About the History of Cars in China
In October 1994 a strange company showed its plans. It was the Beijing Golden-Thunder Classic Motors Co. Ltd. They were planning to produce an Austin-Healey 3000 replica, 100% of the production was meant for export to the USA. They didn’t apply for a license to sell the cars in China. A factory was planned in Liqiao, Shunyi, not far from Beijing. They opened a post box at the Jianguomen International Posts Office in Beijing.
Changzheng Auto Works (Changzheng means Long March) was founded in 1958 and in its early years was producing cars and car parts. As was the case with Hongxing, Changzheng was initially called something entirely different and began operations first in Beijing, before moving to Xingtai in 1970. Changzheng was initially called Beijing Xindu Auto Works. A likely reason for this mass exodus of car makers from Beijing as the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relationships in the late 1960’s, Beijing was likely wary of a possible invasion by the USSR and so, using the lessons learnt from the earlier invasions by Japan, moved whole industries to secondary cities further inland as a way of securing manufacturing capacity.
Continue reading “The story of China National Heavy Truck Group (Sinotruk): Changzheng Auto”
This article will be a first in a series of articles documenting the automotive history of the city of Xingtai in Hebei province. I recently travelled to Xingtai for a second time. I spent the day with a media friend I had met through Weibo after my last visit in 2017. He was kind enough to offer to take me around Xingtai to see some of the car factories that were once part of Xingtai’s industrial output. Upon arrival in Xingtai he told me we were off to a car factory that was very much still alive and well. That car factory is operated by Hongxing – aka Red Star.
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.
Continue reading “Crazy Car Production Days of Guangdong: Sanjiu Auto”
One of the black spots in car history is the cars made in the 1970s-1990s in North Korea.
One of the intriguing mysteries of China’s car history is the missing CA70.
In the mid-1950s First Auto Works (FAW) started truck production and the development of a complete automobile production program. The first products were the CA10 truck, a CA30 cross-country truck, a CA40 dumper truck, a CA50 truck tractor, a CA80 agricultural truck.
And a CA71 car. The CA71 car is the Dongfeng which is beautifully described by my colleague Tycho in a recent article. Soon followed by the bigger Hongqi CA72.
That gives a mystery, as which car was the CA70?