About the History of Cars in China
Paul Berliet was the first Western automotive entrepreneur who was involved in the Communist China automotive industry, already in 1965. He developed a great love for China and he was much appreciated by Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping. His ‘Licence Chine’ had a very strong influence on the heavy truck industry in China. It helped China to develop her own truck industry, independently of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Continue reading “The amazing story of Paul Berliet and China.”
This may look like a London Taxis International TXII, but is isn’t. This instead is a Brilliance Austin, and only one was ever built.
Continue reading “The 2002 Brilliance London Taxi Deal That Almost Happened”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Tianye Auto, a brand owned by the Baoding Automobile Factory. They were based in the great city of Baoding in Hebei Province. In the 1980’s and 1990’s they made a series of great looking pickup trucks and SUVs. Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Tianye Auto”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Wuhan Light Automobile Factory, based in the great city of Wuhan in Hubei Province. The company that made a series of pickup trucks and SUVs in in 1980’s and early 1990’s.
Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Wuhan Light Automobile Factory”
Today in Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong (CCPDoG™):Sanjiu Auto. This company made at least five cars under the infamous Guangdong scheme in the 1990’s. Read all the details about it here.
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This beautiful red sedan is First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71, officially known as ‘China’s first car’. It was born in 1958 on the special request of Mao Zedong, who demanded a Chinese state limousine. I met it at the Beijing Classic Car Museum to the far north of the capital.
Continue reading “The First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71 Was China’s First Car”
In the mid 200’s Fiat was in big trouble, so they went to China. Not to sell cars but to offload entire production lines to Chinese car makers.
In 2007 they sold the platform for the Alfa Romeo 166 to Guangzhou Auto, and then the Italians went to Zotye for a more complicated deal that included cars of Fiat, Fiat do Brasil, and Lancia.
Continue reading “China’s Zotye Auto Almost Made The Lancia Lybra And The Fiat Strada”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Ling Kong, a brand under the People’s Liberation Army No. 5408 Factory. The company was based in the great city of Luoyang in Henan Province. In the late 1980’s and 1990’s they made a series of wagons, pickup trucks, and mini cars, using the designation KJ.
Welcome to a brand new series on ChinaCarHistory.com: Chinese Concept Cars (CCC). We start with the red hot Haima S1 coupe; it debuted on the April 2006 Beijing Auto Show, painted in fiery red and looking perfectly sporty.
Continue reading “Chinese Concept Cars: The 2006 Haima S1 Coupe”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Zhenjiang Automobile Works.
Zhenjiang Automobile Works (ZAW), based northwest of Nanjing in Zhenjiang city, potentially has a rather long history that dates back to as early as 1958 according to this Zhenjiang History website. However, we will have to fastforward to 1973 because we simply have no information on the company before this time.
Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands that Time Forgot – Zhenjiang Auto Works”