A Volkswagen Passat Lingyu police car on the 2010 China International Exhibition on Police Equipment (CIEPE), held in the beautiful Beijing Exhibition Center in northwest Beijing. Sadly, the show has since moved to the less pretty China National Convention Center.
The show was about all sorts of police equipment, ranging from guns to uniforms to surveillance cameras. Great fun. But even better were the police cars, displayed by car makers hoping for a deal with the cops. Some of these cars did eventually make it into real police cars; others didn’t. The Passat Lingyu, like the Passats before it, would have a long police career.
Brilliance BS4
Moving on to the Brilliance BS4, fitted here with a heavy set of police lights and cameras.
Police Car Score Card: YES. But mostly in the north.
Brilliance FSV
A Brilliance FSV. They didn’t really try hard with this one. Check the tiny light bar.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
Zotye 5008 EV
A Zotye 5008 EV, a bit of an odd choice for a police vehicle. Zotye was actually one of the first car makers to sell mass-market electric cars, but they were simply too early. The 5008 EV was based on the 5008, which was a license-built Daihatsu Terios. The 5008 EV had a range of 200 km and a top speed of 100 km/h.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
Changan-Suzuki Alto
A Changan-Suzuki Alto police car. This Alto, dubbed the ‘New Alto’, was the successor of the good old Alto. It was probably a bit too small for highway cop duties and too big for the inner cities.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
Changan-Suzuki SX4
China had the Suzuki SX4 hatchback and a SX4 sedan, both made by Changan-Suzuki. The hatchback was used by the police in the Chongqing area, where the factories are based. They had lots of ‘m. The hatchback was a popular taxi there, too.
Police Car Score Card: YES. Mostly local.
Changan-Suzuki SX4 sedan
This is the sedan, and unlike the hatchback, it was never used for police duties.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
Changan Zhixiang
A Changan Zhixiang, also known as Changan C30. It was brand-new then, a good-looking and rather modern compact sedan. There was a hatchback as well. But sadly for Changan, it sold really bed and these are very rare on the road today.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
A Changan sales babe is checking my name card. I talked to her for a while. She was from Chongqing. I got her name card somewhere in my 2010 files…
Changan Yuexiang
This is the Changan Yuexiang, a small sedan, launched in 2009. It was the right size for the right price, and it became a best-seller for the brand. Note the police officers inspecting the windows, watched by another sales babe.
Police Car Score Card: YES.
Changan Xingguang
A Changan Xingguang minivan, with the cool silver grille and headlights. It has a nasty-looking cage in the back for the bad guys. This sort of minivan was and is widely used by the Chinese police for all sorts of work.
Police Car Score Card: YES.
Shanghai-Volkswagen Tiguan
A Shanghai-Volkswagen Tiguan ‘TSI’ with an advanced light bar with an integrated siren. The Tiguan was a popular police car, and high-end versions were also used by high-ranking police officers.
Police Car Score Card: YES.
Nanjing-Iveco Turbodaily
Behind the Volkswagen booth stood a real police vehicle: a Nanjing-Iveco Turbodaily transport truck, with white police license plates. These trucks are mostly used to ferry large police equipment, such as fences and signage.
Shanghai-Volkswagen Skoda Octavia
Shanghai-Volkswagen Skoda was on the show as well. Here is an Octavia with a tinted light bar standing next to a Dongfeng ‘Hummer’. More on that car in a later post. The Skoda brand is not popular with the cops, but I remember seeing a few Octavia police cars in Shanghai.
Police Car Score Card: YES. Locally.
Shanghai-Volkswagen Skoda Superb
A Skoda Superb was probably the least unlikely police car on show, but the light bar looked quite cool.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
Dongfeng-Nissan Tiida
Dongfeng-Nissan Tiida sedan, with a camera on the light bar. The Tiida was a good-selling car in the early 10’s. They had a hatchback as well. Both were used by police forces in several cities.
Police Car Score Card: YES.
Dongfeng-Nissan Teana
Dongfeng-Nissan Teana. I drove in a few of these. Very comfortable cars and lots of space in the back. But it was never used by the police.
Police Car Score Card: No.
Changan-Ford Mondeo
A Changan-Ford Mondeo. Two cameras of the light bar. The Mondeo has been widely used as a police car in the Chongqing area, by regular police and even by local SWAT units.
Police Car Score Card: YES. Many, but locally.
Zhengzhou-Nissan Paladin
Zhengzhou-Nissan Paladin. An absolute government favorite. Used by literally thousands of government departments throughout the country, and the police operate it everywhere. They have highway petrol versions, anti-riot, SWAT, and even paramilitary cars. It is probably the most used police car in China.
Police Car Score Card: OH YES.
Brilliance-BMW 3-Series
BMW has a booth inside with a mix of imported and locally-made cars, including this Brilliance-BMW 325i. These were never used as regular police vehicles but some were used to ferry high-ranking cops around.
Police Car Score Card: NO. Not really.
Hello!
BMW advertised with a giant backdrop showing the 5-Series and X5 as a fire-car, police car, ambulance, and special-police car.
Changan-Volvo S80L
Volvo didn’t really make an effort at all. They dumped a bunch of regular cars on stage and fitted a light bar on them. The long-wheelbase Changan-Volvo S80L is kind of cool, but it didn’t find any buyers that day.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
Roewe 750
The Roewe 750 was based on the Rover 75. This is the then-new updated variant with rounded headlights and a large grille. It looks great in police livery but it didn’t see any cop duty.
Police Car Score Card: NO.
Roewe 550
The Roewe 550, with fuel-efficient wheel covers, has been used as a police car, mostly in the Shanghai area.
Police Car Score Card: YES.
Dongfeng Shuaike & Zhengzhou-Nissan NV200
Zhengzhou-Nissan had a booth inside too, the smallest on the show, with two cars that were almost touching. On the left is a Dongfeng Shuaike MPV. Shuaike means handsome. But abroad it was known as Dongfeng Succe or Dongfeng Yumsun. It was based on the second-generation Nissan Serena. On the left stands a Zhengzhou-Nissan NV200. Both have been cop cars.
Police Car Score Card: YES. Both of them.
Those were the police cars of the 2010 China International Exhibition on Police Equipment. More on the other vehicles on the show, including mini tanks and the like, in a later post.