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 beige brown Shanghai Maple Haiyu sedan, seen in central Beijing in 2015. The old Maple was a bit dirty and dusty but otherwise in a reasonable shape, with the original wheels and with old Tianjin license plates.
The Shanghai Maple brand has a somewhat confusing history. It began in 2000 when the Shanghai motorcycle maker JM Star moved into car making.
Continue reading “Shanghai Maple Haiyu Was A Cheap Chinese Sedan With Some Citroen Genes”
A true piece of Chinese automotive history is what we have here. This is a very early Geely Haoqing JL6360E1, seen on a car market in Beijing in 2012. The good Geely was in a reasonable shape for its age , with the original dark green paint and sporty 10-spoke wheels.
Continue reading “A Very Early Geely Haoqing JL6360E1 With A Special License Plate”
Here we have a Geely Meirenbao sporty car, seen in Beijing in 2015. It was totally original bar for strips on the front bumper. It is rare to se these cars without lots ugly of modifications.
Continue reading “Facelifted Geely Meirenbao, Better Than The Original?”
Here we have a yellow Geely GLeagle Panda, a car just as mellow as the panda bear. GLeagle was one of Geely’s many brands in the 2000’s, it has since disappeared. The Panda was designed to look like a panda. The headlights are the eyes, the GLeagle logo is the nose, and the grille is the beast’s beak.
Continue reading “Geely GLeagle Panda GC313-RV Looks Like A Panda”
Here we have a pretty Geely Merrie Uliou MR7130X1, seen in Beijing in 2012. The little sedan was in a fine general shape but was missing a part of its grille. The sporty alloys are original. The Geely Merrie Uliou was based on the Geely Merrie hatchback, which was based on the Tianjin Xiali, which in turn was based on the Daihatsu Charade.
Continue reading “Geely Merrie Uliou MR7130X1 Is A Small Sedan In China”
An Englon TX4 taxi, seen on a cold day in the winter of 2012 in Beijing, in front of a large shopping mall near the center of town. The Englon TX4 was based on the London Taxi International (LTI) TX4.
A pretty red Shanghai Maple JmStar Meilu SXE7130, seen near the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing in 2011. The Shanghai Maple brand has a somewhat confusing history. It began in 2000 when the Shanghai motorcycle maker JM Star moved into car making.
Continue reading “A Rare And Red Shanghai Maple JM Star Meilu SXE7130 In China”
This red beast is the Geely Baofeng GT Sport, seen parked on a pavement in north Beijing. The Baofeng (Leopard Wind) GT Sportwas a sporty cross-over thing based on the Geely Haoqing, aka Geely HQ.
The Geely HQ in turn was based on the Tianjin Xiali, which in another turn was based on the Daihatsu Charade.
Here we have the new Lynk & C0 03 sedan, the first car of Geely’s Lynk & Co brand after the 01 SUV and the 02 crossover. The brown car on the photos is the base version, powered by a 156 hp 1.5 turbo. I saw it at a Lynk & Co dealer. Wait… Dealer???