China

Chinese manufacturer Songsan Motors has launched a suspiciously recognisable new model, called the SS Dolphin. Unveiled earlier this week at the Beijing Motor Show, the designers of the hard-top convertible have apparently been inspired by the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette C1. The Chinese copycat car is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid combination and, according to the brand’s website, can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds.

Sales of Chinese cars in Australia have rise by an average of 48.2 per cent in the first seven months of this year – as the overall market slowed by by 19.2 per cent. Four Chinese brands are currently offered to consumers in Australia – namely MG, LDV, Great Wall and Haval.

China’s Geely claims to have taken more than 30,000 digital pre-orders for its brand new Icon small SUV ahead of the completely online product launch this week. The company - which has launched an online test-drive, sales and servicing portal, and which owns the subscription-based car brand Lynk & Co - also claims to have fast-tracked the fitment of a bolstered air purification system in response to the Coronavirus.

LDV has given its seven-seat D90 SUV a price cut, dropping the entry-level model's price by $1000 and the range-topper's sticker by $3000. Powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the D90 outputs 165kW and 350Nm. It's mated with a six-speed automatic transmission, and sends power to the rear wheels in the base model, but four-wheel drive is an option on the range-topping D90 Executive.

Beijing Hyundai has revealed a China-specific version of the Tucson SUV, which gets unique styling and features compared to the global version offered in markets like Australia. The Korean-Chinese joint venture is pitching the vehicle as a "fourth generation" model, though it appears the '2020' Tucson for China is merely a reskinned version of the car currently on sale.