In line with the growing popularity of Chinese carmakers in the region, China's Lifan Industry has entered into a partnership with Uruguay-based Grupo Effa and made Brazil its base of operations in South America. The route is similar to those adopted by other Chinese companies, most of which are using Uruguay as their entry point into the region. The size and the potential of the... 2012-01-24

Following the country's natural disasters earlier in the year, new vehicle sales in Japan showed clear signs of recovery in the latter months of 2011, to end the year down 16%, slightly ahead of BMI's projection for an 18% drop. This better than expected rate of recovery, coupled with additional incentives to boost sales, has prompted BMI to revise our total vehicle sales growth... 2012-01-26

New light vehicle sales in Kazakhstan - comprising passenger cars and light commercial vehicles - reached 44,600 during 2011, growing an impressive 107% compared with 2010, according to estimates from the Kazakh Car Business Association. In addition to the growing presence of Russian carmakers, BMI believes that vehicle demand in the country is benefiting from robust economic growth,... 2012-01-26

The aim of BMI's Industry Risk/Reward Ratings system for the automotive industry is to show the rewards and the risks that carmakers operating in a particular region - in this case Middle East and North Africa - may face. The unique system assesses crucial factors, such as sales and output growth, international trade, market size and location, and the level of market competition,... 2012-01-26

After a more than 13% year-on-year (y-o-y) drop in its new vehicle sales and a subsequent decrease in its market share from 5.4% in 2010 to 4.9% during 2011 in the UK, France's PSA Peugeot Citroën is its resting hopes on its new 3008 Hybrid4 and the introduction of new models to help it regain its position in the market. The company is particularly eyeing gains in the fleet market,... 2012-01-26