Meeting mr. Yin Tongyao.

In the early years of the 21st century Chery is a rapidly growing company. Chery shows SUV, MPV, sedan, van, so many concepts of different models. Including a larger sedan, via Italy a picture comes to China and arrives at my desk. It is the Chery F11 concept, a slim car design done by Pininfarina.

Chery F11 concept by Pininfarina .

The photo has been taken at the roof of the Pininfarina design studios, and somehow it escaped the secrecy. The car has a fancy German license plate and an unknown logo.  There is nothing known about engine, details etc. I don’t even know if it has an engine, or that you can ride it.

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Four attempts to make a Hongqi family car.

At least four projects were undertaken by FAW (First Auto Works) to develop a small family car. Well, to be exactly it was either FAW itself or the Changchun Research Institute, which functioned as the research and development department of FAW.

Hongqi CA7080, the smallest Hongqi ever. The old factory in the background.

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Nanjing Auto Made Another MG5 Concept Car

Nanjing Auto MG5
Nanjing Auto MG5

Last year I wrote wrote a story (updated with many new pics) about the murky times after Nanjing Auto bought the MG brand. It was unclear what Nanjing bought exactly. This uncertainty was mainly caused by Honda, which owned or co-owned several MG-Rover platforms and designs.

Early after the purchase Nanjing Auto showed several new MG’s. One of these cars was the MG5 sedan, which was unveiled on the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show. But there was another ‘Chinese’ MG5. A hatchback model was discovered by reader Max Xiao in Anting Motor City in Shanghai. Thank you very much for the pictures!

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The pseudo-Hongqi from Xi’an.

When  travelling in Xi’an in 1984 I noticed, in front of the fire station in the centre of the city, a strange car, registered 24-05900. Or truck? The front looked like a Hongqi, the wheels were as big as truck wheels. And the wheelbase was very short in regard to the length.

Fire truck in Xi’an, 1984.

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The Hongqi CA770 Station Wagons From China

Many  versions (like parade cars, smaller versions, lwb etc.) are based on the ‘da Hongqi’, the basic CA770 Red Flag limousine. They were made by the  FAW factory itself or by local car refit shops.

The ‘engineering vehicle’.

I will show you here four different ‘station wagons’. Well, in fact they are a so-called ‘engineering vehicle’, an ambulance, station wagon and a hearse.

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The Shanghai Horse Bazaar and Motor Company Limited

In the early years of the twentieth century there were a lot of factories that made car chassis and engines. These chassis and engines were exported to other countries where local bodybuilders assembled and finished these automobiles.

Logo of the Shanghai Horse Bazaar & Motor Co. LTD. (Longfei).

The International Concession in Shanghai city was an important place where several body builders were settled.

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