About China's Coolest Cars
A Fiat Palio 1.3 EDX hatchback, seen in Beijing in 2016. The fine Fiat was in a good shape, with a clean body and with the original wheel covers. The owner had added a very dark kind of window film for extra privacy.
Continue reading “Nanjing-Fiat Palio 1.3 EDX Is A Chinese-Italian Hatchback In China”
A Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG, seen in Beijing in 2016. The monster SUV has a very special license plate: 京L·92222. This sort of sequences are very rare in China and those who have ‘m do everything to keep ‘m.
Happily, these days license plates numbers are attached to persons and not to cars anymore. So even if the owner sells this Benz, he still keeps the plate and can use it on another car. But why sell? The GL63 AMG is brilliant. Power comes from a twin-turbocharged 5.5 liter V8 engine with an output of 558 hp and 760 Nm. The engine works with a 7-speed automatic, sending horses to all wheels. It seats seven and has a 2500 kilo curb weight, yet in sprints from 0-100 in 4.9 seconds.
Somewhat badly, the Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG drinks 13 liters per 100 kilometers and that makes it an expensive drive, even in China, where petrol prices are reasonable. The high weight and big engine = high taxes, adding up to a crazy purchase price of 1.98 million yuan in 2014. It is therefore pretty rare in China, and there is only one with 京L·92222.
A Chrysler PT Cruiser, seen in east Beijing in the early spring of 2016. The PT Cruiser is always an odd car too process. It is oddly ugly on one side, and oddly cool on the other.
Continue reading “Chrysler PT Cruiser Is Always Kind Of Cool In China”
On that autumn day in 2012, in a small public park, not a parking lot, I came across this interesting duo: a Cadillac Sedan DeVille stretched limousine and a W126 Mercedes-Benz S280 SEL.
Continue reading “Cadillac Sedan DeVille Limousine And W126 Mercedes-Benz S280 SEL In China”
A rare Citroen c-Quatre 20 Years Edition, seen in Beijing in 2016. The special Frenchman was in a great shape, looking very classy. The Citroen c-Quatre was a compact car made in sedan and hatchback form from 2008 until 2016.
Continue reading “Citroen c-Quatre 20 Years Edition Is A French Sedan In China”
It is always hard to know how to look at the SsangYong Actyon; is it just plain ugly, or refreshingly different? I haven’t figured that out yet so for now I prefer to call it interesting. It sure is, from every side. The front lights give it an angry look, flanking a forward leaning grille. I found this very clean example in Beijing in 2016, looking almost as new.
Continue reading “SsangYong Actyon Is An Interesting South Korean SUV In China”
A pretty Hafei Songhuajiang minivan, seen up in the mountains to the north of Beijing on an early spring day in 2010. The good Songhuajiang was painted in taxi-red and fitted with very early blue 京A·90085 license plates.
Continue reading “Hafei Songhuajiang Is A Red Van Up In The Mountains”
Earlier on, I posted about the Chery Cowin 2, the latest variant of the Seat Toledo-based Chery. Today, we have a much rarer version of the ‘Chery Seat’: the Chery Fengyun SQR7160 with a still mysterious badge on the back.
Continue reading “Chery Fengyun SQR7160 Is A Rare Seat-based Sedan In China”
And that day I went to the Beijing Tap Water Museum in east Beijing. Besides a lot of water pipes and other water supply equipment, I also found a triplet of very pretty Beijing-Jeep Cherokee XJ’s. These are two early examples, with fog lights on the bumper, and factory mud flaps, wheels, and roof rack. The colors are original too. The car on the left has a very old blue 京A license plate, indicating it was one of the very first privately registered cars in the capital.
Continue reading “A Beijing-Jeep Cherokee XJ Triplet In Beijing”
A white BMW M3 coupe, seen on cold spring day in Beijing, capital of China. The speedy Bimmer was painted in white and fitted with dark matte black alloys. But best of all was the matching license plate: 京N·M3W79.
Continue reading “BMW M3 Is White With A License Plate In China-2”