Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Kaite Auto

Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF): Kaite Auto, a brand owned by a company called Beijing Fengtai Auto Refit Factory, based in Fengtai District in the Chinese capital Beijing. In the 1990’s, Kaite Auto made a series of pickup trucks, SUVs, and minivans.

About Kaite Auto

The Beijing Fengtai Auto Refit Factory (Beijing Fengtai) was, in turn, a subsidiary of Beijing Automobile and Motorcycle (BAM). Basically, Beijing Fengtai refitted vehicles manufactured by BAM, which, in turn, where mostly based on a vehicle design by Beijing Auto Works (BAW).

BAM manufactured various variants of the BAW BJ212 and BJ121, including this pretty BAM BJ2020SA I saw in Beijing back in 2003. All of the Beijing Kaite cars were based on this chassis, and they all used BAW engines.

These engines got a new designation at Kaite Auto. The 85 hp variant of the BAW 492Q engine became the BN 492QA and the 92 hp variant was called the BN 492/100Q. Gearbox was always a five-speed manual.

Kaite (凯特) was founded in 1987 and continued until the mid-2000’s. At that time, the company didn’t make cars anymore, only so called ‘specialized vehicles’, like refrigerator trucks, road maintenance trucks, and ambulances.

BAW and BAM both used the designation BJ. Because Beijing Fengtai was a refit outfit and not a full-fledged manufacturer, it didn’t have its own designation, so they used the BJ designation as well. Later on, when the company became a specialized vehicle manufacturer, they did get their own designation; BKC.

This is a brilliant photo from a period factory brochure, showing “factory director” Li Yufu sitting at his desk. His desk is covered with a glass top, with important notes stored under the glass, so the director can easily check and refer to these notes. I have seen that a lot in China, right until the early 2010’s. There is a very pretty tea cup on his desk, an agenda, folders and papers, and a telephone. In that time, computers were ultra rare. The blue curtains can’t hide the Kaite standing outside of the window!

Over the years, Kaite Auto used several logo’s. This is the first one, with a speedy K.

The next logo was a bit more industrial.

And this is the last logo and the most common one, returning to the more playful style of the first logo.

The gate of the Kaite factory still stands even today. The sign dates back to the time Kaite had become a specialized-vehicle maker. It reads Beijing Kaite Special Purpose Vehicle Corporation.

If you want to check it out, please check the map; it is here.

The Cars

BJ1030 SFQ ↓

The first known Kaite Auto cars are the BJ1030 SFQ pickup truck and the BJ2030 SFQ SUV. The pickup was a cool looking vehicle with racy stripes on the sides, white stripes on the wheels, and a shiny silver grille.

BJ2030 SFQ ↓

The SUV was a more serious vehicle with a black grille and black wheels.

BJ121 Improved Car ↓

The BJ121 Improved Car was, as the name implies, an improved variant of the BJ121. The BJ212 was a light-duty pickup truck based on the BJ212.

The BJ121 Improved Car has a unique station-wagon body with a raised roof and two large windows on each side. Neither BAW or BAM ever made just such a car. The vehicle on the photo was painted in light blue with a red stripe.

The new lineup ↓

Next up was a lineup of SUVs with a design inspired by the Jeep Cherokee XJ. In that time, the Cherokee XJ was made in China by the Beijing Jeep Corporation (BJC) joint venture. The Chinese side of the joint venture was owned by Beijing Auto Industrial Corporation (BAIC), a large conglomerate that also owned BAW and later BAM.

So one side of the company produced the Cherokee XJ, and another side made copies of it! Strange as it may sound, this was, and even is, not uncommon is China’s confusing automotive landscape. And Kaite Auto wasn’t alone in using the Cherokee’s design, dozens of other automakers did exactly the same, including Shuanghuan Auto.

However, notwithstanding the Cherokee looks, the chassis’ were still of the BJ212 and BJ 121.

BJ1030 SFQ double-cab truck ↓

The earliest Cherokee-inspired Kaite was the BJ1030 SFQ, a good looking double cab pickup truck with an interesting ‘aerodynamic’ design of the C-pillar.

It was the only time Kaite Auto used this design. The D-pillar morphs beautifully into the truck bed. It was likely too expensive to produce. Too bad! The BJ1030 SFQ was a 4×2 with five seats and a 2750 mm wheelbase. Top speed was 95 km/h.

BJ2030 SFQ four-wheel drive double-cab truck ↓

The BJ2030 SFQ was probably the most-produced Kaite. It appears to be more common than the others. The BJ2030 SFQ was a neat four-door 4×4 pickup truck that was available in various trim levels. The green car on the factory photo seems a high end example with pretty wheel covers and a beige interior.

My colleague Erik saw quite a few Kaite cars in Beijing in the 1990’s, including this pretty red car with sporty multi-spoke wheels. The car was for sale when Erik met it, with a 49.000 yuan price tag.

