Here we have a Foton View Surf, seen in Beijing on a sunny day. The Foton View was a series of SUVs based on a pickup truck chassis. The Surf was the top-end variant of the View.
Foton is a large automaker based in Changping District in Beijing, founded in 1996 and a subsidiary of BAIC. They make trucks, buses, all sorts of pickup trucks and SUVs, and a range of tractors.
In 2008 Foton became world famous as the owner of the resurrected Borgward brand, but ten years later they sold most of their shares to a car-sharing company called Ucar.
Foton also runs several joint ventures, including a truck making business with Daimler and an engine-making venture with Cummins.
The Foton View Surf launched on the Chinese car market in 2001. It was a relatively luxurious car for not much money. Even fully-dressed examples sold for less than 100.000 yuan. The View Surf was a direct competitor for the similarly equipped Zhongxing Admiral.
The Surf came with ultra cool surfer stickers on the windshield and on the spare wheel cover, racy stripes on the sides, a body kit, sporty wheels, extra comfortable seats, faux-wood detailing inside, and a radio-CD player.
Power came from a 2.2 liter ‘491Q’ four-cylinder petrol engine, manufactured by Foton and based on a Toyota design. This engine was also sold to many other, mostly smaller, Chinese automakers. In the View Surf, output was 102 hp, good for a 120 km/h top speed. Transmission was a five-speed manual, sending horses to the rear wheels.
Foton badge on the steering wheel, fabric seats, and the classy ‘wood’ panels on the dashboard.
The Foton View Surf had five or seven seats. This one was a seven-seater with an extra bench in the back.
Rear spoiler was standard on the Surf.
The full factory designation: BJ6488M16WA.
The beautiful sticker on the spare wheel cover, depicting a purple surfer. Characters: 风景冲浪, or View Surf.
These old Fotons are getting very rare in Beijing thanks to the ever stricter environmental regulations. Let’s hope this dusty one keeps on driving a little longer.
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I remember these… looks almost like a bizzaro world version of a Toyota 4Runner/Surf, but with dismay fit and finish, and even more dismal crash test ratings! How things have improved quickly in China, when compared to its spiritual successors like the Haval.
I agree its like an old version of Toyota RunX/Highlander. But, believe me or not, it is a very good economical car. I drove it for some time and it was worth it. The best thing was I made many friends because I shifted my friends stuff in my truck.