About China's Coolest Cars
This is a Nissan Sylphy ZE, seen in Beijing in 2018, fitted with the green-white New Energy Vehicle (NEV) license plates. The Nissan was brand new, painted in light brown with darkened windows and sporty five-spoke wheels.
Continue reading “Nissan Sylphy ZE Was A China-only Compact Electric Sedan”
The Hongqi CA770 is China’s most iconic classic car. I met this beautiful unrestored example at a local car show in Beijing in 2010. The enormous Chinese state limousine was in perfect shape. Painted in black, of course, with all the chrome bits in place, two flag poles, and the original white wall tires and shiny wheel covers.
A Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa, seen at a second-hand car market in Beijing in the cold winter of 2018. The Maserati made me feel hot again. It was in absolutely perfect shape, painted in a racy shade of yellow called Giallo Granturismo. It had a black top, slightly tinted windows, shiny gray multispoke alloy wheels, and red brake calipers.
Continue reading “Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa Is A Pretty Italian Sports Car In China”
Back in 2012, I visited a police equipment show in Beijing, my favorite kind of event, with lots of police cars on show.
Chinese automaker SAIC had a big booth, showing some of their best cars in police livery. First up a Roewe 750, looking very nice as a cop car. The Roewe 750 was based on the Rover 75. In 2005, SAIC bought the rights to the Rover 75 + engines from bankrupt MG Rover. However, they didn’t get the Rover name so they came up with Roewe. The brand still exists today. In 2012 you could still get a brand-new 750 with a 1.8 turbo or a 2.5 liter V6. Price started at 162.800 yuan. Production ended in 2016.
Continue reading “SAIC Police Cars On The Police Equipment Show In Beijing In 2012”
A Hongqi H7 sedan, seen on a police equipment exhibition in Beijing in 2012. The H7 was still brand new then, so it was displayed on a stage with large screens. The H7 was painted black, like they always were, emphasizing the size and shine of the grille and the red hood ornament.
Continue reading “Hongqi H7 Is A Pretty Chinese Sedan With Some Japanese Roots”
This is a Zotye M300 Langyue EV, a rare Chinese electric vehicle launched in 2011. I met this beige example in Beijing in 2018. It looked pretty good for its safe, still on the original alloy wheels and even the factory stickers were still partially visible. The Zotye M300 Langyue EV has Italian roots.
Continue reading “Zotye M300 Langyue EV Is A Rare Chinese-Italian Eletric Six-seat MPV”
Here we have a Lifan Xuanlang MPV, seen on a second-hand car market in Beijing in 2019. The Lifan looked fine in white, with slightly tinted windows and some shiny bits here and there. The multi-spoke alloy wheels were factory standard.
Continue reading “Lifan Xuanlang Is A Chinese MPV That Looks A Bit Too Much Like A Ford S-Max”
The Suzuki Alto Happy Prince is one of the coolest small Chinese cars ever made. It was a top-spec variant of the Suzuki Alto five-door hatchback, made in China by the Changan-Suzuki joint venture. The Happy Prince name was only used in China. I saw this fine blue example in central Beijing in 2014, parked in front of a Zhuan Ye Food Health Center.
Continue reading “Suzuki Alto Happy Prince Is A China-only Special Edition With A Fake Hood Scoop”
A first-generation Lexus SC400 coupe, as seen in Shanghai in 2014 by Antoine Chalendard. The SC400 looks great in dark red, with a gold Lexus logo and black Shanghai license plates.
Continue reading “A Lexus SC400 Coupe With Black License Plates In Shanghai, China”
Let’s go back in time to 2003 when I visited the Changchun Auto Show in the great city of Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province. Changchun is also the hometown of First Auto Works (FAW) and its iconic Hongqi brand. So there was plenty of Hongqi to see. In the first photo a perfect Hongqi Qijian CA7460 on the parking lot, with a flag pole on the fender. Continue reading “Hongqi Qijian CA7460 And Some Other Hongqi Cars In Jilin, China, In 2003”
