https://www.scmp.com/rss/322106/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Audi has had 77 consecutive months of record sales in the US, selling more than 200,000 vehicles last year alone – twice as many as it sold there in 2010. Sports utility vehicles are leading that surge to such an extent that the brand feels it must develop more large SUVs to go along with its top-of-the-line Q7. That means a behemoth along the lines of GMC’s Yukon Denali or Cadillac’s Escalade, with a third row of seats and serious storage. So the question becomes: can the brand take the... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2101540/audi-q5-blends-quiet-suv-luxury-precision-and-delicate-handling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2101540/audi-q5-blends-quiet-suv-luxury-precision-and-delicate-handling?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jul 2017 08:34:01 +0000 Cars might be the best office property for small businesses in Hong Kong. Equipped with internet, Bluetooth and infotainment connectivity, they can soon become mobile sales, demonstration or meetings spaces that expand a small operation’s business horizons. Hyundai makes entrepreneur-friendly cars and the sixth-generation 1.6-litre Hyundai Elantra (from HK$164,900) looks a presentable, hard worker with a six-speed automatic transmission. The 4.5-seater, 126-horsepower Elantra tonnes in 11.6... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2101710/five-cars-help-hong-kong-entrepreneurs-make-right-calls-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2101710/five-cars-help-hong-kong-entrepreneurs-make-right-calls-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jul 2017 08:21:44 +0000 Nicole Kidman’s Celeste in Big Little Lies should have driven a Volvo V90 Cross Country. It is the perfect conveyance for a character like that – someone with a delicate feminine demeanour, Scandinavian-ish good looks and distinctive, sleek style. (Oh, and a pair of rambunctious twin boys.) Volvo is offering this car in an attempt to take the edge off our addiction to sports utility vehicles. “The V90CC will be tentatively launched in late September in Hong Kong,” Volvo Hong Kong spokeswoman... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100778/volvos-spacious-v90-cross-country-could-tempt-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100778/volvos-spacious-v90-cross-country-could-tempt-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 11:36:24 +0000 The 19th International Engine Awards on June 21 in Stuttgart highlighted the world’s best-running and most fuel-efficient cars. Ferrari’s and Audi’s Hong Kong operations immediately reminded the South China Morning Post of their cars’ achievements, but the local representatives of Honda, Tesla, BMW, PSA Citroen and Porsche have yet to comment on their makes. More fool them, because the Engine Technology International magazine awards are judged by 58 motoring journalists from 31 countries – and... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100769/ferrari-dominates-engine-oscars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2100769/ferrari-dominates-engine-oscars?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 10:17:41 +0000 For all of its engineering wizardry and marketing magic, today’s auto industry is running short on strange. In dealerships, there’s something for everybody, from speed freaks to fuel sippers, but much of it looks pretty much the same. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. Back before reams of safety regulations standardised grille heights and crumple-zones, and certainly before global conglomerates perfected the art of sharing parts and platforms, cars were creative and sometimes downright... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2099713/classic-cars-require-tricky-economics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2099713/classic-cars-require-tricky-economics?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jun 2017 07:00:45 +0000 Audi this week says its new hand-built R8 Spyder V10 plus has a “gloriously vocal” 610ps (601 horsepower), 5.2-litre V10, which is 70ps stronger than the basic Spyder’s block. Now available in Europe, the R8 Spyder V10 plus promises 100km/h in about 3.3 seconds – one-third of a second faster than the basic Spyder – and a top speed of 336km/h, an increase of almost 10km/h, via a seven-speed S-tronic transmission. The block also has a cylinder on demand to deactivate a cylinder bank at low speeds... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2099707/five-cars-bombard-senses-summer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2099707/five-cars-bombard-senses-summer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jun 2017 02:00:58 +0000 Mercedes-AMG product manager Joerg Letzel stoops over the front bumper of a metallic blue Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster (HK$2.79 million) in Mercedes Me. Tall and toned in corporate black, the German engineer embodies the energy of Daimler’s supercar unit, where he has worked in various production and management roles for the past 26 years. As part of the supercar marque’s international 50th anniversary celebrations, the father of two was in Hong Kong last weekend to discuss Mercedes-AMG’s history,... