A JAC Binyue sedan, seen in Tai’an in Shandong Province in the summer of 2018. The good Binyue was in a fine shape. It was painted in black, I think all of them were, as I have never seen one in another color.
The owner appeared very happy with his car and seemed amused at the foreigner taking photos.
Note SpongeBob SquarePants on the billboard in the background.
The JAC Binyue (宾悦) was a mid-size sedan produced from 2008 until 2012 with a facelift in 2011. Our black Shandong car is an original pre-facelift example. Design is the Binyue was heavily inspired by the W203 Mercedes-Benz C-class, especially at the rear. At the time, the Binyue was JAC’s flagship sedan model, way more expensive and luxurious than the rest of the lineup.
The interior showed this luxury, with shiploads of fake wood trim on on the center stack, center tunnel, and doors. The faux-leather seats are covered with cheap-ass seat covers. The beige plastics are in need of a cleanup.
The Binyue was equipped with a CD system with a 9-disc changer. This was special, as most CD changers at the time held only 6 discs. There was more. The high-end versions of the Binyue has a DVD player and a infotainment screen (see for example this 2009 model).
The pre-facelift JAC Binyue was available with two four-cylinder gasoline engines, both sourced from Shenyang-Mitsubishi and modified in-house by JAC. The most common engine is a 2.4 with 136 hp and 193 Nm. The other option was a 2.0 with 129 hp and 172 Nm. The engine was mated to a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. The Binyue was a front-wheel drive car.
The infamous Mercedes rear end. The entire design, including the lights and bumper, is very similar to the C-class. Note the mudflaps behind the wheels. These flaps were factory standard! Try to find a car with factory flaps today… Price for the pre-facelift JAC Binyue started at 88.800 yuan for the 2.0 and at 122.700 yuan for the 2.4. That was a pretty sweet deal for such a big car: 4865/1805/1450, with a 2790 wheelbase.
This particular car was converted to CNG. It has the obligatory red-white CNG sticker on the bumper. JAC didn’t offer a CNG kit from the factory.
I have always liked the looks of the Binyue, very traditional sedan-style, with a big boot and a long hood. They were rare in Beijing, where I lived, but in smaller cities you would see them a lot.