Changfeng produce potential hot hatch?
Changfeng have been working on a little hatchback car, which is a complete breakaway from their usual SUV, and lately, MPV line up.
Information on this model is slim, very slim. We know that the engine is a 2.0l 1.8l model, possibly the Mitsubishi kind, the rear suspension is Macphearson strut, it has ABS, it has EBS too. What we do know is, that it should be launched next week!
We also like it, very much. Which way are CCT readers swinging on this one? Is it a hot hatch to give the VW Golf GTI a run for its money, or is it a wet fish in the style department?
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Very nice. It’s extremely difficult to come up with something fresh, nose-wise, and Chengfeng has pulled it off. Subaru should have gone with something like this, but missed their chance. It’s attractive AND sporty. The quarter rear view reminds me of the Mazda 3 sedan, but in a good way. With the right drive train, this car will be popular with the young folk.
Brian,
I think you may well be right, Changfeng may just become the Chinese Subaru! The Subaru range is currently imported into China which makes them all more than 200,000rmb. Hardly cheap! If Changfeng play their cards right, and they knock out more cars like the above, especially in 4wd then they will win in China, and abroad. Perhaps time for a rally car? They have the Dakar experience, so why not WRC?
I like it very much! Chinese car industry has really impressed me in terms of their designs in the past 12 months, even small fish like Changfeng can pull off things like this. They seem to have found their answers to those “copycat” accusations.
Keep it up!
That’s what you say.. when this Changfeng was posted over on autoblog, almost everyone pounced on this car saying it was a monstrosity, blatant copying, frankenstein, etc. etc.
.
IMO, it’s quite well done.. but hey.. what do i know…
There is no way the car in the pictures will ever be a hot hatch to rival the Golf GTi – as it isn’t a hatch.
Look at the rear screen frame – there isn’t the thickness to include the tailgate structure necessary to support the lower part of the closure. Therefore the closure cannot include the rear screen, so the car is not a hatchback.
Neil, thank you for point that out. Indeed it is a hatchback, the point I was trying to make is that the Changfeng has the potential to be GTI-esque, a hot saloon if you will.
For some reason, the front reminds me of the Roewe 450. Very nice looking car though.
It looks like the Proton Gen 2.
The side profile does indeed, but the rest looks rather unique to me.
I really, really like it!
For me, the front looks very-very similar to Impreza’s(http://image.sportcompactcarweb.com/f/car-news/2008-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti/7209733+w640+cr1+re0+ar1/2008-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-front.jpg), and, as Brian said, the rear quarter looks like the Mazda 3 sedan… not as fresh as you say.
More like a Proton Gen2 to me!