New China Market Volkswagen Lavida Draws its Inspiration from the Passat

Four years and some 700,000 sales after Volkswagen debuted the Lavida at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show in China, the German automaker is returning to this year's venue to present the successor to its widely popular family sedan.

Though you would be forgiven to mistake it for a Passat, the New Lavida is in fact a compact-size sedan that draws its styling inspiration from Volkswagen's larger saloon model.

Read more »

Buick Excelle is the Best Selling Car in China for 2011, GM and VW Take 7 of the Top 10 Spots

In Europe, the most popular model in terms of sales in 2011 was the aging Volkswagen Golf with 485,547 units followed by the VW Polo and the Ford Fiesta, while in the United States, Ford's F-Series took first place with 584,917 units and was trailed by the Chevy Silverado and the Toyota Camry.

In China, while the overall top sellers continue to be commercial microvans, the bestselling passenger model for 2011 was the Buick Excelle with 254,000 units, according to data provided by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Read more »