What China Clearly Needs is a Kei Car range.
China does have a kei car classification for mini motors, but they are not true kei cars – true kei cars, in the Japanese sense were always tiny sub or around 800cc motors that were just GREAT for the city. Kei cars, like the WagonR turned up in China, with a much bigger 1.4 engine, Kei car size, but not a Kei Car engine. Chery had a stab at the 800cc segment with a QQ (since renamed QQ308) but nobody in China uses anything sub 800cc, which is a shame as what Chinese cities need more than anything is a tiny engine in a car that looks good. Nobody in their right minds wants to take a bus at rush hour in any Chinese city, thus, any company that unleashed a tiny kei car upon the middle kingdom and had government support, would get laughed at first, then admired, once other drivers see lanes meant just for kei cars opened, kei cars getting into areas where a big ol’ Buick just cant go, free parking for kei cars etc etc.
One car that has impressed China Car Times with its poky dimensions, and good looks, is Double Rings Little Nobel, hopefully sooner, rather than later, they’ll release the 800cc powered one. China Car Times would happily buy one, rip out that back seat and keep it for short distance runs, after all, its just a fancy petrol golf cart at the end of the day. Mitsubishi released the short wheel based Pajero Montero Shogun in China, but it is overpriced at 150,000rmb (although it is a CKD model imported from Japan) and the interior is decidedly late 90′s rather than 2007.
What motors do China Car Times readers believe would be a smash hit in China if they were ever released here? Past, or present, have at it!
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GTR Skyline…. is most likely coming in the next few years…
I saw a Nissan Passage Skyline the other day in traffic lights.
It looked AMAZING for such an old smoker. Ive seen an old Mitsubishi Galant going around town, and that looks TIP TOP too. I really want an old late 80′s, to mid 90′s Jap wagon now.
I have seen a few old Mazda station wagons driving around GZ. Didn’t see that model back home though so it could be an American version (LHD). There was one for sale a while back for 30,000 RMB…. a wee bit overpriced.
I used to have an old Galant, really rusty and stuffed rings but went pretty good.
Yeah – I go through phases of seeing old Mk1 Ford Mondeos, and this week its been a phase of old Mazda 5′s.
We have a little of everything here in Nanning…..a couple of old Cadillacs (mid-90′s), a Lincoln town car (also mid-90′s), a Pontiac Firebird (last generation model), a couple of BMW M3′s (late 90′s), a LOT of older Acuras, even a couple of Ford Tempos and at least one Ford Taurus. There’s more…..I’m just thinking off the top of my head what I see normally on a regular basis.
Yeah, I know what you mean about the mixed bag if cars, and some even have the American dealer stickers still on them. I got a great big old Benz from Maine in my housing estates parking lot.
If we’re talking kei cars, then what about the Honda Beat? A tiny but sporty 2 door convertible with a 656cc engine WITH safety side beams, ABS and air bags – a COOL little car. For other cars………the mid 80′s Honda Civic. This is the car that the Xiali N3 or Geely MR is TRYING to be – simple, effective, economical and DEPENDABLE. You can STILL see mid 80′s Civics on american roads…….amazing. How about the Toyota Celica? A great “poor man’s sports car”!! The early 80′s version was my favorite – stylish but still affordable. The first generation Mazda 626 was also nice….kind of BMW like for a fraction of the price. Ah, the good ol’ days…….when you could open the engine hood and actually SEE THE ENGINE!!
To be honest, I’d be afraid to ride in a locally produced Kei car in China. China has a long way to go before even attempting to produce a safe Kei car. I know it sounds like I don’t have faith in the Chinese auto industry but it’s still in its infancy.
Molotov,
I think the government has to get behind the mini car project in a massive way before it to go anywhere near a successful area. Chinese dont like small cars, because they think they are unsafe, and they are right. Most little cars are unsafe, thus a safe mini car should be created! The Smart car went someway, yet it remains out of Chinese reach for now (physically, and price wise!)