China Car Times

The weather in China has been most excellent for the past few weeks, well if you live in Qingdao it has been. Sure there has been the odd wet day, but the rest? Blue skies, puffy white clouds, and scorching sun shine! That alone made CCT wonder - ‘What soft tops can you buy in China?’ and our brief, yet interesting research was found below:

MGTF 

This car goes without saying. Its re-birth in China (although it was available via previous Rover China dealers) is set to unleash an MG love fest in the PRC, although we’ve yet to see one on the road that wasnt a show car, we think its probably the best rag top car you get in terms of ‘true to heritage’ sports car driving. We could wait for the BYD F8, but the MGTF is obviously something we need, a back to front Metro, something that tugs at our heart strings, and our wallet with equal menace.

Prices of the MGTF maybe higher than England, but are onpar with the Chinese competition. A manual MGTF will set you back 240,960rmb, and the CVT box is 260,580rmb, NAC MG only unveiled the 1.8 MGTF in China.

MINI

CCT is not entirely sure if the original mini was launched in China or not, we know they’re popular in Hong Kong, but did many make it into China proper? We know one thing for sure - the new MINI is proving popular with those who can afford the high price tag that the MINI demands. The 1.6 soft top MINI is going for 390,500rmb in China according to Chinese car website Autohome.com.cn.

VW Beetle

As with the original Mini, we’re not entirely sure if the Beetle actually came to China. We’ve seen the odd 2CV knocking around, so its quite likely that the original Beetle did come to China, not to worry though, as the new Beatle has sold reasonably well, the soft top version costs 290,980rmb for the luxury model.

VW EOS

VW is a much loved brand in China, and the EOS garnered much attention when it was showed off at various automotive shows this year. Its the only car in this list that sits 4 people (aside from the Beetle) and looks like a normal car (not including the Beetle), under the hood the EOS has a 2.0 TSI engine which is standard fare for most VW sedans these days. We’re not too sure about the pricing of this one, but perhaps around the 350,000rmb marker?

Peugeot 207CC

The Pug 207CC is the first of the 207’s to hit China, the 207 wont officially launch in China for reasons unknown, but the Pug 206 is getting a facelift to look just like the 207, but it wont actually be called the 207. Perhaps the 206.5, then? The 207CC is coming to China with a 1.6 Turbo assisted motor to help it lug around all the extra bits for its solid state roof.  As the 207CC hasnt officially hit the market yet, prices are unknown, but its estimated to be around 300,000rmb.

BMW Z4

If you’ve got deep pockets, and want to drive ‘the ultimate driving machine’ then the Z4 is the one for you. The 2.5l base model comes in at an impressive 560,530rmb, and the 3.0l model is a cool 650,000rmb. Like we said, deep pockets are needed.

Conclusion

Besides the above cars, there are a few others that werent mentioned, such as the Audi TT, Volvo C70, and SAAB 9-3, however these cars appear to be quite rare. Then there are the SLK’s, and the occasional BMW 3 series convertible. The above shortlist is a just a small offering of convertibles that are on the market already, or will be very soon. Sadly, the range of Chinese made convertibles remain very low, perhaps just 2 models, the BYD F8 (left), and the MGTF, if we discount the MGTF as being a British designed car then we are left with the only Chinese contender, The F8. The F8 may look like a mash up of cars, but overall it certainly looks the part. Although the engine is a 2.0l model, it was self developed by BYD and takes a leisurely 14 seconds to hit 100kph.

If we had to choose one rag top that factored price, design, drive, as well as economy, it would have to be the MGTF. There is already a massive base of people who have bought this car (albeit in Europe) and have set up the most amazing, informative website dedicated to the MGTF, the parts supply chain is also plentiful. The MGTF is rear wheel drive, with a mid mounted engine, which is sure to put a grin on your face at every hairpin bend, or traffic light take off. The interior of the MGTF maybe dated, but the exterior remains a classic.

We’re still looking forward to domestically made soft tops from the likes of Chery, who already have plans for several ‘bargain bin‘ soft tops. We cant wait to see those!