A beautiful black Kia Concord GTX 2.0i, seen near the old International Exhibition Center in Beijing. The good Kia was in a fine shape, well maintained and completely original.
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The Kia Concord was never officially sold in China, so it very rare. How then did it arrive in country?
Well… This example has license plates from Shandong Province. In the late 1980’s there was a large car smuggling scheme going on between Shandong and South Korea, geographically they are close, so smart entrepreneurs saw an opportunity. Perhaps this is how the Concord came into China. Perhaps.
The front-wheel drive Kia Concord was made from 1987 until 1996 by Kia Motors in South Korea, the cheaper versions were sold as Kia Capital. From 1992 the vehicles were renamed ‘New Concord’ and ‘New Capital’. The Concord/Capital was based on the platform of the 1982-1978 Mazda Capella.
ower came from various 1.5, 1.8 and 2.0 engines, all sourced from Mazda. The Concord GTX 2.0i arrived in 1990, the 2.0 four-cylinder was good for 99hp and 167nm, this was the most powerful engine ever available in the Concord. Transmission was a 5-speed manual. Top speed was a neat 180km/h. Size of the vehicle: 4570/1720/1405, wheelbase was 2530.
Typical Chinese seat covers, extra warm for the cold winter. Interior need a good clean up and some parts seem to be missing. Finding replacements will be near-impossible in China.
The exterior looked very fine for its age. Chrome shiny, paint clean, and body well-maintained. Note double exhaust pipe which only came on the GTX. Rear light units beautifully 1980’s.
The full width light unit, topped by a chrome stripe, is really classy.
From a time when badges where still works of art!
Have you seen a similar Kia in China? Show us! You can now upload images in the comments.