A wondrous white Beijing Auto Senova D320 sedan, seen on the streets in Beijing in 2013. The Shenbao D-Series was based on the first-generation Saab 9-5. Beijing Auto bought the rights to the first generation Saab 9-3 and 9-5 in 2009 from General Motors, then the owner of Saab. The deal included the Saab-developed 2.0 turbo and 2.3 turbo engines.
The Beijing Auto Shenbao D-Series was the final production version of the BAW C71 that debuted on the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, it then returned as the Beijing Auto C70G on the 2012 Beijing Auto Show.
The Shenbao name popped up in May 2012, followed by spy shots of a Shenbao D280 , followed by the debut of the Shenbao D320 on the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2012.
Shenbao (绅宝) is the old Chinese name for the real-Swedish Saab, which for unknown reasons changed to another Chinese name ( Sabo (萨博)) in the late 1990′s. Beijing Auto could not use ‘Saab’ so they came up with a new English name; ‘Senova’. The Chinese translation of Senova is Shenbao. At the moment I am writing this, in February 2021, the Senova/Shenbao brand is being killed off and replaced with a ‘new’ Beijing-brand.
Brand names are always confusing in China, with the many Chinese and English names and joint ventures. That is normal. But the entire BAIC Group is KING of the confusion, reorganizing their brands every year, launching new brands every week, changing the Chinese and/or English names of their brands whenever they see fit, changing brand names into series-names or the other way around, and all that at the same time, all the time.
The D320 name is not without confusion either. Initially, D320 stood for the entire series, with any engine. Later on BAIC changed the series name to Senova D70. It gets even better. The D320 was available with 3 Saab engines: a 1.8 turbo with 180hp, a 2.0 turbo with 204hp and 290nm, and a 2.3 turbo with 250hp and 350nm. However, the D70 only got the 1.8 turbo.
But no matter all that messy misery. What is for sure is that BAIC designed the coolest turbo badge in history, with a red T. Even good old Saab didn’t do badges that good.
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