A very nice Nissan Vanette van, seen on a car market in south Beijing. The old VANette (get it??) was a bit dusty and dirty but otherwise in a fine and original shape.
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The Nissan Vanette has a complicated history in China. It was officially imported, gray imported, officially manufactured, illegally manufactured, and illegally copied. This particular example however is an original import from Japan, and those are far more rare than all the local stuff.
Design is not at all exciting but it has a certain timeless-ness that makes it it attractive nevertheless. One could even call it beautiful. A beautiful van.
The second generation C22 Nissan Vanette was manufactured in Japan from 1985 until 1994. There were many versions and variants, including pickup trucks, cargo vans, and passenger vans. Our Beijing example is one of the latter.
A totally original interior. Seats look remarkably fresh. Note the unusual position of the handbrake, very far forward into the cabin, almost blocking the way to the gear lever.
The Vanette was available with various gasoline and diesel engines, depending on the market. Most China-spec cars have a 2.4 (Z24) petrol under the bonnet, good for 103 hp and 182 Nm.
The bench looks very comfortable. I could sit there for a while, let’s say a ride from Beijing to Guangzhou.
Sliding door on the right side. Wheels are original. And check that tiny tiny exhaust pipe on the left side, under the bumper.
GXE trim level badge.
V Vanette badge under the rear windshield wiper.
Vanette branded mud flaps.
Front suspension needs some work it seems. Or are those giant mirrors just a bit too heavy for the old tires..?
The various Chinese Vanette’s were produced until at least the early 2000’s. More on those cars in a later post.
Have you seen a similar van in China? Show us! You can now upload images in the comments below.