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2099690/mercedes-amgs-exclusive-presentations-charm-supercar-vips-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2099690/mercedes-amgs-exclusive-presentations-charm-supercar-vips-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jun 2017 01:00:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s Rotarians could soon save more lives, with the help of the city’s Land Rover community. For the past 18 months, they have given a tired Aussie six-wheel-drive truck a new mission – as an urgently needed mobile clinic in the poor outskirts of Ulan Bator and the rugged wilderness of its surrounding steppes. The project stemmed from the Rotary Club of Hong Kong’s 86-year-old charity fundraising tradition, in which the 60-member club has funded more than 220 community projects worth a... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2098483/hong-kongs-rotary-and-land-rover-clubs-turn-old-truck-mobile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2098483/hong-kongs-rotary-and-land-rover-clubs-turn-old-truck-mobile?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jun 2017 06:52:34 +0000 Hongkongers are driving some fabulous cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend. Jackie Chan DC Racing x JOTA Sport fields a couple of Chinese-liveried 603-horsepower Oreca 07-Gibsons in the big race, the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team’s hopes are high as the #37FortuneCat of David Cheng, Tristan Gommendy and Alex Brundle was the third-fastest of the Le Mans Prototype 2 cars in last week’s official test, and the #Mighty38 of Tung Ho-pin, Thomas Laurent and Oliver Jarvis was... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2098517/hongkong-racers-rev-le-mans-red-giant-leads-amg-celebrations-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2098517/hongkong-racers-rev-le-mans-red-giant-leads-amg-celebrations-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jun 2017 06:49:52 +0000 This year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este from May 26 to May 28 brought out the best of BMW; a new Rolls-Royce; and lent old money charm to the latest car and bike concepts. The three-day event has been exclusive since 1929, when many of Europe’s car-loving rich engaged coach builders at Villa d’Este, a palatial, 152-room grand hotel in Cernobbio, about 60km north of Milan. The picturesque Lake Como property had drawn the rich and famous for centuries, and in recent decades developed into an... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2097486/concorso-deleganza-villa-deste-reveals-beauty-alfa-romeo-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2097486/concorso-deleganza-villa-deste-reveals-beauty-alfa-romeo-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jun 2017 08:03:01 +0000 Chinese multimedia artist Cao Fei, 39, is the youngest and first Chinese artist to create a BMW Art Car. BMW’s 19 Art Car artists since (a BMW 3.0 CSL in) 1975 have included Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Jeff Koons and John Baldessari. Cao’s work, BMW Art Car #18, was unveiled at Beijing’s Minsheng Art Museum on May 31, and “addresses the future of mobility”, and “is a reflection on the speed of change in China, on tradition and future”, the artist says. The artist uses an M6... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2097490/chinese-artist-cao-feis-bmw-art-car-18-revs-macau-volvo-ships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2097490/chinese-artist-cao-feis-bmw-art-car-18-revs-macau-volvo-ships?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jun 2017 07:50:48 +0000 Recently, my other half and I spotted a Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 in Sai Kung. Offering her best approximation of a petrol-head’s opinion, she said: “It looks confused.” I was taken aback. I had marvelled at its svelte, subcompact sports utility vehicle lines; cooed at its accentuated aerodynamic profile; lingered over the light-emitting diode headlights; gyrated at the curvy, pull-up-to-my-bumper-baby remodelled fenders. Fill your boots, Grace Jones. It was not that the GLA had stopped at a fork in... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2096520/mercedes-benz-gla-200-facelift-nips-and-tucks-through-sai-kung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2096520/mercedes-benz-gla-200-facelift-nips-and-tucks-through-sai-kung?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jun 2017 08:33:38 +0000 The inaugural Hong Kong Auto Show presented a wide range of Chinese and international cars at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre last weekend. The following five made the strongest impression. The show’s highlight was the Lotus Exige Sport 380, a potential collectible that local dealer Richburg Lotus says only arrived here last week. Selling for “about HK$1.3 million”, the 376-horsepower, 3.5-litre turbocharged two-seater does 100km/h in about 3.5 seconds and tops at 375km/h via a... