- BMW's Chinese partner introduces a new midrange sedan — and borrows its new naming convention from BMW.
- The 530 sedan will replace the older BS4 in export markets.
- The principal engine will be a 136-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder.
SHANGHAI, China — Brilliance Automotive, the Chinese partner of BMW, has launched a new midrange sedan, while establishing a new naming convention patterned after the one used for years by BMW.
Unveiled at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, the Brilliance 530 sedan is slated to go on sale later this year in China, powered by a newly developed 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder rated at 136 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. The 530 will replace the Brilliance BS4 in Europe and other export markets in 2012.
Brilliance reportedly intends to rename most of its passenger cars as they are redesigned or replaced, with a range-topping 700 series above the 530 and a 300 series below it, according to Chinese media reports.
The Brilliance 530 is relatively substantial, measuring 185 inches long overall, on a wheelbase of 106 inches.
Inside Line says: Despite the Chinese automaker's obvious aspirations, the new 530 is still considerably shorter, smaller and lighter — and way less expensive — than a BMW 5 Series sedan, and Brilliance has no intention of offering a six-cylinder variant any time soon. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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a1c_scg says:
08:04 AM, 04/25/2011
e90_m3-
My thoughts exactly. And one could argue the Skyline GT-R, Z cars, 2000GT, RX7, NSX, Miata, etc, etc don't suck. But hey, I'm not a narrow-minded bigot.
e90_m3 says:
08:41 PM, 04/24/2011
"All the Asians suck at cars"
Yet they didn't go begging at their respective governments, and wiped out their shareholders.
cobra32 says:
04:24 PM, 04/24/2011
Actually the Chinese are one of the worst automakers out there. They tried to sale cars in Europe and failed big time. The safety of their cars is so bad that they have yet to pass anyone's safety standards period. So yes the Chinese best could not even rate as well as the old Chevy Cavalier let alone a Cruze.
dgmail says:
07:31 AM, 04/24/2011
All the Asians suck at cars
easym1 says:
06:07 PM, 04/23/2011
Chinese cars still sucks compared to American cars and that's a fact. And I'm not even American!
stephen987 says:
03:17 PM, 04/22/2011
Check those measurements, dude. It's the same size as the 1.4L Chevrolet Cruze. Does that mean the US "sucks at cars" too?
Moron.
redgeminipa1 says:
03:16 PM, 04/22/2011
Are they bringing that crap here? I can see people buying one and slapping BMW emblems on it. They might actually fool a few people.
a1c_scg says:
10:02 AM, 04/22/2011
Well, considering how overweight, poorly packaged, and overpriced the Cruze is, it's not a good example to try and prove your point. Not too mention this is obviously supposed to be a relatively nice/upscale car. So it's safe to assume it isn't that light, and couple that to the fact that you have what's supposed to be a sporty, upscale sedan powered by an anemic engine and you have a big rolling dose of fail.
My statement stands.
And yeah, aside from Ford the US DOES mostly suck at cars.
a1c_scg says:
08:23 AM, 04/22/2011
Haha, a car that big w/ only 136hp to move it?? LMFAO. What a joke. China sucks at cars.