Here we got a cool FAW Weizhi V2, seen in the Chinese capital Beijing in the summer of 2018. The fine V2 was bit dirty but otherwise in a fine shape, painted in blue with the original six-spoke wheels. License plate is from Henan province, a cool seven hours away by road.
The Weizhi V2 was manufactured in Tianjin municipality from 2010 until 2013 by Tianjin FAW, a subsidiary of First Auto Works (FAW). The Chinese name was 威志 (Wēizhì). The Weizhi V2 was sold directly under FAW, without an in-between brand like Besturn or Hongqi. But later on, the Weizhi name was turned into a sub-brand, with the English name Vita.
The interior was basic but not un-cool, the door design was especially notable, with a black over gray trim design. The dash had two round dials and a tiny screen for infotainment. It was equipped with a CD-radio player with four speakers. The owner of this car added a steering wheel cover and seat covers.
The front-wheel drive FAW Weizhi V2 was available with just one motor: a 1.3 liter four-cylinder with 91 hp and 120 Nm. The engine was mated to a five-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic. The car we have here has the manual transmission. Top speed was 130 km/h and fuel consumption 6.8 liter per 100 km, which was quite thirsty for a car of this size and kind: 3760/1680/1530, with a 2450 wheelbase and a 960 kg curb weight.
Happily, the high fuel consumption was totally compensated by the low price. The manual V2 cost only 46.900 yuan and the automatic just 55.900 yuan. Still, the Weizhi V2 didn’t sell well. That was mainly due to FAW’s poor financial condition at the time, they just didn’t have the money for proper marketing and to establish a dealer network.
威志 (Wēizhì) V2.
天津-一汽 (Tiānjīn-Yīqì), Tianjin-First Auto.
Over the many years of its existence, FAW has used many different brands and logo’s. This one is called the ‘Winged 1’, with 1 referring to First Auto Works.