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2096514/lotus-exige-enthrals-hong-kong-auto-show-guangzhou-auto-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2096514/lotus-exige-enthrals-hong-kong-auto-show-guangzhou-auto-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jun 2017 08:00:57 +0000 Last week, when I was travelling through Singapore and Malaysia, I was using Uber everywhere. My local friends were using something else; they were all on Grab. Outside Southeast Asia, very few might have heard of Grab. But a lot of ink has been spilled in the region about the fight between the two car-hailing companies and how they have been able to prosper simultaneously. The world’s most valuable start-up and valued at US$68 billion, Uber has a war chest dwarfing that of Singapore-based Grab,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/2096573/size-not-everything-you-need-get-ahead-wired-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/start-ups/article/2096573/size-not-everything-you-need-get-ahead-wired-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jun 2017 00:02:20 +0000 The death of 89-year-old British actor Roger Moore, on Tuesday, renews Hong Kong car lovers’ debate about the local cars that he used in the 1974 James Bond film, Man with the Golden Gun. Some local “anoraks” say he stepped out of a Datsun 200 taxi in a brief scene near Western Market, while others insist it was a Nissan Cedric or Toyota Crown. The cameo cab’s rear door and windows seem Cedric-like on the Jamesbondlocations.blogspot.hk website, but older local taxi buffs might have the final... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2095812/nobody-drove-them-better-roger-moore-bonded-beautiful-cars-and-became-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2095812/nobody-drove-them-better-roger-moore-bonded-beautiful-cars-and-became-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 May 2017 12:02:33 +0000 Marques often launch new models for a seven-year life cycle. BMW, for example, presented its first (E12) 5-Series in 1972, and the current, seventh generation (G30) was unveiled last year. Unfortunately, makers are under increasing pressure to keep their cars’ images fresh, and they often do so with “facelifts”, add-ons and special editions to highlight the models’ anniversaries or successes. Mercedes-AMG celebrated its 50th anniversary this spring with three new models in Geneva, while Fiat is... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2094872/five-mind-blowing-anniversary-models-europes-leading-marques?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2094872/five-mind-blowing-anniversary-models-europes-leading-marques?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 May 2017 02:16:21 +0000 France can be beautiful in June. It is a fine time for dining, shopping – and driving to see old Hong Kong friends in fresher, warmer light. And Citroen’s luxury marque DS embodies Gallic automotive style. Its DS3 Performance is worth a look on your next trip to Europe as it might make your visits there all the more enjoyable. You’ll be lucky to find a DS3 Performance beyond a parallel importer in Hong Kong, or indeed on the mainland, where the brand begins with the DS 4S THP 130, from 144,900... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2094871/ds3-performance-combines-style-french-design-and-thrust-hot-hatch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2094871/ds3-performance-combines-style-french-design-and-thrust-hot-hatch?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 May 2017 01:01:57 +0000 Several marques highlighted their best cars last week as they delivered their first-quarter results for 2017. On May 3, Volkswagen Group said its sales revenue for the quarter rose 10.3 per cent year on year to €56.2 billion, just as its new Porsche 911 GT3 lapped the 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes, 12.7 seconds – 12.3 seconds faster than its predecessor. “A few years ago, lap times like this could only be achieved by thoroughbred race cars with slick tyres,” said Andreas... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2093989/porsche-911-gt3-breaks-records-ferrari-gtc4lusso-drives-profit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2093989/porsche-911-gt3-breaks-records-ferrari-gtc4lusso-drives-profit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 May 2017 08:45:43 +0000 Paolo Pininfarina says it’s not enough to do things in a new way. “You have to be relevant too,” says the 58-year-old engineer, designer and chairman of the Cambiano-based automotive styling house, Pininfarina. Businesses must also meet the unexpected, he adds. Founded by his grandfather, Battista “Pinin” Farina, in 1930, the Milan-listed company has created the look of almost every Ferrari since the 1950s, and shaped many Fiats, Lancias and Alfa Romeos. However, the design house’s latest... