Recently we got a lot more questions about how the model designation system for cars made in China works. Today we will give you an overview of the three systems that have been used over the years.
Some basic rules
- Model designations in China have always begun with letters. There are usually between two and four letters. Each brand has its own identifying letters (CA for First Auto Works, SH for Shanghai Auto Works etc)
- Letters are always followed by numbers. Sometimes there may be a letter or two after the numbers to distinguish between different versions of the same car (SH760A/SH760B for instance).
1956 system
In this system only two numbers were used. They are grouped as follows:
10-19 : Trucks
30-39 : Cross-country vehicles
40-49 : Dumper Trucks
50-59 : Special Vehicles
70-79 : Motorcars
1958 System
In 1958 the system was updated so that now there were three numbers after the letters. Grouping of vehicle types was similar to before but now the last two numbers of the three indicated different parameters of the vehicle depending on vehicle type.
Trucks (100)
110-119 : Payload less than 0.6 tonnes
120-129 : Payload between 0.6 and 1.5 tonnes
130-139 : Payload between 1.5 and 3.0 tonnes
140-149 : Payload between 3.0 and 5.0 tonnes
150-159 : Payload between 5.0 and 9.0 tonnes
160-169 : Payload between 9.0 and 12.0 tonnes
Cross-country vehicles (200)
210-219 : Payload less than 0.6 tonnes
220-229 : Payload between 0.6 and 1.0 tonnes
230-239 : Payload between 1.0 and 2.0 tonnes
240-249 : Payload between 2.0 and 4.0 tonnes
250-259 : Payload between 4.o and 7.0 tonnes
260-269 : Payload between 7.0 and 12.0 tonnes
270-279 : Payload between 12.0 and 15.0 tonnes
Dumper trucks (300)
330-339 : Payload less than 2.5 tonnes
340-349 : Payload between 2.5 and 4.5 tonnes
350-359 : Payload between 4.5 and 7.5 tonnes
360-369 : Payload between 7.5 and 15.0 tonnes
370-379 : Payload between 15.0 and 30.0 tonnes
380-389 : Payload between 30.0 and 50.0 tonnes
390-399 : Payload more than 50.0 tonnes
Tractor units/Prime movers (400)
No known differentiations.
Special vehicles (500)
No known differentiations.
Buses (600)
610-619 : Less than 8 seats
620-629 : Between 8 and 15 seats
630-639 : Between 15 and 22 seats
640-649 : Between 22 and 30 seats
650-659 : Between 30 and 40 seats
660-669 : More than 40 seats
Motorcars (700)
710-719 : Engine displacement less than 400cc
720-729 : Engine displacement between 400 and 700cc
730-739 : Engine displacement between 700 and 1300cc
740-749 : Engine displacement between 1300 and 2000cc
750-759 : Engine displacement between 2000 and 3000cc
760-769 : Engine displacement between 3000 and 4500cc
770-780 : Engine displacement between 4500 and 6000cc
Electric vehicles (800)
No known differentiations.
Trailers (900)
No known differentiations.
1989 System
In 1989 the system was updated again with a fourth digit added. This is the system that is still used today but nowadays 99.99% of cars are sold under their unofficial “name”. You wouldn’t want to walk into a dealership and say “I’d like a GHA7201AAC5AHEV”, would you? NO! You’d just walk in and say “I’d like a Honda Accord Hybrid please”.
The 1989 system makes much more sense than previous systems because the middle two digits combined give you key information about a car such as engine displacement, GVW or wheelbase.
The fourth digit is one that manufacturers are free to choose in order to distinguish between different trim levels etc. Letters are still added after the fourth digit in some cases.
Trucks (1000), Cross-country vehicles (2000), Dumper trucks (3000), Tractor units/Prime movers (4000), Special vehicles (5000)
The second and third digit indicate a vehicle’s maximum Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). For example, the BJ2020 is a cross-country vehicle with a GVW of 2.0 tonnes (02 tonnes). The CA3261 would be a dumper truck with a GVW of 26 tonnes (26 tonnes).
Buses (6000)
Buses under 10 meters in length : Second number indicates meters and the third indicates decimeters. For example, the CA6440 is a 4.4 meter long bus/van.
Buses over 10 meters in length : Second number indicates decameters and the third indicates meters. For example, the XML6118 is an 11 meter long bus.
The 6000 model designation has been abused by many manufacturers who wanted to produce passenger vehicles but did not have the license to do so. Thanks to a loophole existing at the time they were able to get around the licensing issue by registering their passenger vehicles as “buses”. Perhaps the most infamous example is this of Top Gear fame:
Yes, the Maestrobus.
Motorcars (7000)
The second and third digit together indicate the engine capacity in liters. For example, the SH7221 is a motorcar with a 2.2-liter engine.
Electric vehicles (8000)
No known differentiations.
Trailers (9000)
No known differentiations.
Thanks for the interesting article!
[…] the XT620 is a bus according to its model designation, though as I have discussed previously this was common practice. The designation x20 also indicates it can carry between 8 and 15 passengers… also obviously […]
So what was the loophole exactly? How did it work? I’ve tried googling it incessantly for the past hour but have come up with nothing. Further explanation would be appreciated. Long time fan of the ChinaCar*** websites, love your guys’ work!
[…] http://chinacarhistory.com/2018/12/20/the-chinese-designation-systems/ […]