This is the new home for fans and followers of Brilliance Auto, one of the Chinese manufactuers who have already entered the European market and are hoping to make their way to North America in the next few years.
Though there are more than two dozen Chinese carmarkers, Brilliance have distinguished themselves by forming a partnership with BMW and by creating what is arguably the most North American-friendly lineup of cars.
So join the forum and share your thoughts on the coming of Brilliance to the North American and European markets.
Brilliance had their best looking car at the Detroit show and had also given it their best name: M3. No word yet on what BMW thinks about that. The car is known elsewhere as the BC3 so maybe that's what they'll call it in the USA once the lawyers get through with them.
In profile the car does have a 3 Series-esque style but the rear end is more Hyundai Tiburon. And speaking of Hyundai, this thing seemed to have a lot better build quality, and better materials than the first Hyundais and Kias to reach these shores. Its not up to Toyota standards yet but at the rate Brilliance is going (they opened shop in 1992) they'll be a serious player before long.
Power comes from Brilliance's ubiquitous 1.8L turbocharged four. Putting out 168 hp and 173 ft/lbs of torque the powerplant can be paired with a manumatic or 5 speed standard transmission. Likely available goodies include leather, front and side airbags, carbon fibre accents, reverse sensors andeven tire pressure monitors. Six colour choices. I like yellow.
The FRV is the smallest car in the lineup Brilliance is proposing to bring to North America. I saw this car at the auto show in Detroit in January. A not unattractive hatchback, it looks like a de rigeur economy car or vehicle for the first-time buyer who is afraid to go used.
Designed by Giugiaro and available with a lot of options not always found in this class - like leather seats, power sunroof and reverse sensors, it probably won't burn up the strip on Saturday night with only 102 HP on tap. However the 33mpg and the available stylish two-tone interior are likely to be big winners on the sales floor. No word on what the prices will be in Canada and the USA but if its in the sub-$10,000 range the FRV (also known as the BS2) sells for in China it should be a strong competitor to the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio.
Well folks here it is, the first English-language car forum devoted exclusively to Brilliance Auto. I figured since there were over 70 BMW forums on the planet (http://www.bimmerhead.com/bmw-links/BMW_Forums/), we could certainly do with one devoted to their Chinese partner, Brilliance.
So welcome to Brilliance Auto Forums and together lets watch this company, their launch into Europe and their planned launch into North America!
On the evening of June 30th in Nanjing Jiang Ning District a drunk driver named Zhang Ming Bao fell asleep at the wheel of his Buick Lacrosse which with an unconcious Zhang at the wheel managed to hit 9 people at the side of the road, and then crashed int...
Suzuki have undergone a technology transfer with their Chinese joint venture partner, Chang’an, which will see Chang’an build their own super mini car. The Chang’an CV5 is based on the current Suzuki Alto platform, and is expected...
The Roewe 850Roewe 950 has been spotted again, this time in a Shanghai Roewe dealership’s shop: The Roewe 95 is based on a Ssangyong Chairman, and uses an ex-Mercedes gearbox and engine. Since the Ssangyong bankruptcy, SAIC has been ki...
Fiat may have been given a bloody nose by the Chinese car market once before, but this is not putting them off from having another stab at the Chinese market place, this time with a new joint venture partner. Fiat and Guangzhou Autos have been getting qu...
From the Telegraph: Once a month, an Airbus A320 passenger jet rolls out of an airy hangar on the outskirts of northern port city of Tianjin, China’s window to Western ideas for a century and a half. Within two years these $72m (£43m) twin-engine j...
The QQ3 is a best selling car in China, despite its age (it was launched in 2002) it has continued to sell well into 2009 with virtually no exterior updates. The QQ3 sold a combined 9832 cars in May, its nearest rival, the BYD F0 sold 7224 units in May, t...
Since the death of the Ford Sierra, the Ford Mondeo has quickly become the class standard for the sales rep mobile across Europe. Some sales reps aspire to the BMW, some go for the latest Opel Insignia, but the vast majority opt (or, at least, their fleet...
We’re not quite sure how we missed this piece of info, but last week it was announced that Renault and Great Wall Motors (GWM) were planning a joint venture in Venezuela: Shanghai, June 23 (Gasgoo.com) French carmaker Renault is contemplating plans...
Not only the Rover 75 and MG production moved to China, also the Morris Marina and Austin Maestro production lines were sold to the Chinese. Both ended up in the city of Chengdu, though in different factories. A reason to pay a visit to Chengdu and to loo...
Sichuan Tengzheng bosses were today hurriedly making their way to Beijing to discus with Chinese regulators the possibility of buying Hummer from GM. There has been a lot of chatter both from the Chinese national radio, and other media basically saying t...
The FRV is the smallest car in the lineup Brilliance is proposing to bring to North America. I saw this car at the auto show in Detroit in January. A not unattractive hatchback, it looks like a de rigeur economy car or vehicle for the first-time buyer who is afraid to go used.