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2093943/car-designers-have-be-china-now-says-pininfarina-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2093943/car-designers-have-be-china-now-says-pininfarina-chairman?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 May 2017 07:46:44 +0000 There is no question that the Mercedes-Benz A180d hatchback is a Mercedes. Its bonnet badge is big. Beyond that badge, the latest generation A180d does not scream Mercedes, as a G-Wagen, or one of the company’s more typical big saloons do. At first, it looks an ordinary compact saloon; or a family car for small passengers. This may be a product of its being an entry level car for the company: a Mercedes-Benz for those who were just about to buy a slightly roomier Ford Focus, having assumed... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2093131/mercedes-benz-a180d-hatchback-well-styled-practical-compact-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2093131/mercedes-benz-a180d-hatchback-well-styled-practical-compact-your?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 May 2017 07:45:52 +0000 Hongkongers will be the first in Asia to see the new Volvo XC60 sports utility vehicle in the third quarter of this year, according to Yoko Yeung, spokeswoman of dealer Volvo Hong Kong, a unit of Wearnes Motors (HK). The unveiling is also one of many highlights of Volvo’s 90th anniversary celebrations here. The marque turned 90 on April 14, and the local dealer is already offering a “Swedish tour for two” promotion for 90 Series customers. Volvo Hong Kong is also planning an October anniversary... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2092992/volvo-plans-xc60s-asia-launch-hk-lamborghini-revs-urus-and-ford?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2092992/volvo-plans-xc60s-asia-launch-hk-lamborghini-revs-urus-and-ford?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 May 2017 07:29:42 +0000 Shanghai Auto 2017 closed today and left five impressions in Hong Kong. First, the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class looked the Best of Show. The marque highlighted four models it says were developed with “China in mind”: two six-cylinder diesels and two petrol variants: the Mercedes-Benz S 560 4MATIC (fuel consumption combined: 8.5 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 195g/km) and the Mercedes-Maybach S 560 4MATIC (9.3 l/100 km; 209g/km). The latter’s 469hp V8 achieves 700Nm of torque for “about 10 per cent less... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2091157/shanghai-auto-show-reaffirms-design-electric-vehicle-trends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2091157/shanghai-auto-show-reaffirms-design-electric-vehicle-trends?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2017 09:48:44 +0000 The 2017 Lamborghini Huracán Rear-Wheel-Drive Spyder and its predecessor, an all-wheel-drive version, are virtually identical. Aside from a subtle widening of the front air intakes and specially contoured aluminium brakes to increase downforce, you’d be hard-pressed to pick the new one out in a line-up. Which raises the question: Why spend US$20,000 more on the rear-wheel-drive version, especially since it’s more squirrely to drive? My answer: exactly. If you are in the market for a Lamborghini,... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2091168/coming-soon-how-lamborghini-huracan-rear-wheel-drive-spyder-can?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2091168/coming-soon-how-lamborghini-huracan-rear-wheel-drive-spyder-can?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2017 09:44:34 +0000 The atmosphere at Shanghai’s annual motor show is always electric. But this year, that statement has taken on extra meaning as carmakers unveil aggressive plans to boost their electric car offerings in China. Even as policymakers drastically cut subsidies for new energy vehicles – a move guaranteed to intensify competition in an already crowded market – local and international brands eagerly unveiled their latest electric and hybrid models on the opening day of Auto Shanghai 2017. China has... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2089606/carmakers-unveil-electric-ambitions-china-despite-subsidy-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2089606/carmakers-unveil-electric-ambitions-china-despite-subsidy-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Apr 2017 04:31:45 +0000 With car sales widely expected to lose their momentum in China this year, manufacturers have decided the middle class’s growing appetite for SUVs and clean-energy vehicles is their best bet. Following a robust 15 per cent growth in 2016, sales of passenger vehicles are likely to increase at a much slower pace this year, with the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) forecasting a 5 per cent year-on-year rise. Among the likely reasons for the projected decline is a decision by... