Earlier on I wrote about Sanxing Auto, a Guangdong-based company that built and assembled a bewildering number of different vehicles under all sorts of different deals, at the same time. Today we have a look at the passenger cars.
This article is a work in progress, because every time I think I know all the Sanxing cars; a new one pops up! I show the cars one by one, later on I will write more in detail about each car in separate posts.
Sanxing SXZ6490 second-generation Dodge Grand Caravan
The first car we look at is the Sanxing second-generation Dodge Grand Caravan. Sanxing made it from 1994 until 1997. It was available with a 2.5 four and with the 3.3 liter V6. Sanxing designation was SXZ6490. Note the very old Beijing license plate on this example.
I saw this beauty at a small car repair shop in south Beijing. A guy from the shop told me it had the 2.5 under the bonnet, and that they were still using the car to move stiff around! Many more pictures of this car on CoolCarsInChina.
3-star badge in the grille of the SXZ6490.
3-Star badge on the left.
Script in classic characters; saying Guangdong Sanxing Qiche.
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
Brochure image of the SXZ 6490 V6, 3.3 liter, 162 hp. The car looks very luxurious, it has a Sanxing badge on the bonnet and a different grille. But the image looks very Photoshopped. As far as I know, nobody has ever spotted a SXZ 6490 with a grille like this.
Sanxing SXZ6451 Caravan
Brochure photo. On the left the standard-wheelbase SXZ6451 Caravan, on the right the LWB SXZ6490 Grand Caravan.
But. As far as I know, Sanxing actually only made the Grand Caravan. I have never seen life-images of the Caravan. Perhaps they made just a few.
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
Another brochure image of the SXZ6451. It has a Sanxing badge on the bonnet, but is looks very Photoshopped again.
The white brochure car has a badge on the door as well. Sadly, I can’t read what it says.
Sanxing SXZ6510 third-generation Dodge Caravan
Sanxing assembled the third-generation Dodge Caravan, from 1997 until 2002. They made the standard-wheelbase model (Caravan) and the long-wheelbase model (Grand Caravan). This is probably the most regular Sanxing. Engine was the 3.3 liter V6. Sanxing designation was SXZ6510.
The purple car is a Grand Caravan.
Photo by Navigor84.
Standard-wheelbase Caravan.
With an extra Sanxing badge above the license plate area.
Sanxing SXZ? Chrysler Grand Voyager
The Chrysler Voyager wasn’t much more than a rebadged Dodge Caravan. The LWB-version was called Grand Voyager. And oddly, Sanxing assembled that one too.
Chrysler badge on the wheel, and…
… on the back. Photos via 只不放弃她和经典.
Sanxing SXZ6450 second-generation Mitsubishi Space Wagon
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
Sanxing made a 5 variants of the second-generation Mitsubishi Space Star, all designated SXZ6450. They were: pre-facelift (E30), cross version of pre-facelift (E30), facelift (E40), and the Mitsibishi Expo, a U.S.-marker version based on the E30.
Interestingly, in their brochure, Sanxing says the SXZ6450 is available with 2.4 liter and 1.8 liter petrol engines. Internationally, however, the Space Star was only available with a 2.0 and a 2.4. Not sure where the 1.8 came from, it is a Mitsubishi engine, according to the brochure.
Another E30 with a different grille. Photo by Lau0201.
Photo by Lau0201.
Sanxing SXZ6450 E30 ‘cross’.
The cross version had a rugged look, with different bumpers and a spare wheel at the back.
This particular car was assembled on 11-03-1997.
Photos by DKLau.
A red E30 cross.
And this one is interesting because…
… it has its 3-Star badge in gold!
Sanxing SXZ6450 E40
This is the facelifted SXZ6450.
The 3-star badge, and the GLX-i trim-level badge.
Another example, with an after-market bull bar, wheel arch liners, and rear bar. But it is interesting because:
This sticker. So far, I have only seen it on this car. All the others had badges. The sticker has more words too, saying Guangdong 3-Star Automobile Company Limited. Images of this car via DKLau.
Sanxing SXZ6450 second-generation Mitsubishi Expo
Photo by Navigator 84.
The Mitsubishi Expo was based on the E30, it was only sold in the North American markets. It seems pretty rare, so I don’t think Sanxing assembled many of these. All the Sanxing Expo’s I have seen dont have any Sanxing badges. Not sure why.
Photo by Navigator 84.
Photo by Navigator 84.
Mitsubishi Expo 4WD
Photos by Edwin.
Sanxing also assembled the Expo 4WD.
Badge on grille.
Sanxing SXZ ? Hyundai Santamo
Photos via Sam Faulkner.
The Hyundai Santamo was a license-built variant of the Mitsubishi Space Wagon, and Sanxing made it next to the Mitsubishi variants!
Mitsubishi Space Wagon > Hyundai Santamo (license) > Sanxing SXZ ? (CKD).
It had a factory standard bull-bar, and a spare wheel on the back similar to the Mitsubishi above.
Note the Hyundai steering wheel.
3-star badge on the left side.
Another Sanxing Hyundai Santamo. Image via Xarng_Lee.
