A majestic Kia Enterprise sedan, seen at the 2004 Beijing Auto Show. The enormous Korean limousine carried VIPs and stopped right at the front door of the main exhibition hall. Later I was told the VIP was none other than the president of Hyundai-Kia in China. The Enterprise has 京A·16162 black license plates.
Black license plates were issued to foreign owned companies from the 1980’s to the mid 00’s. These companies could buy a car locally, or import one. There were no limits on the number of cars, or on price, or engine type. The numbering started at 京A·00001, and then up. So the lower the number the older the car.
The Kia Enterprise was Kia’s top-end sedan, made from 1998 until 2002. It was based on the second generation Mazda (HE) Sentia/929. When production of the Mazda ended, Kia purchased the blueprints and the production line, and manufacturing restarted in Korea. Kia changed the lights, the grille, bumpers, wheels, and moved the steering wheel to the other side. With that, the Enterprise was born. It was a very good looking car, the Kia grille makes it looks way more premium than the Mazda. The Enterprise was available with three V6 engines: 2.5, 3.0, and 3.6 liter. In 2003, the Kia Enterprise was succeeded by the Kia Opirus.
The Enterprise was followed by a Hyundai Grandeur XG S30, also with black black license plates, and the ultra cool XG-branded wheels. The third generation Hyundai Grandeur XG was made from 1999 until 2005. The S30 model was powered by a 3.0 liter V6 petrol engine with 182 hp. The engine was mated to a 5-speed automatic shift-tronic. Much later, I saw a perfectly fine beige example in east Beijing.
The Kia Enterprise was not officially sold in China, but some cars arrived via companies and diplomatic channels. My good friend Navigator84 saw two more examples, a dark blue one without license plates, and…
… a black one with 京A·40933 plates. More on these cars in a later post!
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