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2089651/auto-makers-tap-chinas-middle-class-car-sales-set-slow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2089651/auto-makers-tap-chinas-middle-class-car-sales-set-slow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Apr 2017 14:54:33 +0000 The 17th biennial Shanghai Auto Show opened on Wednesday and runs until April 28. In the city’s clover-leafed National Exhibition and Convention Centre, car manufacturers are feeling pretty lucky with 113 world premieres on display. Visitors are not quite so fortunate, thanks to the event’s confusing layout and poor signage. Volkswagen Audi Group has the strongest showing among the international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and also reflects the show’s overriding themes: electric... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2089609/shanghai-auto-show-draws-automotive-world-chinas-motoring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2089609/shanghai-auto-show-draws-automotive-world-chinas-motoring?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Apr 2017 12:15:39 +0000 Japanese luxury carmaker Infiniti has confirmed its commitment and confidence in the mainland China market at the Shanghai Auto Show. “We have a very good base [in China] now to move forward. We have just launched two new vehicles – the QX30 and Q60 – and they’re just establishing themselves on the market,” said CEO Ronald Krueger. Infiniti sold about 10,000 vehicles in China in the first three months of 2017, a 4 per cent increase from the same period a year earlier. The company, headquartered... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2089239/japanese-carmaker-infiniti-confirms-commitment-mainland-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2089239/japanese-carmaker-infiniti-confirms-commitment-mainland-market?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:23:28 +0000 Smaller sport utility vehicles are battling for market share in Hong Kong this week. Mercedes-Benz last Friday drew about 300 people to its launch of the new GLA “compact” SUV at the Mercedes me Store in Central. The new GLA has a beefier body with offroad chassis variants and a luxed interior with new seat covers and more chrome. Its LED high performance headlights offer daylight-like light and consume “around 60 per cent less [energy] than xenon and approximately 70 per cent less than... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2087739/smaller-sport-utility-vehicles-chart-plans-boost-market-share?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2087739/smaller-sport-utility-vehicles-chart-plans-boost-market-share?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Apr 2017 09:44:59 +0000 I really must protest to Mr Bentley, next time I see him. When one enjoys a ride of rare refinement in a limousine as shiny and self-assured as the 2017 Bentley Mulsanne, one really does expect the whole kit, caboodle and shooting match: the subtle (and ostentatious) sumptuousness; the intricate details (and the big, beefy bodywork); the untrammelled hedonism (and the smidgen of guilt at the utter, oozing, polished perfection of it all. In fact, no – scratch the guilt.) This is a first-class... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2087478/new-bentley-mulsanne-opulent-power-statement-and-fit-queen-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2087478/new-bentley-mulsanne-opulent-power-statement-and-fit-queen-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Apr 2017 07:31:01 +0000 Electric cars became more expensive in Hong Kong on April 1, giving car buyers cause for a rethink. When the government capped first registration tax waivers on EVs, at HK$97,000, (US$12,484) it arguably gave local drivers a licence to guzzle gas, guilt-free, and in less expensive cars. So, here are five fossil-fuelled alternatives you can rev instead. Decision to cut Hong Kong’s electric vehicle tax waiver is ‘backwards’ and sends wrong message, critics say Due to the new tax system, the... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2085774/goodbye-electric-vehicle-tax-waiver-hello-petrol-burners-five?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2085774/goodbye-electric-vehicle-tax-waiver-hello-petrol-burners-five?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Apr 2017 01:31:37 +0000 “By 2025, we believe most vehicles will still be driven by internal combustion engines [ICE] and the traditional ICE still has major potential to further reduce emissions,” said Enno Tang, head of chassis and safety technology at Continental, at the 2016 Global Automotive Forum in Chongqing. Despite US President Donald Trump’s March 15 announcement of a review of fuel efficiency standards, there is a move worldwide, prompted by regulation and consumer demand, to get more mileage out of... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2085753/six-car-technologies-will-help-you-go-extra-mile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2085753/six-car-technologies-will-help-you-go-extra-mile?