Here we have a Kia Qianlima 1.6 GLS sedan, seen in Beijing in 2015. The good Kia was very dusty, and muddy as well, but in a fine overall shape. It was painted in a neutral shade of white and fitted with the original five-spoke wheels.
The Kia Qianlima, best translated as ‘Long Distance Race Horse’, was a small sedan made in China by the Dongfeng-Yueda-Kia joint venture from 2003 until 2006.
The Qianlima was based on the Hyundai Excel (X3), which was made in South Korea from 1998 until 2000. After production ended there, the production line was shipped to China. This happened a lot in the early 2000’s. China bought and got production lines from all over the world; from the US, Spain, Germany, the UK, Japan, and from South Korea.
Badge: 东风悦达起亚, Dongfeng Yueda · Kia, the name of the joint venture. The ‘·’ was to make clear that Chinese companies Dongfeng and Yueda were on one side on the joint venture and South Korea’s Kia on the other. The Dongfeng name was written in a classic handwritten style.
It came with a very pretty galloping-horse badge. Characters: 千里马, Qianlima. GLS was a mid-level trim level.
The Qianlima was available with two engines: a 1.3 with 83 hp and a 1.6 with 103 hp, both mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. Our white Qianlima has the 1.6 under the bonnet, with 143 Nm. It had a decent 183 km/h top speed and did the 0-100 in 10.4 seconds. Fuel consumption was a modest 5.7 liter per 100 kilometers.
In 2006, price of the 1.6 GLS manual model was 82.800 yuan. Price of the entire Qianlima range started at 65.800 yuan and ended at 10.280 yuan.
The interior was in very good shape! Even the black plastics look great for their age. Faux wood is as shiny as new. Manual gearbox here. The owner has fitted seat covers to protect the seats. Great man! The steering wheel seems gigantic.
The Qianlima was a strong little horse and until 2010 or so you could still see them very regularly in China’s big cities. Nowadays most have been sold to the countryside or scrapped, as always due to ever stricter emissions regulations.
Too bad! The Qianlima was an unassuming yet a well-respected and even a loved car. Probably not a future classic, but lets hope some will survive.
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