About China's Coolest Cars
Back in 2004 I visited my first Beijing Auto Show. Then the show was still held at the China International Exhibition Center in the center of the city, so I could go by bicycle, a 15-minute ride from my home. In 2004 Geely was just starting to make its mark in China. They had a small booth inside the exhibition hall and a much larger booth outside, where I spend quite some time checking out all the new cars!
A very pretty Shanghai SH760A, seen on a local auto show in Beijing in 2012. The classic Chinese sedan was in a perfect shape, painted in a period shade of yellow-beige, with all the original chrome and white wall tires.
Continue reading “Shanghai SH760A Is A Classic Chinese Sedan”
A SouEast Soveran Golden, seen on a car market in Beijing. The big MPV was in a fine shape, painted in black and gray and fitted with the original factory alloys. The SouEast Soveran is an interesting mix of brands and places. Continue reading “SouEast Mitsubishi Soveran Golden MPV Is A Special Mix Of Brands And Places”
A beastly Hummer H3 SUV, seen on a car market in Beijing in 2019, parked across the street from a combined Alfa Romeo Tesla shop. The enormous Hummer was in a fine shape, painted in black and fitted with a big shiny factory bull bar.
Continue reading “Hummer H3 Is A Black American Beast In China”
A very pretty Plymouth Sundance sedan, seen in heavy rain in the great city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province. The classy American compact was in a fine shape, painted in black with a red-white line over the doors.
Continue reading “A Black Plymouth Sundance Is Pretty In The Rain In Zhuhai, China”
The Toyota Crown is a relatively unknown Japanese luxury sedan, manufactured since 1955 in Japan. Production in China began in 2005 with the 12th generation Crown (S180), made by the Tianjin-FAW-Toyota Motors (TFTM) joint venture.
Things got a bit odd with the next 13th (S200) generation. Production in Japan started in 2008 and lasted until 2012. In China, production started in 2009. But instead of stopping in 2012, TFTM unveiled an updated S200, which was the produced for another four years!
Continue reading “This Toyota Crown S200 Was Only For China”
We have discussed the Shuanghuan Noble several times on this website. The Noble was a Smart-inspired mini car that got Shuanghuan in all sorts of legal trouble internationally, but in China it sold rather well. The Noble debuted in 2007 and was available with 0.8 and 1.1 liter petrol engine. But in 2010, Shuanghuan also unveiled an electric version of the Noble on a car show in Beijing. Continue reading “The Shuanghuan Noble EV Was A Nice Idea”
A mighty Yanjing Auto Weishi, seen on a police equipment exhibition in Beijing in 2010. They had svereal cars on display, including this one, painted in ‘United Nations’ white.
A white Lada Samara 1.5i sedan, seen by my friend Amin K. in Beijing in 2012. The good Samara was in a reasonable shape, albeit dusty and in need of some love. The sporty alloys appear to be an after-market addition but the don’t look bad under the Lada. The blue 京A license plate is ultra old and ultra rare. It indicates that this very car was one of the earliest privately owned cars in Beijing.
The Lada Samara was made, in many forms and variants, from 1984 until 2013 (!). The four-door hatchback was the most common body style, followed by the sedan. The Samara 1.5i model debuted in 1995. It was powered by a 1.5 liter four-cylinder petrol engine with an output of 70 hp and 118 Nm. The engine was mated to a 5-speed manual, sending horses to the front wheels.
The Samara was imported into China in small quantities in period. Not via the normal business-to-business way, but more via government-to-government trade deals that could include all kinds of goods, from grain to construction equipment, from booze to cars. Happily, this Lada Samara 1.5i sedan survived the times for quite a bit, at least until 2012.
A Qiantu K50, seen by my good friend Joachim C. in the great city of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. The K50 is painted in a pretty smurf blue and further sexed up with darkened windows and black wheels. The Qiantu K50 was made by a company called Qiantu Motors, which in turn was a spinoff of the automotive technology company CH Auto. After a long and complex development period, the Qiantu K50 finally hit the market in 2018.
Continue reading “Qiantu K50 Is A Rare Chinese Electric Super Car”