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Apr 2017 07:40:24 +0000 Didi Chuxing is gearing up to absorb more public transportation data into its platform as the Chinese ride-sharing giant sees itself beating rival Uber Technologies in the race to commercialise self-driving cars. “Didi is the best platform to commercialise self-driving cars because we have a lot of data generated by a huge number of ride-hailing users. Our platform can provide 20 million trips per day, which is much more than Uber provides,” said Zhang Wensong, senior vice president of... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2083875/didi-chuxing-plans-use-one-advantage-crush-its-rivals-race-self?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2083875/didi-chuxing-plans-use-one-advantage-crush-its-rivals-race-self?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Mar 2017 11:37:20 +0000 Several innovative cars were presented at this month’s Geneva International Motor Show, but it was the Renault Trezor Concept that made Hong Kong proud. The electric two-seater was named 2016 Concept Car Design of the Year at the Car Design of the Year Awards, and the prize went to Hongkonger Anthony Lo Wai-kei, Renault’s vice-president of exterior design. It’s a big win for Renault because the awards are organised by the industry bible, the Car Design News website, and consist of two keenly... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2081558/triumph-technology-and-digital-innovation-geneva?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2081558/triumph-technology-and-digital-innovation-geneva?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Mar 2017 08:15:23 +0000 You may already be familiar with the 2017 BMW 5 Series. It starred in that horribly irritating pop-up ad that until recently shot sideways across every webpage you summoned. That alone would have been enough to make me buy Mercedes-Benz. But let’s be generous at the outset. Whatever the numbers and letters on the back of the variants – 520, 530, 540 or 550; d, e or i – the 5 is a serious executive saloon for serious executives and guarantees quality, comfort and luxury. It is more agile than of... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2083490/lighter-quicker-and-more-advanced-bmw-5-worth-price?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2083490/lighter-quicker-and-more-advanced-bmw-5-worth-price?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Mar 2017 08:03:22 +0000 Elon Musk has been known as a builder who loves to construct things. He builds Tesla cars that lure buyers from BMW, Maserati and Audi. He founded SpaceX, which manufactures and launches rockets and spacecraft. He opened the Gigafactory, which produces lithium-ion batteries, and will be the world’s second-largest plant after Boeing. He runs SolarCity, the largest solar energy services provider in America. A sceptic of artificial intelligence, Musk has long scoffed the idea of letting the... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2083524/managers-must-push-new-capabilities-key-future-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2083524/managers-must-push-new-capabilities-key-future-success?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Mar 2017 07:13:47 +0000 Bad news for Kim Jong-un: when the tubby tyrant fires North Korean biological weapons towards the West in a future provocation too far, countless potential victims will be firing back obscene gestures – from the sanctuary of their Tesla Model X. A Bioweapon Defence Mode is probably not the first thing you look for when buying a car – not yet, anyway. And outlandish it may be, but it’s a bona fide, if tongue-in-cheek, feature on the Tesla Model X, whose air filter is 10 times bigger – and 800... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2081845/tesla-makes-waves-its-family-car-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2081845/tesla-makes-waves-its-family-car-future?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Mar 2017 08:14:17 +0000 An impressive range of new electric vehicles went on display at the Geneva International Motor Show this week. How much interest they will generate among Hongkongers is questionable, however, given the government’s flip-flop approach to plug-in motoring. Local hopes for cleaner, quieter roads may be short-lived. On February 23, the government announced that from April Fool’s Day, the first-registration tax of electric private cars would be waived up from zero to HK$97,500. The future of plug-in... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2079912/electric-vehicles-charged-long-haul-hk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2079912/electric-vehicles-charged-long-haul-hk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2017 12:04:47 +0000 “Please mind the rims,” I’m reminded as I approach a pot-holed road. It’s a rather disquieting request, since we’re about to test the off-road capabilities of the Maserati Levante (pronounced “Levant-eh” and named after a warm, if changeable, Mediterranean wind), so the notion that the car may not be able to cope with a few little bumps is not the most promising start. But Maserati is completely upfront about it: “Maybe 90 per cent of the Levante’s customers won’t take it in anything more... