Replacement of the Shanghai Saloon.

Just before the beginning of the Cultural Revolution (1966), Shanghai Auto started to work on a replacement for the SH760 Sedan. The prototypes were bigger than the SH760.

Factory photo of a proposed successor of the Shanghai Sedan, photo sold at Kongfz. Car registration 08-02384.

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MPV’s made in Shanghai long ago.

Long before the popularity of mpv’s, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation made prototypes of mpv’s.

The Shanghai Santana SVW7181, later SH7181. The Institute gave me this brochure, they had crossed out the SVW denomination by hand.

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Bamin redone.

In 2012 my friend Tycho wrote in Car News China about Bamin. Time for a make over.

Bamin started as a repair company of the People’s Liberation Army in 1950. In 1955 it moved to Xujia Village, Jingxi Town, Fujian Province. Since 1965 the company was named People’s Liberation Army Factory Number 7427.

Bamin advertisement, Shanghai Qiche Bao, Automotive China 1988.

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DAF in China.

Writing for China Car History is sometimes dull, and sometimes exciting. This is such an exciting moment! My Chinese car friend Robert from Poland, who I know for 20 years, has sent me yesterday some pages of a Chinese language  magazine called Auto News, edition late 2000. The writer describes the mini-auto’s made by the Qinghua University in 1958-1961. I have written about these cars in China Car History in December 2018.

Qinghua nr. 7 at Tian’an men.

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Shenyang Songliao and Polarsun. Part 2: Polarsun.

Polarsun (Zhongshun) started with just a name change, continuing the production of the new Roger-designed minibus. This vehicle is based on the fourth generation of the Toyota HiAce. Polarsun is still using the SLQ  denomination, the minibus is called Polarsun Century SLQ6503.

Polarsun Century SLQ5023 at the Shanghai Salon 2005. There were several different front ends.

Continue reading “Shenyang Songliao and Polarsun. Part 2: Polarsun.”

Shenyang Songliao and Polarsun. Part 1: Songliao.

Songliao SLQ6450, Beijing 1995, photo Erik van Ingen Schenau.

Shenyang Songliao Auto Works were born in a military factory in the East China Military Region, established on April 24, 1949. The original site was located in Nanjing; in the early days, their main business was to repair cars for the army. On March 8, 1952, the military factory was ordered to go to Dandong on the bank of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province to participate in the Korean War, and to repair vehicles on the front line day and night.

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A Hongqi for the common people.

After their life times efforts to make cars for the leaders, mr. Hua Fulin and two other FAW senior researchers and engineers decided to develop a real “people’s car”. The project was named “Sankoule”(literally “Three Mouths”) the name revers to the then standard Chinese family with two parents and one child.

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The Seat cars made in China.

Nanya (Nanjing-Fiat) Eagle (Yingge’er), photo Erik van Ingen Schenau, 2003.

Imported Spanish cars were not for sale in China, the Seat was unknown .  This won’t say that Chinese couldn’t buy Chinese -made  Seats. Here an overview.

FAW-Volkswagen Citi Golf AS513. Photo Erik van Ingen Schenau, 1996.

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The Complete Story of the Austin Maestro in China (part 2: Yema)

According the official website of Yema , www.yemaauto.cn, Yema was founded in 1988. That is not correct.

Yema ‘suv”, photos Jos van der Wiel, Leshan (Sichuan) 1982.

Chengdu Light Auto Refit Works made Yema suv’s already in the early 1980s. In 1988 this factory merged with three other factories to start the Chengdu Light Vehicle General Works. Tycho has written about this and more. Continue reading “The Complete Story of the Austin Maestro in China (part 2: Yema)”