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Buick Excelle and Invicta at Beijing

By Guy Bird Motor Shows 21 April 2008 16:02 Why would such a quintessentially American brand like Buick unveil its cars in China first? Simple economics: China overtook the USA as Buick’s number one market over a year ago, allegedly on the back of the reputation of the old emperor of China having a preference for the brand. Buick (and parent brand GM) couldn’t be happier as the Buick Excelle has become a top ten seller over here. Buick’s double launchGiven this Chinese love it makes perfect sense for GM to launch not one but two cars at the 2008 Beijing motor show.

BMW announces DesignWorksUSA studio and ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai

BMW has opened both a DesignWorks studio and a ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai, China, as a means of gathering information and insight into the Chinese market as the company looks to increase its presence in Asia. Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design, said, "Creating this foothold for both BMW Group Design and DesignworksUSA in Shanghai is of great importance from both strategic and creative standpoints." President of BMW Group DesignWorksUSA Laurenz Schaffer said, "Our new studio in Shanghai places DesignworksUSA at the epicenter of the most rapidly growing and influential consumer market in the world and provides an indispensable resource for shaping our global perspectives for clients." The new studio will perform functions including product, transportation, automotive, environmental and interaction design; color, material and finish design; design communication, research and strategy as well as sustainability consulting. Designers from DesignworksUSA studio in Los Angeles, Munich and Singapore will supplement a local design team.

Audi R8 e-tron – cruising in California video

We have video of the Audi R8 e-tron cruising the Pacific Coast Highway Audi first revealed its electric car project at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September last year with the R8 e-tron, an electric car based on the R8 and featuring four electric motors creating a quattro EV. Audi then went on to reveal their second e-tron at the Detroit Motor Show – the Audi R4 e-tron – which seems to preview a new R4 model from Audi and finally the latest – and most convincing e-tron – the Audi A1 e-tron at the Geneva Motor Show last week. But so far we’ve not seen any of the e-trons on the move.