McLaren Automotive Asia Pte Ltd will be responsible for all of McLaren Automotive’s regional operations throughout its Asia Pacific network including importation, distribution, logistics, sales, marketing, technical support and financial services for McLaren’s range of high-performance sports cars.

The wholly-owned McLaren subsidiary will be based in Singapore with an initial team of around 10 McLaren Automotive employees managing retailers in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Plans are under consideration for expansion into mainland China.

McLaren already have a strong reputation in the region from its Formula One success, having won races in the Asia Pacific region every season since 2007.

One fascinating statistic revealed last night is that around a quarter of all existing McLaren F1 road cars have their homes in the Asia Pacific region, so McLaren Automotive naturally assume existing owners will be keen to add an MP4-12C to their collection and indeed this is borne out by news that the 5 McLaren Automotive retailers in the region already hold an 18 months order book on average.

Ron Dennis, the company’s Chairman, also made his ambitions clear at a press conference last night – to grow into a multi-billion dollar business within the next 10 years.

Dennis confirmed that McLaren’s future was still very much in F1, but that racing would only account for around 10 per cent of the group’s income as other divisions expand.

They aim to sell around 4,000 cars each year (around 1,000 cars have been sold in the MP4-12C’s first trading year), with 43 per cent of sales in North America, 35 per cent in Europe and the rest in the Middle-East and Asia Pac. This compares with around 7,000 cars sold by Ferrari today, although their President Luca di Montezemolo has previously stated their ambition to reach 10,000 cars within the decade.

Dennis is determined to “..reach a turnover in the billions” and he said “we will achieve it.” Watch out Ferrari..

After the inappropriately named ŠKODA Superb, I’m reluctant to read too much into the company’s model names, although in this case ‘MissionL’ seems to capture the Czech carmaker’s intention to significantly increase its sales to 1.5 million vehicles by 2018.

The press release is peppered with the phrases ‘model offensive’, ‘clear signal’ and ‘full steam ahead’, so the MissonL clearly marks a new direction from ŠKODA as they start ramping up towards their ambitious growth targets.

The company say that the MissionL seen in these pictures is “..close to the final production-ready design”, but we anticipate it will lose the Hollywood-sounding project name to be replaced by something more in keeping with the existing range.

“Revealing the look of our new compact model, the MissionL shows exactly the direction our brand is going to take,” says ŠKODA Board Chairman Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. “The world premiere in Frankfurt gives a clear signal that ŠKODA is going full steam ahead now. We are going to present a new vehicle every six months over the next two or three years.”

In line with its 2018 growth strategy, the brand is gearing up, investing heavily in new models, markets and production capacities. Starting in mid 2013, the Yeti will be launched in the Chinese market and will be produced locally. Furthermore, ŠKODA, in cooperation with Shanghai Volkswagen, will produce a new compact model for this market from 2013, increasing the number of models produced in China to five.

China is an extremely important market for Lamborghini, achieving over 150% sales growth in 2010 compared to 2009, although after the recent spectacle of a disgruntled Chinese owner destroying his Gallardo (see below) we wonder if Lamborghini should vet their customers more closely before letting them buy a car.

Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said: “Our presence at Auto Shanghai 2011 reflects the importance of the Chinese market, which is now our second most significant after the USA. The appeal of the Lamborghini brand in China is illustrated by the launch here of the Gallardo LP 550-2 Tricolore: definitively Italian, and with all the performance and handling a Lamborghini Gallardo promises. Demand for our cars continues to grow: our worldwide order book for the Lamborghini LP 700-4 Aventador is already eighteen months ahead of production.”

In 2011 Lamborghini will expand its dealership network in China from 14 to 20 dealers.

Gallery

The body stretching almost 5 metres in length, clothes a car with a low centre of gravity and outstanding aerodynamic efficiency. The sporty, flat silhouette provides an impressive body height of just under 1.40 metres, which makes the BMW Concept Gran Coupé almost 10 centimetres lower than the BMW 5 Series or the BMW 7 Series Saloons.

The roof line tapers off gently into the rear, elongating the vehicle’s proportions, whilst the forward-tilted shark nose visually extends the bonnet and creates the characteristic BMW proportion with its forward-pointing dynamic stance. This stretched character is also highlighted by the side lines, where there is a deliberate avoidance of the typical sill line. The flat proportions make the window graphics appear extremely narrow and dynamic at the same time. Another BMW design icon, the Hofmeister kink, is especially strikingly formed – additionally emphasising the exclusive character of the vehicle. The frameless doors give the BMW Concept Gran Coupé a modern character since the glass surfaces appear to merge seamlessly without being interrupted by columns.