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2079900/fast-spacious-assured-maserati-levante-may-be-least-suvish-suv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2079900/fast-spacious-assured-maserati-levante-may-be-least-suvish-suv?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2017 07:49:07 +0000 China’s biggest sport-utility vehicle maker is reconsidering its plan to build a plant in Mexico that would have made its bestselling cars for the US market, joining a growing list of global carmakers reviewing investment plans after tax threats by President Donald Trump. Great Wall Motor, led by chairman Wei Jianjun, might choose the US instead for its first North American plant, general manager Wang Fengying said. The company had a research centre in Los Angeles and would accelerate... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2077877/great-wall-motor-reviews-mexico-plans-amid-trumps-tax-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2077877/great-wall-motor-reviews-mexico-plans-amid-trumps-tax-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Mar 2017 12:33:58 +0000 At 81, Peter Brock’s hang gliding days are behind him. “But it was pretty thrilling to be up there on a thermal with an eagle,” the American recalls. “In fact, it was more exciting than anything else I’ve done.” That is saying something. After all, Brock had a brief career as a racing driver, but also a much longer one as both a builder of racing cars and – the feats for which he is legendary in petrol-head circles – as a designer of cars too. Perhaps unsurprisingly, even his hobby turned into... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2077854/less-more-peter-brock-who-helped-build-and-design-iconic-sport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2077854/less-more-peter-brock-who-helped-build-and-design-iconic-sport?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Mar 2017 10:50:06 +0000 Several marques launched impressive sport utility vehicles at this week’s Geneva motor show. The following five could disrupt Hong Kong’s crowded all-wheel-drive sector – and possibly tempt some of the city’s incentive-capped electric-vehicle pioneers back to fossil fuels. Bentley is duelling with Mercedes-Benz for hearts of the wealthy. It launched the plush Bentayga last summer, and Mercedes-Benz outstyled it last month with the limited-edition Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet, which is due... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2077843/limited-editions-luxury-and-lights-five-fossil-fuel-burners-tempt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2077843/limited-editions-luxury-and-lights-five-fossil-fuel-burners-tempt?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Mar 2017 10:12:05 +0000 Ferrari’s 812 Superfast seems the car to beat at this year’s 12-day Geneva International Motor Show, which opens to the public next Thursday. It is the fastest and most powerful car the marque has ever made, with an 800-horsepower, 6.5-litre V12 engine. The tourer produces 718 Newton metres of torque and sprints to 100km/h in 2.9 seconds, with a top speed of 340km/h. Already featured in this column, the 812 Superfast looks sharp in the carmaker’s 70th anniversary red, but consumes about 14.9... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2075487/ferrari-take-centre-stage-geneva-motor-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2075487/ferrari-take-centre-stage-geneva-motor-show?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2017 10:06:44 +0000 Roads are congested. Parking is difficult. The climate is in crisis. No wonder smaller cars are in demand. But imagine, if you will, the kind of car wash that did more than just scrub your car clean, but which – as the combination of washing machines and ignored care labels often do – shrank your car. This then, is precisely what it feels like to drive Volvo’s new V40 T4 R-Design: it is the neatly proportioned hatchback that wants to be a full-on family saloon. It tries really hard, too. You can... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2075481/volvo-moves-design-ladder-v40-r-design?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2075481/volvo-moves-design-ladder-v40-r-design?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2017 07:31:56 +0000 Carmakers have launched several fine vehicles this month, and a few of the following five have already rolled down the driveways of wealthy Hongkongers. Rolls-Royce finally launched two special-edition models, 11 months after they were unveiled at last year’s Geneva motor show. The limousines revived boardroom and master-bedroom debate in the city on the need for chauffeurs. Rolls-Royce says its Black Badge Wraith and Black Badge Ghost appeal to “a new breed of Rolls-Royce customer – today’s... