About China's Coolest Cars
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”
A Nanjing NJ1020 Unique van, seen in the great city of Shanghai in 2012. The good old van was in reasonable shape but in urgent need of a car wash and a new wheel cover.
The Unique was made by Nanjing Auto. It was based on a mix of elements of the Seat Ibiza and the Seat Inca van. Nanjing Auto bought the rights to the fist generation Seat Ibiza in 1997 and started making it in China in 1999 under the Nanjing NJ6400 Encore name. The NJ1020 van arrived in 2000 and was made until 2005.
Basic design of the cargo area is similar to the Seat Inca but the window layout arrangement is different, and Nanjing added a fancy roof spoiler for better airflow! The Nanjing NJ1020 was powered by a 1.5liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 85 hp, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Top speed was 175 km/h, which is not bad for this kind of car, and 0-100 was gone in 10 seconds. Price in 2004 started at 55.000 yuan.
In 2006, Nanjing launched an interesting new variant with an extra door on the right side. Production ended in 2008.
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”
A stealthy Bentley Continental GT, seen in Beijing in 2012. The big ‘Ben was wrapped in a matte black wrap, and further dressed up with darkened windows and multi-spoke matte gray alloys.
Continue reading “Bentley Continental GT IS Matte Black In China With A Special License Plate”
A perfect Porsche Boxster, seen in Beijing in 2018. The Porsche was in a superb shape, looking nearly new. The first generation Porsche Boxster is a real rarity in China, as it wasn’t officially sold here.
Continue reading “First Generation Porsche Boxster S Is A Rarity In China”
An early Chery Tiggo SUV, seen in Beijing in 2014. The Tiggo was still in use but looked a little old and tired, with lots of dust and busts. It also has a very old license plate.
The Chery Tiggo was an extremely important car for Chery. It put the brand on the map and it was exported to dozens of countries around the world, under various names.
Continue reading “An Early Chery Tiggo Is Getting Old In China”
A blue JMC Yuhu 7 pickup truck, seen in east Beijing in 2019. The Yuhu 7 is an impressive pickup with JMC’s signature ‘stormtrooper’ front, a design JMC uses on many of their pickups and vans. This particular example is painted in a nice shade of dark blue and fitted with gray alloys. Note the truck behind the Yuhu 7, that’s a JMC too!
Continue reading “JMC Yuhu 7 Is A Pretty Faced Pickup Truck In China”
This is the Nissan Lannia, a compact sedan that is only sold in China. It is a car aimed at a young audience, and therefore it comes with a daring and rather different design. Pretty or not pretty, it is certainly special.
Continue reading “Nissan Lannia Is A China-only Sedan With Daring Design”
A super sweet Hafei Baili HFJ7090, seen in Fangzhuang District in Beijing in 2012. The good Baili was in a reasonable shape but in dire need of some love and maintenance. It was painted in an 80’s style shade of beige with gray bumpers and with steel wheels.
Continue reading “Hafei Baili HFJ7090 Is A Cool Beige Hatchback In China”
A black Hongqi CA7202E3 Century Star taxi, seen in central Beijing back in 2012. Hongqi taxi’s have always been very rare in the capital, most were used to ferry passengers back and forth to the airport. Continue reading “Hongqi CA7202E3 Century Star Is A Luxurious Taxi In China”