Here we have a cool Xiali 2000 sedan, seen in Beijing in 2016. The good Xiali was painted in a classy gray shade, with darkened windows and sporty alloy wheels. The car appeared to be in fine shape for its age.
The Xiali 2000 was manufactured from 2000 until 2004 by Tianjin-Xiali, a subsidiary of First Automobile Works (FAW).
The Xiali 2000 was based on the 1999-2005 Toyota Yaris sedan. It was made in Tianjin under a license agreement with Toyota. In 2005 the Xiali 2000 received a major facelift and was renamed Xiali Vela. The Vela, thus still based on the 1999 Yaris, subsequently received a facelift in 2008 and continued until 2012.
The Xiali 2000 was powered by a Toyota-sourced 1.3-liter four-cylinder petrol engine. Output was 86hp and 110nm, mated to a five-speed manual sending power to the front wheels. The top speed was a decent 170 kilometers per hour and fuel consumption was rated at five liters per 100 kilometers. Size: 4145/1660/1510, wheelbase is 2370, and curb weight is 970 kilos. The price in 2000 started at 132.980 yuan. In the five years of production, 165.000 cars were made, which was considered a big success.
The dashboard was totally Toyota, with the instrument panel located in the middle atop the center stack. Lots of gray plastics! The steering wheel has the Xiali logo in the center. There is a small cup holder in front of the gear lever, just big enough for a 500 ml bottle of water.
The owner added a set of Winnie the Pooh seat covers to protect the original seats. The fuzzy cartoon character has a somewhat problematic relationship with China, but that all happened long after the Xiali 2000 was launched.
Note the old-school phone booth in the background. This a reminder of the good old days, calling with IP and IC cards, waiting next to the booth for someone to call you back, and making calls to pagers, which was very complicated. Most of these booths were connected to the phone network with the wiring going up. In the past, there were hundreds of thick cables crossing Beijing and other Chinese cities at tree level, which was kind of cool. Later on, most cables went underground. And not long after that, most phone booths were removed because everyone has a mobile phone. Some phone booths remain, but they are as rare as a Xiali 2000 these days.
In the middle is the Xiali logo. Below that should be XIALI 2000, but most of the lettering is gone. The license plate is as old as the car and kind of special. Four is an unlucky number in China and most people try to avoid it on their license plates, but this Xiali has two fours. Double bad luck? Nope. This car is still around. And that alone is a sign of very good luck.