About the History of Cars in China
Nearly three years ago I showed you some photos of cars which were more or less unknown to me. I asked you to help me, since then I have made not much progress. I have found another picture of the Shanghai SH760A with the round headlamps, a picture which seems to suggest that it was a prototype made by the factory.
And, at the 70 years PRC exhibition in the Shanghai museum last year, the museum had replaced their ugly fake Shanghai SH761 parade car by a real one. I am happy with that one!
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF): Heibao. This was a brand owned by a company called Shandong Heibao, based in the great city of Weihai in Shandong Province.
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May 2013, 36 new Pyonghwa’s…
The history of Pyonghwa part 2 (after the end of the joint venture, 2012-today).
Of course we had to wait what was going to happen after the withdraw of the Moon section. A new partner was not obvious. It would also be hard for the North Koreans to continue without foreign money and technology.
At the 16th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair, the DPRK surprised with 36 (!!!) new Pyonghwa models. A clearer study of the vehicles confirmed that they were all Chinese made vehicles, rebadged with Pyonghwa logos and names.
The history of Pyonghwa part 1 (the joint venture with mr. Moon, (1999-2012).
The urge to have an automotive car-making industry led at the end of the 1990s to an interesting joint-venture between the North Korean state, represented by the ‘Ryongbong company’ and the South Korean ‘Unification Church’ of referend Moon, represented by the Tongil Group.
Sun Myong Moon, born in North Korea in 1920, founded the ‘Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity’ in 1954. Moon visited Kim Il Sung in 1991.
Today in CBTTF: Shuguang Auto, a brand under the Shuguang Group. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s Shuguang Auto made a series of fairly typical five-door SUVs, but they also made one far more special 3-door variant.
Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Shuguang Auto”
In the great year of 2003 BYD bought Qinchuan Auto, which got them a car-making license and the BYD Flyer, a popular mini car. BYD saw all kinds of possibilities with the Flyer platform. On the 2004 Beijing Auto Show BYD unveiled four concepts of new Flyer variants, designed and built in less than a year. No small feat for a then brand new auto maker!
Continue reading “China Concept Cars: The 2004 BYD Flyer Variants”
In the late 1990’s the Beijing-Jeep joint venture wanted a sedan to compete with the Audi 100. They choose the Chrysler LeBaron, and it came very close to production. But in the end, it just didn’t happen.
Continue reading “Beijing-Jeep Almost Made The Third-generation Chrysler LeBaron”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Jiuma, a brand under Shanghai Jinma Automobile Corporation. From the mid-1990’s until the mid 00’s the company made a series of interesting vehicles with lots of parts from the Volkswagen bin, some with Volvo design elements. Besides those, Shanghai Jinma also made a range of odd Suzuki Alto-copy cars.
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Toyota production by Beizhi. Brochure collection mr. Bai Guang.
When Japan invaded China it needed the shortest supply lines, and it was for that reason that the Japanese regime encouraged truck assembly at several places in China. These factories assembled Japanese trucks for military and also for civilian use.
So after describing the American influenced Minsheng (Zhongshan) and the assembly of the German Mercedes, I will write here about the third country involved in the 1930s-1940s Chinese truck production.
Continue reading “Japanese trucks made in China before and during the Second Chinese-Japanese war.”
Two side windows or three side windows? Beijing Limousine, 1958.
This is a difficult subject. With my friend Robert Jablonski I have a heavy discussion about the existence of a long wheelbase version of the 1958 Beijing Limousine (first generation).
I have written before about this car.