Currently reading: Hawtai Motor plots European push: Shanghai motor show 2013

Chinese brand prepares to launch pair of new saloons in Europe

Chinese brand Hawtai Motor is gearing up for a launch in Europe in 2014 with a pair of new saloons revealed at the Shanghai motor show.

Hawtai is 15 years old and sold around half a million cars last year, not only in China but in its export markets that include the Middle East, Iraq and Africa.

The firm's Vice President Zhang Hou Sheng told Autocar that a European launch was on the cards for Hawtai early next year as it nears meeting Euro V emissions regulations through its partnerships with Diesel engine supplier VM and transmission supplier ZF.

"We are going to come to Europe when we finish our Euro V research," said Sheng. "We are a young company but we grow every year."

The two new saloon offerings are the E70 and the larger B11. The E70 is 4777mm long and is powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a five speed manual gearbox.

The B11 is 4943mm long and gets its power from a turbocharged 1.8 petrol engine with 158bhp.

Should the models make it to Europe as Sheng suggests, they'd be fitted with the aforementioned VM diesel engine and ZF transmissions.

Click here for more Shanghai motor show 2013 news.

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Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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Peter Cavellini 23 April 2013

Obviously!

It's the Hawtie WTF!,new European law please, no imported cars to look like EUROPEAN cars already on sale in Europe............

Latebreaker 22 April 2013

Looks nothing like...

The Chinese are at it again with their attempt at European plagiarism....I mean the front end looks nothing like an XF & an Audi