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2073780/dark-obsessions-comfortable-wheels-and-small-fast-self-driven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2073780/dark-obsessions-comfortable-wheels-and-small-fast-self-driven?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2017 09:11:30 +0000 A few years ago I bought a pair of those go-faster Puma racing drivers’ boots, with soles made to look like tyre treads. They are the commercial version of Formula One footwear, so obviously I was channelling my inner Fernando Alonso. Or something. They re-emerged last week when I decided to give them some pedal time in the revamped Volkswagen Touran; but walking to the car I suddenly felt hopelessly overdressed, as though I had pitched up in black tie to play pin the tail on the donkey. The... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2073768/touran-takes-road-less-travelled-carve-niche?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2073768/touran-takes-road-less-travelled-carve-niche?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2017 08:27:08 +0000 There are some very fast cars in Hong Kong. Few will reach their top speeds here, but most could delight on racetracks or fast-lane flits across the border. The Briggs Automotive Co (BAC) Mono is a single-seater and one of the fastest, rarest cars in town. Made in Liverpool, the BAC Mono can be bought for £171,000 (HK$1.66 million), but before Hong Kong’s first registration tax, however. Built to race, the 3.953-metre Mono is probably the ultimate weekend track toy. It weighs just 589kg and has... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2071809/hks-fast-and-furious-are-delight-racetracks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2071809/hks-fast-and-furious-are-delight-racetracks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Feb 2017 13:39:33 +0000 On my busman’s holidays I like to steal the keys to my other half’s Mini Cooper and enjoy the bump, the grind, the irresistible go-kartyness of a bundle of fun that is so cute you could pinch its little wheel arches. As we all know, the Mini first became cool when driven by Mr Bean. But it reached its apogee of coolness when piloted by Jason Statham and chums in the remake of movie The Italian Job. By then it had become, in most of its iterations, a hatchback, courtesy of parent company BMW’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2069835/renault-megane-looks-dream-and-drives-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2069835/renault-megane-looks-dream-and-drives-one?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Feb 2017 08:35:55 +0000 Retro-styled “continuation cars” are catching on overseas, and at least two manufacturers are keen to attract Hong Kong collectors. Continuations are largely small-run copies or restorations of classics made by craftsmen working from original factory drawings, but with better engines, brakes and other safety features. Purists call these models fakes, but fans say they run more reliably, look as good as original classics, and are rare investments. British restorer Eagle, based in East Sussex,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2069840/continuation-cars-catch-fancy-aficionados-hk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2069840/continuation-cars-catch-fancy-aficionados-hk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Feb 2017 08:12:23 +0000 When Bugatti opens its fifth shop later this year, in Doha, passers-by might for forgiven for thinking some major mistake had been made. Where, they might ask, are all the cars? Then again, to others this thought might not occur at all. “I think there are probably people who go into these shops without even knowing that Bugatti is a carmaker,” says Wiebke Bauer. “In fact, I hope so, because that means the products inside are good enough to stand up on their own merits.” Bauer is the head of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2064038/laptops-wine-stoppers-how-worlds-top-automotive-brands-judge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2064038/laptops-wine-stoppers-how-worlds-top-automotive-brands-judge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jan 2017 13:15:15 +0000 There are numerous sport utility vehicles available for motorists in Hong Kong but these five stood out from the crowd last year. The bulky Bentley Bentayga seems the SUV to beat. Launched in Hong Kong in April for HK$4.25 million, this 5.14-metre, 3.25-tonne SUV has a 600-horsepower, twin-turbocharged six-litre W12 engine that can reach 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and top at 301km/h. Its petrol consumption is about 13 litres per 100km for 296 grams per km in carbon dioxide emissions. This showy SUV... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2059671/five-standouts-crowded-suv-field?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/motoring/article/2059671/five-standouts-crowded-suv-field?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jan 2017 04:01:03 +0000