About the History of Cars in China
Back in 2002 MG Rover and Brilliance Auto started talking about a possible joint venture to make the Rover 75 in China. MG Rover build a few 75’s with Brilliance badging and shipped them over to Chinese shores to inspire their potential partners. Sadly the deal didn’t happen and eventually MG Rover was sold in parts to SAIC and Nanjing Auto.
Read the whole story of the MG Rover Brilliance Auto tie-up on AROnline, a brilliant website about British cars with a focus on Austin Rover.
Today in Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong (CCPDoG™): Guangdong Guangtong Automobile, a company based in the great city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province. They produced a series of small and medium sized buses under the Guangtong brand name, using the designation GTQ.
In addition to that they also ‘made’ at least two cars for the infamous Guangdong scheme in the 1990’s. Read all the details about it here. Under this scheme Guangdong Guangtong would be approached by a third-party company to ‘manufacture’ cars, using Guangdong Guangtong’s car-making license.
Continue reading “Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong: Guangdong Guangtong”
Today in Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong (CCPDoG™): Guangzhou Yancheng Automobile Factory, a company based in the great city of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province. They produced a series of small buses, vans, and pickup trucks under the Yancheng brand name, using the designation YC.
In addition to that they also ‘made’ at least two cars for the infamous Guangdong scheme. Read all the details about it here. Under this scheme Guangzhou Yancheng would be approached by a third-party company to ‘manufacture’ cars, using Yancheng’s car-making license.
Continue reading “Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong: Guangzhou Yancheng”
Geely wants a part of Daimler. After a public rejection in November the Chinese company is now buying Daimler stock on the open market. The Germans better watch out because Geely founder Li Shufu wants Daimler really bad, especially the Mercedes-Benz brand.
How bad is really bad? Very bad. As my colleague Erik explained earlier on in his brilliant article about Geely’s early history it has always been Li’s dream to build a “Chinese Benz”. Geely’s very first car was in fact a Mercedes-Benz lookalike. And we now have more information about this car.
Continue reading “The First Geely Was A Fake Mercedes-Benz E-Class Based On A Real Audi 100”
Today in Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong (CCPDoG™): Datong Saibeijian Auto Works, a company based in the great city of Datong in Shanxi Province. They made a series of their own cars under the Saibeijian (SBJ) brand name.
In addition to that they also ‘made’ at least three different cars for the infamous Guangdong scheme. Read all the details about it here. In short: Datong Saibeijian would lease their production license to a Guangdong-based company that would use it to ‘manufacture’ cars in Guangdong.
Continue reading “Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong: Datong Saibeijian Auto Works”
Today on China Car History the first in a new series: Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong (CCPDoG™). In 1995 something new was happening in China’s southern Guangdong Province. To attract more investment the local government drastically eased the requirements for Sino-foreign car making joint ventures.
Many car maker wanted to make cars in China. Local production would allow them to avoid the heaven-high import taxes on cars, which ranged from 60 to 80%. But getting permission to do so wasn’t easy.
Continue reading “Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong: Introduction”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: (CCBTTF™): Binzhou Pride Automobile, a company based in the great city of Binzhou in Shandong Province. They only lived 2006 until 2008 but they made quite an impact, thanks to a surprisingly crazy and creative design.
Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Binzhou Pride”
On a beautiful cold autumn day in Beijing I met this great and giant Hongqi Yunhe CA5020 XYBA. Sadly it seemed the poor vehicle had been abandoned, dumped to turn into dust like the corpses she used to carry.
Continue reading “Spotted In China: Hongqi Yunhe CA5020 XBYA Stretched Wagon Hearse”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™):Anda’er, a very interesting brand that made a wide variety of vehicles from the early 1990’s to the early 00’s. Anda’er is not totally forgotten; the name recently made a comeback.
Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Anqing Anhui – Anda’er”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Xiangjiang, a small but very special brand that made a series of station wagons and pickup trucks in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.