A black Volkswagen Magotan sedan, seen near Volkswagen’s former China headquarters in Sanlitun District in Beijing. The Magotan is a China-only sedan produced over several generations since 2007. The Magotan in the photo is a first-generation car, which was based on the Volkswagen Passat B6.
The Magotan was made by FAW-Volkswagen. They had to go for a new name because the Passat name was already in use at Volkswagen’s other joint venture; Shanghai-Volkswagen, where it was used for a continuation model of the older Passat B5. Nowadays, the FAW-VW Megotan and the Shanghai-VW Passat are of the same generation.
The 2.0 TSI model on the photos debuted in 2011. The big tires and pretty sporty wheels were factory standard. The 2.0 turbocharged engine had an output of 200 hp and 280 Nm. which was quite a lot for a 2.0 turbo at that time. The motor was mated to a 7-speed DCT. The speedy Magotan did 230 km/h and sprinted to 100 in 8.3 seconds. It was thirsty, however, drinking 8.3 (!) liters of gasoline every 100 kilometers. The Magotan 2.0 TSI was the top model of the Magotan range and it was priced accordingly: 251.800 yuan, whereas a base 1.4 TSI could be had for just 193.800.
The black 京A·36571 license plate matched nicely with the color of the car. Black license plates were issued to foreign-owned companies from the 1980s to the mid-00s. These companies could buy a car locally, or import one. There were no limits on the number of cars, or price, or engine type. The numbering started at 京A·00001, and then up. So the lower the number the older the car.