in the back is China-short. Not too many luxuries here, the top-spec variants will likely come with flat screens and tray tables.

The 2.0 Turbo. The engine series is called ‘T-Power’, which sounds very 1980′s.

A good looking car for a good price, the Shenbao D-Series is for example cheaper than the China-made BMW 3-Series, which starts at 258.800 yuan. But Chinese car buyers are very well aware of the Shenbao’s ancient underpinnings and engines, which will no doubt influence sales a lot. but again, it is good to see some Saab DNA back on the road!

Spy Shots: facelifted Nissan Livina for the Chinese car market

The best spy shots so far of the facelifted Nissan Livina, it will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show later this month and it will be launched on the Chinese car market in the first half of this year. At the same time Nissan is also working on an all-new Livina for China, which was expected to debut this year but has been delayed to 2014. The facelifted Lavina is an interim solution.

Current Livina. The Nissan Livina is made in China by the Dongfeng-Nissanjoint venture. Price starts at 85.800 yuan and ends at 129.800 yuan. Engines: 1.6 and 1.8. Both engines will continue but 1.6 will get slightly more power. There will also be a CVT available where the current Livina comes only with a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. Price for the facelifted Nissan Livina will be about the same.

Facelifted Livina Cross.

Spy Shots: MG5 Turbo seen testing in China

New spy shots of the upcoming MG5 Turbo, it will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show later this month and it will be launched on the Chinese car market soon thereafter. MG is also working on an extra sporty variant of the MG5 Turbo which will get a factory-body kit.

The MG5 Turbo will be powered by a turbocharged 1.5 liter four-cylinder. Power is 135hp, which doesn’t seem too much, except when you know the standard 1.5 has only 109hp. The 1.5 turbo will be mated to a 6-speed DCT. A 6-speed automatic might become available as well, but not at launch. The 1.5 turbo engine will also be used in the Roewe 350 sedan and in the new MG SUV.

Ferrari 458 Italia & Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe are Black Together in China

A very black Ferrari 458 Italia and a very black-with-chrome-bonnet Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, seen in an underground parking lot under a very expensive restaurant in Beijing. Both cars were spotless and just when I shot my shots I met the man who cleaned & guarded the vehicles. He didn’t mind me sniffing around and told me the supercars belonged to one owner, a Beijingnese in the housing business. He mostly drives the Roller, and his wife (his third, the cleaner-guard said with s sneaky smile) mostly the Ferrari.

The Ferrari 458 Italia is an expensive car o buy in China. Price starts at a hefty 3.88 million yuan or 625.000 USD. But Power! 570hp and 540nm, good for a 325km/h top speed and 0-100 is gone in 3.4 seconds. Time now for our Famous China-Ferrari 458 Collection™: pinkish Spyder, license (458AX), shiny red, matte gray, license (458MW), shiny green, China Limited Edition 2, on a truck, matte purple, blue Spider, bling, crashed, China Limited Edition, shiny red & matte black, baby blue, crashed, pink (scroll down), China Limited Edition debut,  purple, with horse, crashed, pink, silver, some silver & some white, and with a friend.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is a rare beast in China where buyers prefer four doors for a Roller and convertibles are not very popular to begin with. This is only the second Drophead we meet after a red example in Shanghai. Price in China is even madder than the 458; 7.8 million yuan or 1.25 million USD, and it only comes with 455hp. Still, purely for road presence it is by far the best car in the world. Just look how big it is, this idiotic Roller will swallow two of those Ferrari’s!

This is the extended-wheelbase 2014 Porsche Panamera for China

Porsche has officially confirmed that there will be an extended-wheelbase variant of the 2014 Porsche Panamera, just like we predicted last week. The interior is more luxurious, with tray tables, than in the standard-wheelbase Panarama and legroom is much bigger. The extended variant will be called ‘Executive’ and it will be stretched by 5.9 inches or 15 centimeter. The 2014 Porsche Panamera, standard and extended versions, will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show later this month.

The interior of the 2013 standard-wheelbase Panamera for comparison.

The exterior of the extended-wheelbase Panamera. Note roof line from B to C-pillars. The extended Panamera is primarily designed for the Chinese car market. Back in February 2011 we heard the first rumors about the vehicle, but development took rather long. In the meantime Ruf stepped in with the giant Ruf XL which was developed especially for China too.

The extended Panamera will definitely appeal to rich Chinese executives who want to use a Porsche for doing their business, but currently can’t because the back of the Panamera is too cramped. The new extended version seems big enough for the computer and the secretary. The vehicle will no doubt appeal very much to chauffeurs too…

Buggati Veyron is Black in a Shanghai Night

A beautiful black Bugatti Veyron seen at night in a traditional neighborhood in the great city of Shanghai. The Veyron is not officially available in China anymore, but good-as-new exaples keep arriving from abroad. This particular black car came from Beverly Hills.

When new the Bugatti was priced at a dazzling 24.5 millon yuan or 3.88 million USD. The exact number of Veyrons in China is unknown, but we are sure of at least 15 cars. Bugatti launched two China limited editions of the Veyron which were even more expensive: Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Edition Merveilleux,spotted, Shanghai, and the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Special Edition,

1001 horses! Check license plate holder:

Bugatti Beverly Hills (web). Wealthy Chinese car buyers still want more Veyrons, and for enough cash they will come. Supercar makers often allocate a certain number of cars per country, but in this modern world, with things like the internet, airplanes and online banking, allocations are rendered completely useless.

Note sticker under head light. FFF Automobile, China’s most famous supercar broker. Back in September last year FFF organized a supercar even on the Shanghai F1 circuit, with a lotta babes and with this very same Bugatti.

Into the Shanghai night…