About China's Coolest Cars
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”
Here we have a super-clean Peugeot 505SX, produced by the once-pioneering Guangzhou-Peugeot Joint-Venture established back in 1985.
Continue reading “This Peugeot 505 SX was once a rare daily-driver survivor in China’s Capital”
A very pretty Chery QQ3, seen in Beijing back in 2010. The good QQ3 was in perfect shape and looked ultra clean. In the early QQ years, Chery offered several funky colors on the QQ3, like bright red and this great froggy green.
A Mercedes-Benz SL500 and a Mercedes-Benz E350 Coupe, seen late at night in China’s capital Beijing in 2015. Both cars were slightly modified and had very special license plates.
Continue reading “Mercedes-Benz SL500 And Mercedes-Benz E350 Coupe Are A Couple In China”
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 Lifan 320 hatchback, seen in central Beijing in 2010, not far from where I lived. The good Lifan was brand new and painted in a bright shade of red, with black A and B pillars. The complex-design alloys were factory standard.
Continue reading “Lifan 320 Is A Nice Compact Hatchback In China”
A black Daewoo Prince sedan, seen in the Lido area in Beijing in 2016. The big old Daewoo was in a perfect shape and totally original. It was clearly very well maintained and looked like it had been washed a day ago! This Prince was by far the best I’d ever seen in China. Most look rather sad and beaten up, but this one was just beautiful.
Continue reading “Daewoo Prince Is A Princely Korean Sedan In Beijing”
A pretty blue Dongfeng DFAC truck carrying a very heavy load of discarded carton, seen in the far east of Beijing back in 2016. The load is so heavy indeed that the truck almost seemed to break, check the position and angle of the rear wheel! DFAC stands for Dongfeng Automobile Corporation, a major Chinese truck maker, and a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor.
Continue reading “Chinese Truck Is Slightly Overloaded With Carton In Beijing”
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.
Back in the late 90s and early 00s, when you thought of Buick, what probably came to mind would have been images of giant landyachts with supremely-comfortable (ohh those pillowly leather benches…) but outdated interiors being driven 20 below the limit by some old Geezer holding you up in the left-lane. In China though, things were a little bit different.