The Santamo had a Sanxing badge on the bonnet. Images of the white car via LinusPokitin.
Guangdong Sanxing Qiche.
Sanxing SXZ6480 third-generation CMC Mitsubishi Delica
Sanxing liked the Mitsubishi Delica; they made three variants of it! The Sanxing Delica’s came from Taiwan’s China Motor Corporation (CMC), which built them under license from Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi Delica > CMC Delica (license) > Sanxing Delica (CKD).
Photo by @-HonYuen.
The third-generation Delica was made from 1986 until 1994, and in that time it was facelifted so often than the later cars didn’t look like the older ones at all. See more on Wikipedia. The SXZ6480 was the original 3th-gen variant, made by CMC, and assembled by Sanxing. It had twin-square headlights and sporty wheels. Power comes from a 2.0 petrol engine. Sanxing also assembled the 4WD version.
The 4WD version, seen by Navigator 84.
Nice color scheme on this car. Note badge on the left side of the license plate.
3-Star 4WD.
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
Brochure photo of the SXZ6480.
SXZ5020 XYC
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
This is the SXZ5020 XYC, a van-version of the SXZ6480. Same engine.
SXZ5020 XJH
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
This is the SXZ5020 XJH, the ambulance version of the SXZ6480. Same engine.
Sanxing SXZ6481 third-generation CMC Mitsubishi Delica (2)
Photo by Sam Faulkner.
This is another CMC Mitsubishi Delica, still of the third generation. Power came from a 2.2 liter Mitsubishi engine with 91 horsepower.
Photo by Sam Faulkner.
Red Sanxing badge on a blue background on the grille.
SXZ6481, factory photo.
Sanxing SXZ6441 Mitsubishi L300
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
This is the Sanxing SXZ6441 Mitsubishi L300, powered by a 2.0 petrol engine.
Sanxing SXZ6482 Hyundai Grace (H100)
The SXZ6482 is a complicated one. The Hyundai Grace was a licensed variant of the Mitsubishi Delica, made in South Korea. It had unique headlights and bumpers. Hyundai then sub-licensed a cargo-version of the Grace to CMC, where it was called Delica again (!).
Mitsubishi Delica > Hyundai Grace (license) > CMC Delica cargo (sub-license). The Sanxing factory image clearly shows a passenger variant. It is unsure whether Sanxing got the SXZ6482 directly from Hyundai, or via CMC.
Sanxing SXZ ? Asia Motors Topic
Photo by 520Loana.
Asia Motors was a South Korean carmaker, in 1999 they merged into KIA. The Asia Motors Topic was a minivan based on the third-generation Mazda Bongo. It seems Sanxing made only a very few of these, with a simple Sanxing badge on the bonnet. Sadly, I don’t know the designation.
Sanxing Asia Topic. 3-Star badge on the left. Badge on the right: Guangdong Sanxing Automobile.
Sanxing Asia Motors Topic. Image via Xarng_Lee.
Sanxing Asia Motors Topic. Image via Steyr911.
Sanxing SXZ6492 Mercedes Benz MB100
Photo via Sam Faulkner.
This one is very special, because the deal to make it was agreed to not long before Sanxing went down. Because of that, there has been quite a lot of discussion whether the Mercedes-Benz MB100 was really made by Sanxing or not. It was, in an official joint venture between Daimler-Benz and Sanxing.
3-Star badge and MB100 D 2.9 badge. D 2.9 refers to a rather special engine: a 2.9 liter five-in-line diesel.
Photo of the signing ceremony. Note the SXZ6490 writing on the backdrop. The smiling man in the middle was an important character at Sanxing, he appears on almost every photo with delegations and signings. If anybody knows more about the people on this photo, please let me know in the comments below.
SXZ6490 on the move! Image via Xarng_Lee.
Another one, with commercial-license plates. Via: NSX-R.
With a ‘Mercedes’ badge on the right.
Sanxing SXZ second generation (V20) Mitsubishi Pajero
Like most other Guangdong-based carmakers of the time, Sanxing made various variants of the Mitsubishi Pajero. The base variant was the SXZ6470, with a high roof and a factory-standard bull bar. Power came from a 2.5 liter four-cylinder petrol engine.
SXZ6470
SXZ6470 on the road, in Guangdong, seen by the fanatic collector NSX-R.
First time I have seen this sticker; “3-STAR JEEP”.
SXZ6471
The next variant was the SXZ6471, a more luxurious car powered by a 3.0 liter V6 engine.
SXZ6470, Sanxing badge on the grille.
License plate area too small for Chinese-size plates. 3-Star AWD badge on door handle. Characters say Guangdong Sanxing Automobile.
V6 badge visible behind the bull bar.
No badge on the steering wheel.
Guangdong Sanxing Automobile badge located above the door handle, instead of below the license plate, as we saw with the car above.
Photo by Lau0212.
This is a slightly different variant, but it is also designated SXZ6470. The lights and grille are different, and it has a Mitsubishi badge instead of a Sanxing badge. This is not unusual, many Guangdong carmakers made cars under their own badge, and under the original manufacturer’s badge.
