China Car Times

According to Chinese media reports, Lifan Automobile, are planning to get into the manufacturing of own brand minivans or breadvans as they are known in China, due to their shape (they look like a loaf of bread).

Lifan are going to invest 1 billion RMB into the new factory, which will be have a total area of 6000 square meters and will produce between 150,000 to 200,000 vehicles per year.

Lifans recent plans for expansion are being funded by their partnership with American Insurance Group (AIG) which will see the two work together to create vehicles, and eventually take Lifan to IPO in China.

It seems that most small Chinese super minis have been branded as being ‘knock offs’ or ‘clones’ of existing designs, and the Lifan 320 wasnt any different. The 320 is Lifans latest mini car that plans to hit the market running later this year. The 320 has since been labelled the Chinese MINI for its MINI-like looks, other people say it looks like an ancient Daihatsu model. Who knows?Chinese motoring magazines are predicting the mini motor will be on sale by August 2008 for less than 50,000rmb with a 1.1l motor with the usual additions of power steering, ABS, EBD, etc.

The car measures 3745mm long and 1620mm wide with a height of 1430mm. The Chinese press believe the car will appeal most to younger Chinese who want to get themselves their first set of wheels, and will want something a little ’sporty’ but will have good economy and at a decent price. The Lifan 320’s 1.1l motor will satisfy the economy requirement - the 320 requires 4.8l of petrol per 100km, and is upto Chinese 5 emissions standard (equivalent to a Euro 5 emissions spec)

One Chinese language article described the Lifan 320 as follows: ‘The Lifan 320 isnt just a car, it represents exclusivity, value, personality and a dazzling, cool, world.‘ And this, is something we cant argue with.

Lifan look to be heading down the road that BYD went down - make a good looking car, make it safe, make it cheap, mass produce it, and sell thousands per month! The Lifan 620 looks to have been going through internal crash testing prior to launch later this year.

 Pictures of the dashboard were also shown off:

 Details on the 1.8 engine that will find a home in the Lifan 620 have been released. The 1.8L VVT engine was designed by Lifan in cooperation with Ricardo and gives out 100kw and a max torque of 172 N.m. The 620 will find itself in a very competitive market segment, going up against the likes of the Geely Vision (Yuan Jing) and the BYD F3.

The Lifan 320 made a splash on the internet when it was unveiled, every corner of the internet had pictures of the 320. Some people say its a clone of the MINI, other say its closer to the Daihatsu Sirion.

The 320 will have a 1342cc engine and will see production towards the middle of the year, and be on the market by July.

One of our readers, Mr. Schwartz, kindly sent us his company write up of Lifan Automotive. Mr. Schwartz used China Car Times as a resource when writing about Lifan, and found a wealth of information which translated into a decent article about Lifan.

Continue reading ‘Lifan write up!’