This is a Huanghai Aurora DD6470N CUV, seen on a local auto show a few years back. The Aurora looked great, with a silver shiny grille, gray wheel arches, sporty alloys, and proper roof rails.
Huanghai means Yellow Sea, it is a brand under Shuguang Motor, which in turn is part of the much larger SG Autmotive Group. Currently, the Huanghai brand sells a lineup of pickup trucks and a single SUV.
The Aurora was marketed from 2006 until 2010. They called it a CUV, which stands for crossover utility vehicle. But it really is a real SUV, based on a pickup truck and all. Sadly, sales were slow, and the Aurora never got a real successor.
The Chinese name is Aolong. Design was inspired by the Ssangyong Rexton, but Huanghai made a few notable changes, especially on the…
… C-D pillar design. Just look at this:
Brilliant, or crazy, or both? That’s a triangular window, turned upside down!
They gave me a nice bag, with a pic of the then-lineup. Inside the bag were brochures, a pack of playing cards, and, oddly, a Huanghai branded nail clipper. I still have it.
There were two versions of the Aurora: the petrol powered DD6470N and the diesel powered DD6470H.
The N was powered by a Mitsubishi-sourced 2.0 liter 4G63S4M engine, good for 114 hp and 165 Nm. Gearbox was a five-speed manual, sending horses to the rear wheels. Size: 4680/1790/1870, and wheelbase was 2730.
It seated five and it had a lot of space for stuff. Still, it was very cheap. Price of this very car, as seen on the show, was 79.800 yuan. Yez, a big five-seat CUV/SUV with a 2.0 engine for less than 80.000. So cheap, and yet so cool. Why didn’t everybody buy the Aurora..?
It even has a roof spoiler with a giant brake light on it. Come for that at BYD.
Sometimes the market is just wrong, totally wrong.
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