Chinese four wheel drives in Australia, we have held our breath long enough.
The Great Wall X240 wagon. Where do we start.
Firstly I have a poor attitude to new vehicles hitting the market from not the usual sources, remember Lada, Mahindras, and other. The point is I like to sit back and observe what the make has to offer under our conditions.
Note the footnote that china is now the second biggest manufacturer of motor vehicles in the world just behind Japan.
Australia Hot, dusty, rainforest, deserts and some snow. Oh and lets not forget our cities. Parts reliability freight all form the decision of what makes a good car in Australia. .
The Great wall X240 wagon is about the size of the Toyota Rav 4 it has a slightly larger wheel base that is positive in interior space. The engine is Mitsubishi in fact its the old 2.4 4 cyl petrol that appeared in the Outlander of old.
Power is 100 kW @ 5250 rpm and torque 200Nm @2500- 3000 rpm. Transmission by the way of a 5 speed with 2 speed electronic transfer case.. For the greener readers CO2 is 250g/km. So what do we think so far? Its cheap , about the price of a Hyundai Tuscon, as big as a Nissan Xtrail and Rav 4. It has the turning circle of a 1988 Magna and must use premium unleaded fuel.
Dimensions for the Great Wall X240 are OK for the urban garage 4620 mm Length, 1800 mm width, 1800 mm height, 2700 mm wheelbase and 175 mm clearance not what I would call a real off road SUV but city wise adequate.
Did I mention the X240 uses PULP ?
Fuel tank is 70 litre and have I mentioned it takes premium unleaded,. Economy 11.6 L/100 km. Servicing is every 15000 kms and has a 3 year/ 100,000 warranty.
To put it into the perspective of a possible buyer I would say price is good and not a bad package. Seems ok for the wife and kids.
I would have to have a look at least .
I would most likely do this on the way to the Hyundai dealership though.
However in all seriousness it will go 1 of 2 ways. Like Hyundai in the early 1990's and become huge or like Lada and just disappear in a hail of consumer disappointment.
China second biggest car manufacturer in the world
Article from Now public,
In recent years, China has become the world's fastest growing automotive producer," according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service.
China's annual vehicle output has increased from less than 2 million vehicles in the late 1990s to 9.5 million in 2008. In terms of production volume in 2008, China has surpassed Korea, France, Germany, and the United States, trailing only Japan."
China’s automobile industry has continued to expand despite the global economic downturn. From January to October 2009, more than 10 million vehicles were sold in China. If such growth continues, China is on its way to becoming world’s largest auto market," the CRS said.