White car with standard black wheels and a brown interior.

A red one similar to the car Erik saw. Note how low the bed is compared to the cabin.

BJ6460 FQ Light Passenger Car (4×2) ↓

The BJ6460 FQ was a large SUV. It was classified as a ‘light passenger car’, and it could seat up to nine persons! That was 2 in front, 3 on the second row, and four on small benches in the back.

Second row. The interior was pretty luxurious for the times, with pretty seats, red floor mats (!), and even some faux wood.

The rear compartment with the benches folded up.

A base car. All the chrome is gone from the grille and window frames and the door handles are painted in body color.

BJ6460 HFQ Light Passenger Car (4×2) ↓

The BJ6460 HFQ was very similar to the BJ6460 FQ. The spec sheets are indeed so similar that I can’t really tell the difference. The only difference that I can see is that the HFQ was 70 kilo heavier, but why that was is a mystery. Size is the same: 4590/1790/1850, with a 2750 wheelbase.

It is not uncommon among Chinese automakers, then and now, to launch “variants” that don’t vary very much, mainly to make their lineup look bigger than it really was/is. This was especially so in the 1990’s when Kaite was in business.

BJ6460 HFQ base model.

BJ 5030 HXFQ Special Use Car Type ↓

The BJ 5030 HXFQ Special Use Car Type has the same size again as the aforementioned wagons, but it is rated as a five-person car, without any benches in the back, and aimed more at hauling stuff around. It was a 4×4 and could carry five persons plus 500 kilo freight.

Base model.

BJ 5030 X Special Use Car Type ↓

The BJ 5030 X is another variant but sadly I haven’t got any specifications on it. Size seems the same as the others.

BJ6461 Light Passenger Car (4×2)

The BJ6461 was the first Kaite car with a new design. The Cherokee shape was replaced by a more modern bodywork, although the headlights were still the same. The bonnet runs much lower and the windshield is more angled, making for a streamlined look. The BJ6461 seems more a wagon than an SUV.

A factory photo of a high end variant with nice dark gray paint and light gray bumpers. The front sears seem very luxurious! The second row has three seats and there is a bench in the back with another two seats.

A white example seen by Erik in Beijing. Quality of the body panels seems… so so.

BJ1020C double cabin pickup truck ↓

The BJ1020C was the new pickup truck, featuring Kaite’s new design language. I think it worked better on pickup trucks than on the BJ6461 SUV. The red car on the factory photo is all-dressed up with wheel covers, yellow fog lights, and a large bar in the pickup truck bed.

Even the base model looked nice, in dark brown with black bumpers and a beige interior. The fog lights are neatly covered up.

A  great photo with two SUVs and one pickup truck.

BKC6460 ↓

The next redesign saw a return to the Cherokee look, albeit modernized. And we are now in the time that the company got their own designation, so BJ is gone and replaced with BKC.

Erik saw one of these too, with different alloys.

The BKC6460 was a good looking car. From factory it came with a bull bar, fog lights, a roof rack, and pretty alloy wheels. Size: 4600/1846/1802, with as always a 2750 wheelbase. It was a five-seat car available in 4×4 and 4×2 variants, powered by the 85 hp or the 92 hp engine.

The steering wheel looks very similar to the wheel in the Cherokee. Probably bought from the same supplier.

Double doors at the back. Factory rear bill bar and cool mud flaps with the Kaite logo.

BKC6450 ↓

The BKC6450 is an oddball. Design was heavily inspired by the Toyota HiAce, but it really is a different car, based on a truck chassis. Check the double-tire rear wheels. The factory photo shows the BKC6450 on a location in southern China with Kaite stickers in Chinese and English. It also has KAITE lettering above the logo on the grille.

The BKC6450 was based on the BJ2022 truck, and fitted with a totally new body. It had 11 seats. Size: 4540/1700/1900, with a 2400 wheelbase. Engine was a Mitsubishi 4G32 Saturn, produced in China at the long-running Shenyang-Mitsubishi engine making joint venture that supplies engines to so many Chinese automaker. Top speed was 95 kilometers per hour.

BKC6600 ↓

The BKC6600 was the largest Kaite vehicle, a mid-sized bus with 19 seats. On the factory photo, it is painted in a very happy combination of blue, pink, and white, with red and black characters and a BKC6600 sticker.

Power came from the good old BN492QA engine, still rated at 85 hp. Top speed was 90 km/h, which is not bad for a bus with a 2800 kg curb weight and only 85 horses. Max weight, including passengers, was 4100 kg. I don’t think it could do 90 with so many folks on board!

The rear with a pretty KAITE sticker with a shadowed font.

And those were the cars made by Kaite Auto. There is very little to find on this company on the interwebs so I largely depended on old catalogues and books. Many thanks to Erik for the photos and brochures. Some of the later specialty vehicles can be seen here.

More Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot soon!