The Chinese Daihatsu Charade (2nd generation) and look-alikes.

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.”