About the History of Cars in China
When travelling in Xi’an in 1984 I noticed, in front of the fire station in the centre of the city, a strange car, registered 24-05900. Or truck? The front looked like a Hongqi, the wheels were as big as truck wheels. And the wheelbase was very short in regard to the length.
Many versions (like parade cars, smaller versions, lwb etc.) are based on the ‘da Hongqi’, the basic CA770 Red Flag limousine. They were made by the FAW factory itself or by local car refit shops.
I will show you here four different ‘station wagons’. Well, in fact they are a so-called ‘engineering vehicle’, an ambulance, station wagon and a hearse.
Continue reading “The Hongqi CA770 Station Wagons From China”
In the early years of the twentieth century there were a lot of factories that made car chassis and engines. These chassis and engines were exported to other countries where local bodybuilders assembled and finished these automobiles.
The International Concession in Shanghai city was an important place where several body builders were settled.
Continue reading “The Shanghai Horse Bazaar and Motor Company Limited”
Today in China Concept Cars the BYD ET, seen here on the BYD booth on the 2004 Beijing Auto Show. The ET was an electric concept car, imagining a future compact family MPV.
In June 1958 Beijing First Automobile Accessory Works surprised with the introduction of the quite modern Jinggangshan, a Volkswagen Beetle-based rear-engined car.
Deng Xiaoping meets the first Jinggangshan, June 1958. Chinese press photo.
The oldest automobile show in China I know is the exhibition organised by the National Good Road Association of China in Shanghai, September 1931.
Continue reading “Early Exhibitions with Chinese automobiles.”
Today in China Concept Cars (CCC) the Changfeng Liebao C1, an extreme SUV concept that debuted on the 2005 Shanghai Auto Show. And amazingly, this concept actually made it into production!
Continue reading “China Concept Cars: The 2005 Changfeng Liebao C1”
This is the strange story of the assembly of Mercedes-Benz trucks in China, stimulated by the German Nazi regime when China was already at war with Japan.
Continue reading “Mercedes-Benz Trucks Made In China In The 1930s”
Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF): Yungang Motor, a brand under the Datong Automobile Factory. Yungang Motor made a series of SUVs, several minivans, a bus, and two cars under the CCPDoG.
Continue reading “Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Yungang Motor”
On the 2004 Beijing Auto Show, Changan Auto unveiled two concept cars. The first was was the Chinese Dragon roadster, and the second one was this Changan Chinese Sturgeon sports sedan.
Continue reading “China Concept Cars: The 2004 Changan Chinese Sturgeon”