Not only the Rover 75 and MG production moved to China, also the Morris Marina and Austin Maestro production lines were sold to the Chinese. Both ended up in the city of Chengdu, though in different factories.

A reason to pay a visit to Chengdu and to look for the reminiscent of these vehicles. About the Marina I can be short: I didn’t find any Marina, Marina van or pickup in the streets of Chengdu. The old FAW factory is since long closed and demolished. The social unrest in this backward factory had lead in 2003 to a unique demonstration in the Chengdu streets. A good reason for the regime to close the factory and fire the workers. As a result, there is nothing left of the Chinese Marina’s.

The Maestro-line was first sold to a tobacco company in Shandong province, named Etsong (or Yizhong in Chinese). They managed to produce a small series of Maestros and Maestro vans. In 2003 the line was sold again, now to the Yema company in Chengdu. Yema is a very small company with a long history of building strong SUV’s in extremely small quantities, they are specially well fit for the rough roads of South West China.

A visit to a small manufacturer like Yema is not easy. Nobody speaks English, but more importantly: people don’t understand why there is foreign interest in their factory and products. When one tries to make an appointment, there is always the promise to call you back, but they never call you. E-mail is not answered. There is only one solution: just go there.

Yema Auto lies 30 km from Chengdu city centre, in a large industrial area. Not far away arises a new Volkswagen complex. The factory has two divisions: left a bus factory, right the automobile factory. The reception is very friendly, and after two hours phone-calls, taking me from one office to the other, they have decided that I am welcome and that it is the job of the sales department to show me around. After a first look it is obvious that the factory is very clean. But there is one strange thing, when I have a look into the halls. Where are the workers? In the whole factory I counted 10 to 15 men. That is not the
workforce of 750, this is the number I have been told by the friendly girl who is showing me around. In the massive welding hall two men are welding. In the paint hall three men are working.

Two cars seem to be in production: the SQJ 6450N, a 4-seat van which is in fact an updated Maestro van (which also exists as a two-seat van, the SQJ 6450) and the SQJ 6451, a small 4×2 SUV-like car based on the Maestro platform. The body of this car completely resembles the old version of the Subaru Forester. I am allowed to make a small test drive around the factory facilities with the SQJ 6451. The engine sounds strange: a very high-tone noise. It is the
CQ4C15 engine, based on the old 1498 cc Toyota 5A. It is made by Yema’s sister factory in Mianyang, lying in the epicentrum of the big earthquake of May 2008.

OK, they let me walk around and make pictures. Only one strange restriction:I am not allowed to take pictures of cars. A strange wish: how to make photos in a car factory avoiding photographing the cars. In one of the halls we meet two heavier SQJ 6485s, this is a much bigger (Toyota Landcruiser size) 4×4 SUV. It is not clear if the cars are produced here before or that it is the intention to produce them in the near future. Another product is the M72. This was a 2000 concept from Matra of France. Yema is copying this concept, I counted five test models in different stages of production. They are completely hand-made and I was told that they were used to test different alternative engines, like CNG (natural gas, very popular in Chengdu), electrical engines or hybrids. I distinguished two different models. Here I really had no chance to take photos.

The quality of the cars is sad, they are very roughly and cheap built, in nowadays China they are no match for the severe competition. It is disappointing to see a clean and nice factory with a lot of potential, lacking expertise and effective management. The result is: yearly production 100 cars in stead of the production capacity of 10,000 cars.

Yes, the Maestro is stills surviving, but not for much longer…

This was a special report written by Erik van Ingen Schenau
China Motor Vehicle Documentation Centre
www.chinesecars.net