Beijing motor show: China means (auto) business

By Guy Bird Motor Shows 22 April 2008 05:34 Only a fool wandering around this week's Beijing motor show would still dismiss China as some also-ran automotive market full of rip-off designs and outdated ‘new’ cars based on old Western designs. While all of those clichés were still in evidence at the Chinese auto show, the copycat mentality is much less obvious than even a year ago at last year's Shanghai show. And every western car exec CAR spoke to was in awe of the upward sales trajectory that means China is still the place to do business in 2008.Yes, there are still some odd automotive fish, usually small ‘three-box’ saloon in shape such as the Chinese market only Citroen C-Elysee and the VW Lavida (a Jetta/Bora Plus car with less style).

Concept Car of the Week: Citroën C-Airdream

In the 1990s and early 2000s one of the most charismatic, brave and forward-thinking car makers, Citroën, had been reduced to the maker of budget, mainstream Euro boxes such as the Saxo and Xsara. The company hinted at its intentions to break free from its mundane existence as the maker of line-of-least-resistance rental cars with its Lignage concept in 1999 that harked back to its past large sedans, especially the CX. But it was at the 2002 Paris motor show that Citroën put a stake in the ground with its fabulously avantgarde Citroën C-Airdream concept.

Peugeot Bipper Tepee launches

The Peugeot Bipper Tepee MPV The Bipper Tepee is basically a Bipper van that’s been modded to change it in to a ‘car’. It’s the first time Peugeot has pulled this trick with the Bipper van, although they’ve been the same route with the Partner van which became the Partner Combi and is now the Partner Tepee (Tepee is Peugeot’s code for ‘It’s got seats). So the van with seats does offer what you’d expect from a van – loads of room.