ChinaCarHistory

Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF): Hangtian Auto

Hangtian Auto

Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF): Hangtian Auto. This brand was owned and manufactured by two closely related companies: Guizhou Hangtian and Zhongguo Jiangnan Hangtian. Both companies were based in Guizhou Province and their core business was military aerospace, including spacecrafts, airplanes and missiles.

Hangtian Auto (航天汽车) literally means ‘Aerospace Auto’. The brand was founded in 1984 and existed until about 2005. During that time, Hangtian Auto made a series of vans, small trucks, and minibuses.

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Shenyang Songliao and Polarsun. Part 2: Polarsun.

Polarsun (Zhongshun) started with just a name change, continuing the production of the new Roger-designed minibus. This vehicle is based on the fourth generation of the Toyota HiAce. Polarsun is still using the SLQ denomination, the minibus is called Polarsun Century SLQ6503.

Polarsun Century SLQ5023 at the Shanghai Salon 2005. There were several different front ends.

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Shenyang Songliao and Polarsun. Part 1: Songliao.

Songliao SLQ6450, Beijing 1995, photo Erik van Ingen Schenau.

Shenyang Songliao Auto Works were born in a military factory in the East China Military Region, established on April 24, 1949. The original site was located in Nanjing; in the early days, their main business was to repair cars for the army. On March 8, 1952, the military factory was ordered to go to Dandong on the bank of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province to participate in the Korean War, and to repair vehicles on the front line day and night.

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A Hongqi for the common people.

After their life times efforts to make cars for the leaders, mr. Hua Fulin and two other FAW senior researchers and engineers decided to develop a real “people’s car”. The project was named “Sankoule”(literally “Three Mouths”) the name revers to the then standard Chinese family with two parents and one child.

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The Seat cars made in China.

Nanya (Nanjing-Fiat) Eagle (Yingge’er), photo Erik van Ingen Schenau, 2003.

Imported Spanish cars were not for sale in China, the Seat was unknown . This won’t say that Chinese couldn’t buy Chinese -made Seats. Here an overview.

FAW-Volkswagen Citi Golf AS513. Photo Erik van Ingen Schenau, 1996.

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The Complete Story of the Austin Maestro in China (part 2: Yema)

According the official website of Yema , www.yemaauto.cn, Yema was founded in 1988. That is not correct.

Yema ‘suv”, photos Jos van der Wiel, Leshan (Sichuan) 1982.

Chengdu Light Auto Refit Works made Yema suv’s already in the early 1980s. In 1988 this factory merged with three other factories to start the Chengdu Light Vehicle General Works. Tycho has written about this and more. Continue reading “The Complete Story of the Austin Maestro in China (part 2: Yema)”

Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Haisheng Auto

Haisheng Auto

Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF): Hainan Haisheng Auto, a brand based in the great city of Haikou in sunny Hainan province. They used the English brand name Hiseng, without the ‘H’. From the late 1990’s to the mid 2000’s they made a series of pickup trucks, legally-licensed Mitsubishi Pajero’s, semi-legal Suzuki Vitara’s, and much more.

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