This is a Toyota Reiz sedan, seen in the rain in Beijing in July 2018. The Toyota was in great shape, painted white, with darkened windows, six-spoke alloy wheels, and black 京A license plates.
The Toyota Reiz was the China-spec version of the first-generation (X120) Toyota Mark X. It was produced in China by the FAW-Toyota joint venture from 2004 until 2007. The Chinese name was 锐志 (Ruìzhì).
The Reiz was positioned as a luxury sports sedan, which, at the time, was a very small segment of the market in China, and the Reiz didn’t sell very well. Lately, however, the first-generation Mark X / Reiz has obtained somewhat of a cult status in China.
The interior looked great for its age, with classy beige leather and light wood trim on the center tunnel and doors. The dashboard has gray and black trim. The center stack houses an impressive audio system with a radio and a CD player. The steering wheel seems oddly large, with a thin rim.
The horror! A Honda head pillow in a Toyota.
The Toyota Reiz was an interesting vehicle. It had rear-wheel drive, which was unique in the segment. FAW-Toyota offered two power trains for the Reiz: a 2.5 liter V6 and a 3.0 liter V6.
The car that I saw is the 2.5S model, with the 2.5 V6 under the hood. The output was 197 hp and 242 Nm, which was good for an impressive 225 km/h top speed and 0-100 in 8.9 seconds. Fuel consumption was a steep 8.9 liters per 100 kilometers. The Reiz 2.5S cost 228.800 yuan in 2007, which was expensive for a sedan of the size of the Reiz. Sales of the Reiz were slow, due to its price and high fuel consumption.
Characters: 一汽丰田, Yīqì Fēngtián, FAW Toyota. Because sales were disappointing, there was no immediate successor in China to the Reiz. But in 2010, FAW-Toyota tried it again, with the second-generation Reiz/Mark X (X130), which was made in China from 2010 until 2017.
The famous 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, price, or engine type. The numbering started at 京A·00001, and then up. So the lower the number the older the car. Any black plate beginning with 京A·0 or 京A·1 is considered ultra rare. I know, I had one too! This Reiz has 京A·50201, so that’s not super early, but still quite old.