2008 Guangzhou Auto Show: 2009 Acura TL sedan
Yesterday at the Guangzhou auto show, Honda Motor’s luxury brand Acura released all-new 4th-generation sporty 2009 Acura TL model and announced that the sedan will go on sale across China next month, said xinhuanet.com today.
The all-new Acura TL offers two engine choices: a 3.5-liter and a 3.7-liter V6 VTEC.
The standard engine is a 3.5-liter V6 i-VTEC with 280 horsepower and 254 lb-ft of torque in the front-wheel drive model; this new and more powerful engine returns fuel economy ratings of 11.6 L/100 km in the city and 7.5 L/100 km on the highway.
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The TL SH-AWD uses an all-new 3.7-liter V6 i-VTEC engine that produces 305 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, with ratings of 12.3 in the city and 8.1 on the highway.
The SH-AWD system distributes more torque to the outside rear wheel during spirited cornering to create a “yaw moment” to help the vehicle turn in more quickly and precisely.
The 2009 TL features cutting-edge technology with the addition of new high-tech items including AcuraLink weather, AcuraLink Traffic Rerouting, a new Note function for XM Radio, Active Sound Control, and Bluetooth Audio to an already robust list of features found on the previous RL.
In the American market, the 2009 Acura sells $44,490 for the TL SH-AWD edition, and $47,990 for the TL SH-AWD Technology Package.
This suggests the all-new Acura TL to sell in China next month may be cheaper than the three Acura models currently available, which are priced above 400,000 yuan ($58,500).
Based on its good sales performance and strong confidence in the Chinese market, Honda China expects to see the sales of its Acura brand more than double this year up to 3,000 units from last year’s 1,402 units.
2008 Guangzhou Auto Show:Volvo long-wheelbase S80L
Just like the long-wheelbase Audi A4L that debuted at the Guangzhou auto show yesterday, Volvo has also rolled out a longer S80 with an extended wheelbase at the auto event, said sina.com today.
The long-wheelbase S80L, being showcased in Guangzhou along with Volvo’s all 2009 series, is designed to suit Chinese buyers’ growing tastes for premium cars.
Volvo entered the Chinese market with its locally built S40 in 2006. Now the Swedish carmaker has decided to produce this market-specific version of the brand’s flagship sedan in China as well.
“Volvo made a decision to produce its flagship sedan, the S80, in China, with upgrades to suit the tastes of Chinese consumers and to meet the increasing demand for premium cars in China,” said Dr. Alexander Klose, CEO of Volvo Car China.
Apparently, extra-long cars are all the rage in Chinese executive transportation these days. Following up on the success of the A6L, Audi unveiled the A4L for the Chinese market yesterday.
Today, Volvo has jumped on the “long-wheelbase” bandwagon, taking the wraps of the Chinese-market-specific S80L as well at the Guangzhou auto show in southern China.
For the discerning Chinese buyer, Volvo has stretched the car 14cm, or about 5.5 inches, and all that extra space has gone to the rear seats.
The S80L’s design is otherwise unchanged from that of the S80 and boasts the same level of passenger safety that Volvo is known for, as well as top level trim and amenities.
The S80L will be produced using locally-sourced parts at Volvo’s CFMA Chongqing plant in southwestern China. It remains to be seen whether the longer S80L version will eventually make their way into other markets.
At the ongoing Guangzhou auto show, Volvo is also displaying its latest sport editions of S40, C30, XC90 R-design models along with the general Volvo C30, S40, C70, S80 and XC90 models. The new XC90 Sport R-design will sell for 798,000 yuan ($117,000).
