General Motors has just announced a new deal to bring the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid electric car to China at the 9th Auto Guangzhou show, currently running until November 28th. more ›

"A German, identified as Christian, the sales director of a transport company, had been driving along Qilianshan Road in Baoshan District on the night of August 7. His car was in a collision with a pedestrian. A blood test recorded 3.13 milligrams of alcohol per millimeter, while the limit is 0.8mg/ml. A Greek named Santos, manager of a local plastic company, was found drunk driving without a driving license on Yan'an Road early on July 27. His blood alcohol content was above the limit. And South Korean Lee Chi-Young, a company representative in Suzhou, was stopped on May 21 on Yan'an Road. His blood alcohol content was 0.96mg/ml. Under an amendment to China's Criminal Law effective on May 1, drivers with alcohol levels at or above the legal limit are considered guilty of dangerous driving." more ›

Last month we stumbled upon Driving in Asia and were surprised at how scarily accurate it was and how many of those situations we've encountered in our day to day lives (though thankfully we've never had them turn out quite so badly). This month the YouTube creator TNL (known for his Fail Compilations) is back at it again with the highly anticipated sequel! more ›

• Dreamworks Animation is looking to set-up operations in Shanghai to produce giggle-inducing content for the Chinese market. Pleasant Sheep and Big Big Wolf are Really Really Screwed.
• First Volvo, and then Iceland, and now Saab?! How long before Scandinavia just becomes China's Norse Autonomous Region?
• Surprise! "Being a selfish ass" accounts for nearly a third of all traffic accidents in Shanghai.

If we claimed this video was just one crazy dude doing a wheelie for over a minute on his moped while traveling at dangerously high speeds with no protective gear and a surprisingly calm girl holding on, we'd be doing a disservice to the artform. This is no simple video; this is a statement, a revolution, a pièce de résistance unmatched by any past moped wheelie endeavors and setting the bar for all future attempts. more ›

We really hope this is fake, but honestly can't see exactly how they did it at the moment. What looks to be about a five-year-old girl is captured on camera (by who we assume to be her mother) maneuvering a car through traffic while being softly guided and encouraged to "pay attention." You could think she's sitting on someone's lap if not for the last part where her dad takes over for her and pulls what looks like some kind of toy being used as a pedal extension. more ›

If you're planning on driving anywhere this weekend perhaps you'd better not watch this (or take notes to know what to watch out for!). Otherwise, sit back and watch over seven minutes of close calls, crazy antics and some pretty harrowing crashes taken from primarily China and Taiwan. more ›

Chinese passport holders often complain about the hassle they have to go through applying for visas each time they're going abroad, but on the bright side, they'll now have easier access to ONE country than everyone else on Planet Earth. Recently, 100 Chinese tourists drove their own way in a convoy around North Korea as part of a three-day tour costing a very affordable US$147 per person. And my, my, look what happy tourists they are! more ›

The App Store has 1000’s of paid or free applications which are useful to anyone planning to live in or visit China. Every week or so I plan on introducing a few applications in this ‘There’s An App For That:….’ section. Today I’m covering driving with 3 free applications from the App store available for download now! more ›

Unlike those dudes in Shanghai who were racing their super expensive sports cars, all this amazing stunt devil's got is a tricked out Changan delivery truck. Awesome editing and jaw dropping turns make this a must-see. more ›

Randy Cohen, New York Times "The Ethicist" columnist, might be inclined to think so. Granted, Cohen's anti-auto podcast from last week is about Manhattan, but several of his arguments already seem applicable to Shanghai (and, in 2020, when our city's subway system looks like this, there will be few ethical excuses for owning personal cars in most of Shanghai). Cohen lays out five reasons why cars and Manhattanites shouldn't mix. Here's No. 1: "Cars kill. If you introduced a transportation system by announcing, 'It'll only kill 40,000 people a year,' it's hard to believe it would gain widespread popularity." (The number of "traffic deaths" in China was down to 73,484 in 2008, but up 100 percent over the last 20 years.) Listen to all New York Times podcasts here or subscribe via iTunes. They're all free. more ›

Effective today, China will raise gasoline and diesel fuel prices 16 percent and 18 percent, respectively, news that sent global oil prices down nearly US$5 a barrel. Electricity prices are also expected to rise sharply. Reuters offers a poorly displayed chart that shows China's domestic gasoline prices, fixed since November 1, have climbed 95 percent and diesel prices have more than doubled since 2003. Retail fuel prices in China are expected to increase to $3.05 per gallon for gas and $3.31 for diesel. Says the New York Times, "Costlier fuel and electricity could prompt businesses and individuals across China to use less of it, slowing somewhat China’s voracious increase in oil consumption in recent years as well as its steep rise in emissions of global warming gases." [Sources: AP, Reuters, LAT, NYT, CNN] more ›