Here we have a Honda Fit, painted in dark blue with darkened windows. I met it in November 2017 in south-central Beijing, The Honda Fit is normally not a super remarkable car but this particular example had ultra special black 京A·31313 license plates.
The famous 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 on engine type. Each province and municipality had its own black-license plate program. The numbering started at A·00001 and then up. So the lower the number the older the car. This Honda Fit has 京A·31313. Not super low but with a truly unique sequence. Well, it is a number that has to come and go at some time. And ’13’ is not an unlucky number in China.
The Honda Fit is manufactured in China by the GAC Honda joint venture. Production of the Fit started way back in 2004 and continues until today. Characters are 广汽本田, Guǎngqì Běntián, GAC Honda.
The car we have here is an oldie, made between 2004 and 2008. At the time, there weren’t many affordable five-door hatchbacks on sale, so the Fit was very popular at the time.
The interior was showing its age. The owned added a new radio-CD player, a smartphone holder, and some wiring of unclear purpose. The seats are really worn out, indicating this good Honda did quite a few miles.
The 2004-2008 GAC-Honda Fit was available with two four-cylinder petrol engines: a 1.3 with 82 hp and 116 Nm and a 1.5 with 107 hp and 143 Nm. Both would combine with either a five-speed manual or a CVT gearbox, like in the car we have here today. Price started at only 94.800 yuan. This segment of the market has now been completely taken over by Chinese manufacturers, and the current GAC-Honda Fit only sells in small numbers.
A Fit in a gilded cage (actually the car gate of a nearby compound). The license plate was so special I had to make sure I had pictures from every possible side. You don’t see a 京A·31313 every day, or every ever.