Today in Chinese Concept Cars (CCC) the beautiful Changan Chinese Dragon, a sexy roadster that debuted on the April 2004 Beijing Auto Show.
The car was called the Chinese Dragon. It’s Chinese name was Longteng (龙腾), best translated as Rising Dragon. Interestingly, it was developed by Changan Auchan.
This company, also known as Oushang (欧尚), was a subsidiary of Changan Auto. Abroad, they use the Chana brandname. At the time, they mostly made commercial vehicles and basic mini-MPV’s. The Chinese Dragon so, was a huge step away from their core business!
Changan said the Chinese Dragon was launched to showcase “The development of the highest level of automotive products“, and to impress “Changan’s persistent pursuit of automotive culture and art.”
It was a beauty of a car, from every side. But it was not totally new. It was based on the Keinath GT/C Cabriolet. This was a concept car that debuted on the 2002 Geneva Motor Show. It was developed by the German engineering company EDAG Engineering, for a re-launch of the Keinath brand. When this re-launch failed, EDAG Engineering sold the rights to the design to Changan Auto, and that deal included the only prototype.
So what did Changan change to morph the EDAG Keinath GT/C Cabriolet prototype into the Chinese Dragon concept car?
Well, not that much. The resprayed it in a fiery kind of red. They changed the headlights. They changed the badges. And that was about it. They didn’t even change the alloys!
EDAG stated that the Keinath GT/C Cabriolet was powered by a 3.2 liter six, good for 218 hp, mated to a five-speed automatic. And they said that it would also be available with a “V8-aggregate with 340 HP”.
Guess what engine Changan said the Chinese Dragon had? A 3.2 liter V8! They kinda put the two engines together in their press release… They didn’t say anything about output or gearbox. In any way, Changan never opened the bonnet of their dragon, so we just can’t be sure what was under the bonnet there.
The interior was rather dark and simple. There is a sporty three-spoke steering wheel, sporty seats, an instrument panel with a large speedo in the middle, and a center stack with a shipload of buttons.
Check those tires! As wide as on a supercar.
The Chinese Dragon was again displayed on the Guangzhou Auto Show in December 2004, and then disappeared from sight. It was never intended for production, and likely rightly so, as it was too far off anything Changan was making at the time.
Today the (German-) Chinese Dragon has been largely forgotten, even in China. Changan makes pretty good cars now, and Auchan is responsible for the new COS-brand, aimed at young car buyers. A fiery red sportscar could do miracles here, working as a halo to get those youngsters into the showroom.
Time to dust off the blueprints..?
The 2004 Changan Chinese Dragon.
More concept cars soon…
With a sweet little lady, wearing a matching top.
Brochure image.
Brochure image. Showing the Chinese Dragon riding a winding road in autumn. Without a driver.
When i saw the pictures i was amazed: a good looking chinese car from 2004?! Wow…never thought that could be possible. And i was right. 😀
The dashboard btw is 100% Opel Omega, as Keinaths always were based on Opel models. The 3.2 V6 with 218hp: probably also from the Opel Omega, it was the most the most powerful engine for the big old Opel.
[…] the 2004 Beijing Auto Show, Changan Auto unveiled two concept cars. The first was was the Chinese Dragon roadster, and the second one was this Changan Chinese […]