A Haima S5 Young, seen in front of a Haima dealer in Tai’an in Shandong Province in the summer of 2018. The car was brand new, painted in white and fitted with sporty alloy wheels.
Haima is a relatively small Chinese car maker owned by First Auto Works (FAW). The Haima S5 Young was a subcompact crossover manufactured by Haima Motor Corporation (HMC) in 2017 and 2018. As the name implies, the S5 Young was aimed at a young audience. To attract those youngsters, Haima went for a progressive design, especially compared to other Haima cars of the time. It had somewhat strange looks with lots of creases and a notably interesting grille. The A and B pillar were painted in black.
The S5 Young was positioned below the larger Haima S5 SUV. Customers had only one engine option; a 1.6 liter petrol engine with an output of 122 hp and 160 Nm. The motor was mated to a five-speed manual or a CVT, like in this car. Top speed of the CVT model was 175 km/h and fuel consumption was 6.9 liter per 100 kilometers. Price in 2018 started at 82.800 yuan.
The interior was very gray but materials were nice enough. It had a 10-inch touch screen and piano-black panels around the gear lever.
Sadly for Haima, the S5 Young wasn’t much of a success. Car buyers didn’t like the looks, and the engine was under-powered even for 2017. After just two years the S5 Young was dead and gone. That makes these cars a rarity on the road.
The rear had a busy design, with large lights and a spoiler above the window. The S5 Young has a chrome strip over the sides, on the black trim on the doors. This strip ends on the front- and rear bumper. Odd place for such a strip, but the Young was an odd car.
The badge in a hip-ish font.
Haima fitted their largest logo ever on the grille. It has a slightly different color than the grille itself. Haima has always been looking for its rightful place in China’s busy automotive landscape. The company is currently focusing on affordable electric cars, and still with a striking design.