At the rear, only design elements such as the lights and tailpipe trim appear to be visible at first sight. The entire rear section appears slimmer and lighter at the centre, though still exuding power and dynamic performance since the volume is reinforced towards the sides. The L-shaped light banks feature a slight, almost subtle curve and the entire design of the lines and surfaces highlights the vehicle’s elegant overall appearance. The third brake light, positioned in the rear window, is also fitted with LED technology. It takes up the kink in the roof and illuminates the entire width of the rear window. The powerfully flared wheel arches above the rear axle highlight the particularly sporty character of the BMW Concept Gran Coupé.

Another highly sporty but elegant feature is the rim concept in which the individual spokes extend deep into the centre of the rim towards the hub, giving the rim a striking three-dimensional quality. The spokes themselves are not solid but relief-milled, giving them a visual lightness.

The sculptural shaping style characteristic of the entire body design of the BMW Concept Gran Coupé permits a unique interaction between concave and convex surfaces. It also enables the light to be selectively reflected and channelled. Thus the exterior mirrors integrated in the window shaft appear very light, blending harmoniously into the side view of the car.

Unlike BMW’s Concept CS revealed in 2007 we expect to see this new Concept Gran Coupé appearing in a BMW showroom sometime in the near future. The car on show at Beijing is a rolling-concept, so therefore no mention has been made of engines or powertrains which will likely be inherited from those available in the 5-Series at the time of launch.

Mercedes would have us believe that there is a market for a more practical version of the not-very-practical four-door CLS coupe, and who are we to question such logic, after all the CLS defined a new market segment for Mercedes even though few manufacturers followed their example.

The Shooting Break concept car, now making its premiere at Auto China 2010 is a further insight by Mercedes designers into the possible future development of the Coupé concept.

Wide and flat, with a long bonnet and a roof which continues through to the rear, the design of the front is completely new, but makes use of elements which are mindful of the SLS AMG sports car: the radiator grille, with the large star and eye-catching, bionic slats, is not integrated into the bonnet but has been designed separately in the form of a “soft nose”.

The grille is flanked on each side by full LED headlamps, which for the first time feature LED technology for all of the usual dynamic light functions. The side profile is given a touch of dynamism thanks to the high, exaggerated beltline sweeping towards the rear, and the dramatic character line which is supported by the powerful-looking rear wheel arches. The coupé-like side view is also emphasised with a low window design which also highlights the greenhouse with polished aluminium trim.

The interior is dominated by natural wood and leather materials. One eye-catching feature is the large full-length centre console. It highlights the four-seat layout as well as the high levels of comfort afforded by the Shooting Break concept car. The wooden floor of the luggage compartment reflects an indulgent interpretation of this area of the car, where the dark-stained silky oak contrasts against inlaid aluminium protective loading strips. Perhaps not the most practical surface for the family pet…

The Shooting Break Concept showcases an interior lavishly trimmed in natural materials

“The Shooting Break concept car is based on the great tradition of a stylish, cultivated sportiness which has always characterised the great Mercedes Coupés, and it takes this unique legacy an exciting step further,” explains Professor Gorden Wagener, chief designer at Mercedes-Benz. “At the same time it points the way towards the future design idiom of Mercedes-Benz.”

The Shooting Break concept car is powered by the the forthcoming new V-engine generation from Mercedes-Benz. The V6 benefits from a 60° cylinder angle and a displacement of 3.5 litres, and is characterised by direct injection featuring a control system which enables lean-burn operation. The six-cylinder engine produces 302 bhp with a maximum torque of 370 Nm, and in line with the BlueEFFICIENCY criteria of Mercedes-Benz also makes considerable progress in terms of fuel consumption.

Click to view the video on SkiddPlayer

Also contributing to the special appearance of the Shooting Break concept car is the paint finish. A satin-finish clear coat has been used, which gives the vehicle’s allanite grey magno colour a mysterious glint and also further brings out the Coupé’s exquisite lines.

The sporty look of the Shooting Break concept car is complemented with large 20-inch sterling silver wheels, featuring a special bionically arranged five-spoke filigree design. They allow a glimpse of the large brake discs behind. The front wheels are fitted with 255/30 ZR 20 tyres, while the rear of the Shooting Break concept sits on 285/25 ZR 20 tyres.

Nevertheless Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation (SAIC) says that the MG6’s arrival “marks the start of one of the most exciting periods in the 85-year history of the iconic MG brand, as it prepares to expand globally, starting with the world’s largest automotive market in China”.

The MG6 engine line-up will feature two lightly updated versions of the 1.8-litre K-series engines (now called N-series), one of which is turbocharged and the other normally aspirated. The normally aspirated version will most likely produce around 133bhp, while the turbo version is said to produce nearer 158bhp. Despite rumours of a diesel version, we understand there is no immediate likelihood of such a version.

Production of the Roewe 550-based hatchback will commence at the Longbridge plant near Birmingham at the end of 2010, home of MG Rover until its demise in 2005, although sales of Chinese built cars may begin in the UK slightly earlier.

The famous Morris Garages (MG) logo has also received a redesign to accompany the MG6′s launch, with carries the unenviable responsibility of “re-establishing the once highly regarded British marque.”