Photo by Lau0212.
Sanxing SXZ6440 Second-generation (C22) Nissan Vanette
Image via: 3Star-4WD.
Sanxing assembled the second-generation Nissan Vanette, powered by a 2.0 petrol engine. The Vanette has, like so many of these Japanese vans from the time, a complicated history with many different variants for different countries. The Vanette was officially manufactured in Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and in India. The version assembled by Sanxing looks most like the Philippine variant.
One used for advertisement. Images via LD-LinZW.
3-Star badge on the grille.
Another car, in better shape.
A nearly-assembled Sanxing Nissan Vanette, seen in the ruins of the Sanxing factory by Navigator 84.
Sanxing first generation Mercury Villager
The first generation Mercury Villager was also a very popular car among Guangdong-based Chinese automakers in the 1990’s. It was assembled by at least four companies, including Sanxing.
Interestingly, every single one of all these Villagers, from any automaker, was of the LS trim level. How did that happen..? Badges on this car: Guangdong Sanxing Qiche. The ‘Villager’ badge is missing, and to the right of the empty space sits the LS badge.
Photos of the Mercury Villager via: 3Star-4WD.
And these were the passenger cars made by Sanxing Automobile. I will update this article whenever new information becomes available. In the meantime, more Sanxing coming up! Next time: commercial vehicles and buses. Thanks for reading.
It is Delica, not Delicia. Also, perhaps the licence plate being in an odd position on the front of that last Delica pictured compared to the red one in the official image prior is because it has a completely different nose? The red one looks to be based on one of the mid-90s facelifts of the Hyundai Grace/H100, a rebadge of the Delica. Looking closer, the light blue vehicle listed as the last Delica has the same nose and tail as the Asia Topic (confirmed with image searches, and the little of the side we can see), so therefore must… Read more »
To clarify my point, the red Delica pictured is a Hyundai Grace/H100, a rebadge of the Delica, and not anything ever built by CMC Mitsubishi. The pale blue one following described as “the same car” is an Asia Topic, based on google image searches confirming the headlamps, the odd licence plate location, the rear view and what little of the side can be seen. The rear lighting of a Topic (horizontal shape) looks nothing like that of a Delica or Grace (vertical shape). The nose arrangement, lighting shape and bumper, are the same as on the white damaged Topic on… Read more »
Hello Joe. Thanks a lot for your comments. You were right about the Hyundai Grace/H100. But it appeared that CMC actually made a cargo version of the Grace/H100, licensed from Hyundai (!). The Sanxing ‘Grace’ is obviously a passenger car, so I am not sure if Sanxing got it from Hyundai or CMC. You were also right about the mix up with the Topic. I have corrected that. The Chariot Road is interesting, but as a JDM special, how could it turn up in China with the steering wheel on the other side? Perhaps it was similar, but not exactly… Read more »
four lamps versions are CMC-made cars，the other are MMC-made cars.
Correct Delicia into Delica
Done. Thanks!
I can clear a few things up about the Caravans. The brochure photo of the SXZ 6490 V6 indeed depicts a luxury model, which would have been sold in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. as the Chrysler Town & Country. “Town & Country” is visible in the photo, on the front fender. The only things photoshopped in that photo are the Sanxing and 3-Star badges. The SXZ6451 was indeed produced, but likely in a more limited quantity. I have personally seen one on the road in Guangzhou, although that was in 2010 so they’re probably all gone by now. The… Read more »
Actually the brochure photos are from my Weibo （names 3star-4wd），laterI will show another sanxing brochure on my Weibo.I am also a crazy CKD cars lover.
BTW,sanxing had also CKD some Mercury Villager.
Hello! Thank you very much for your comments. I have added your name and Weibo-link to the brochure images. Your Weibo page is great. I know Sanxing made some Mercury Villager, but I haven’t found a good picture yet. I have written a lot about CKD cars. Please see: https://chinacarhistory.com/category/ccpdog/ Greetings. Tycho
If anybody knows more about the people on this photo, please let me know in the comments below.
those are just some random laowai hired for cool photos xD
Interestingly enough, i’ve seen a dead 2nd gen Chrysler Voyager once in a countryside in Anhui. i still wonder if it was a legit Chrysler tho. Also when I just came to china around 2011 , there were many of those benz vans around, even active ambulances. It was the second car i thought to be a strange fake benz. they almost disappeared during 10 years of my stay there
Anybody has any info about Sanxing BSX6472? I found this picture on the internet, it features an older logo, so i presume its one of the earliest cars they sold.
Hello JFK. That is another company, Beijing Sanxing. I have been planning to write an article about them for a long time (: Once I saw one of their cars, I wrote about it on my other website: https://carnewschina.com/2014/01/20/china-car-history-the-sanxing-desert-king/
Ohhh sorry, my bad. i should have realised when the 3 letters didnt match with this sanxing! Thanks for the link, i will take a look at that!
[…] Sanxing should not be confused with the much better known Sanxing Auto (三星汽车) from Guangdong Province. The Sanxing characters differ. The Beijing company is […]