Production of the Daihatsu Charade in Japan started in 1977. In 1983 a second generation was launched, which was replaced in 1987. The third generation Charade was also made in China as the very popular Tianjin Xiali TJ730.
But before the third gen., the Tianjin Automobile Industry Corporation assembled 3000 units of the second generation in 1986-1987.
One of the most interesting copies was a plastic car from the Zhonghua Auto Industry Corporation in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
Zhonghua made many models, based on the Charade 2nd gen. and Charade 3rd gen.
The series based on the Charade 2nd gen. included a hatchback, a sedan and a double cab pickup in two sizes. They were made in 1987-1988.
Sizes: BS111V wheelbase 2470mm, LxWxH 4260mm x 1670mm x 1480mm.
BS111A1: wheelbase 2480mm, LxWxH 4410mm x 1640mm x 1460mm.
BS111A2: wheelbase 2530mm, LxWxH 4250mm x 1600mm x 1500mm.
Zhonghua BS111V Sedan. The driver is the young mr. Li Shufu, the later CEO of Geely. It was his first car. We described Lee’s story about the first car he made himself here. And here.
The Zhonghua was made with a choice between two engines: the Dong’an DA462 (797cc 4-cylinder) or the Daihatsu (993cc 3-cylinder).
The Guangdong Province Yunshan Auto Works produced the Baiyun BY5010XLD. This was a Chinese version of the Daihatsu Skywing notchback from Taiwan, which was in fact the Charade sedan. You could find many of them in the Shenzhen streets, I don’t know if it was just a legal licensed production or that it was one of the assembled Guangdong imports, as described by Tycho here.
There was also a hatchback-van, the Baiyun BY5010XXY.
Sizes: LxWxH 3820mm x 1660mm x 1390mm, wheelbase 2320mm. Engine Daihatsu CB23 1020cc.
The Harbin Aircraft Company Limited in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, made the Songhuajiang HFJ7080. The car was introduced in 1991. There was a hatchback and a sedan. Engine was the 797cc DA462 from Suzuki.
Equipped with the DA462 engine.
Production was quite limited; 1992: 4 cars, 1993: 23 cars, 1995: 8 cars.
The Tieling Hongda Special Auto Works in Kaiyan City, Liaoning Province, made the Tielong THD7080. Shown in 1994, ten were made in 1998.
Note the resemblance with the Songhuajiang above.
LxWxH 3995mm x 1550mm x 1380mm, wheelbase 2320mm, engine Suzuki F8A 797cc.
The Jilin JL730 was made by the First Auto Works Jilin Small Vehicle Works, in Jilin Province.
The car was never produced.
Jilin JL730, advertisement 1988.
The Changchun Automobile Research Institute (CARI) came with a proposition for a Charade copy to be produced by the First Auto Works (FAW).
First Auto Works didn’t produce the car. They decided not to make a ‘people’s car’ in Changchun.
This Dongfeng Motors prototype resembles the Zhonghua BS111. It was a one-off.
Liuzhou Machinery Works was independent in the 1990s. They made the 276Q engine for all the Wuling mini trucks. Later they became part of the Wuling Group as the Wuling Engine Factory.
The Disai LJ720, later LJ5010XKH, was also made by Liuzhou Machinery Works. It was made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic. Production started in 1989 and ended in 1995. Altogether the factory made 2.785 cars.
Details: LxWxH 3800mm x 1590mm x 1420mm, wheelbase 2340mm, engine 276Q 644cc 2-cylinder, 21 kW. Max. speed 95 km/h. Later the engine was replaced by the 376QB, 993cc, 35 kW Daihatsu-license engine.
Hainan Auto Works in Haikou City, Hainan, came with the Hainan HX7080. I have no decent photo.
And then this green beauty, seen in Xinjiang region in 1990. With an interesting (polyester?) tail end.
Any car left? Yes, the Liuzhou Industrial Museum shows several locally produced trucks and three cars: two Wuling and one Disai.
You can find these cars and a lot more in my history document “Made in China. Lost small cars of the 1990s.”
isnt the Jilin JL730 based off an ss80 alto?
Yes Yanky Mate, you are right!
As for the green car of Xinjiang, I wonder if it was locally produced over there? The Daihatsu logo confuses me – unless, of course, the text / the grille was an aftermarket addition.
Yes, J-Y, good question. Can be an original Daihatsu, locally rebuilt (accident?). I have no proof at all of locally production. And yes, the Daihatsu logo could be bought in the shop, like so many owners of copycars did at that time.
Wonderful article Erik! I do wonder why there are two plates on the LJ720, is the white-red one like a taxi registration or something? or just novelty/fake plate?
Disai in a background of a movie: https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle.php?id=1437679
Yes, there was a double registration at that time in Guilin City, Guangxi Region. License plate and taxi license. Here another example: license Guangxi 03 03853, taxi license 1045, company number 2-0351. Yes they loved numbers in those years!
whats up with the p70 white starlet, with the 3 cars in front of the zhonghua factory?
Maybe they used it for test reasons, Andy, or it was just the car of a worker?
Hey Erik. Greetings from Mexico, i just wanted to let you know in Mexico we had FAW selling passenger cars from 2008-2009, unfortunately the financial crisis from 2008 affect us also, but somehow FAW came back in the mid 2010’s selling only industrial vehicles. Now, going back, how does this relate to the Charade? Well, there was a model sold as F1 (FAW F1), it was their cheapest car you could buy from them and it was sold exclusively only at Elektra (a mexican Deparment Store). Also the saddest part from this story is after FAW retired in 2009, there… Read more »
This was sold in China as Xiali N3+, and its one of many facelifts of the 1987-1993 Daihatsu Charade that was produced under licence at FAW. Production of the Charade based Xialis ended in 2015. I did not know of FAW presence in Mexico, thanks for sharing!
Hi there all
Just stumbled across this fascinating account of the chaotic history of the Chinese auto industry, which I’ll peruse at later leisure’.
Love those plastic pickups
Meantime I have a practical problem. I’m trying to revive a 1986 Daihatsu Skywing and am finding parts hard to source in Taiwan. I understand this has extensive commonality with the Xiali Tianjin TJ730, and wonder if anyone could suggest sources of its parts in China. Currently after a camshaft bolt.
I dont speak or write Mandarin but can get translation if required.
Regards, Ed Lithgow
early Disai LJ720 appeared on an advert in late 1988 for the 60th anniversary of the factory. Note the car has a round badge on the front
[…] during the same period Zhonghua developed a straight copy of the Daihatsu Charade (2nd generation). Unlike the BS111 pickup, I suppose that this hatchback was based on a real Charade platform and […]
I do not think that there was only one dongfeng prototype. this one on Imcdb, was seen in the movie mao mao Feng Xian. I do not know why it is in there but I know it is the prototype because 1. it has the same wheels 2. there is the same dongfeng logo at the front
The wheels are generic ones shared with zhonghua, dongfeng, and many others, and the hood has moulded 中华 into the front. Empty vessels make the most sound.
Yes, but the square badge on the front resembles dongfeng’s prototype a lot. Is it just me, or is that a dongfeng?
there was also a black one seen in the movie, meaning that more than 3 were made.