Car spotting is a busy business. Taking good photos takes time. And time, we never have enough. Sometimes, when on the road, we are happy to snap one or two pics of a cool car. To show you all these vehicles, we start a new series: Various Cool Cars In China (VCCIC). This is Part 1, with various cars seen in Beijing in the summer of 2016.
We begin with a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG with matching license plates. The G-Class was mightily popular in the late 2000s and 2010s. The big SUV was big on power, with a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 571 hp and 760 Nm. IT had a 210 km/h top speed, and 0-100 took 5.4 seconds.
Great Wall Voleex V80
Behind the AMG stood a Great Wall Voleex V80, with cool stickers on the sides and a faux after-market air vent on the front door. Voleex (腾翼, Tengyi, in Chinese) was one of GWM’s many sub-brands of the 2000s. The V80 was a compact MPV launched in 2007. It was available with a 1.5 turbo, a 2.0, and a 2.4. The Voleex V80 was not a big sales success, so it’s quite rare.
Chrysler Pacifica
Chrysler produced the Pacifica mid-size crossover from 2003 until 2008, with a late facelift in 2007. The car in the photo is a pre-facelift example. The Pacifica could be had with 3.5, 3.8, and 4.0 V6 engines. Chrysler did not officially sell the Pacifica in China, so this is again a rare car.
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Amazingly, Chrysler did sell the PT Cruiser in China, as an import, from 2007 to 2010. Chrysler only sold the facelifted model, which had arrived in 2006. The company offered the PT Cruiser only with a 145 hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine.
Changan-Ford Fiesta sedan
The Changan-Ford Fiesta was one of the earliest affordable joint-venture cars. The company produced it from 2003 to 2008. The motor was a 1.6 with 92 hp and 130 Nm. The light-gold car in the photo has Tianjin license plates.
Tianjin Xiali sedan
The Tianjin Xiali is one of China’s most famous cars of the 2000s, manufactured by Tianjin-FAW. It was the most widely used taxi in Beijing until just before the Olympics when the city government kicked ‘m all out. The car in the photo is a 2006 model, powered by a 1.0-liter 3-pot with 53 hp and 77 Nm, good for a 138 km/h top speed.
Modified Volkswagen Scirocco
Volkswagen marketed the Scirocco in China as an import from 2009 until 2016, with 1.4 turbo and 2.0 turbo TSI engines. It was relatively cheap and quite popular. The Beijing tuning scene loved it. There were Scirocco tuning shops and clubs. This all-black example has lowered suspension, fancy wheels, and a body kit.
BMW M3 Coupe
This is an E92 BMW M3 Coupe with Shanghai license plates. That’s at least 1200 kilometers away, and it must have been a great ride in this speedy Bimmer! BMW marketed the 2007-2013 M3 as an import, but the sedan was way more popular than the coupe, so the latter is much rarer. Engine: 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 with 420 hp and 400 Nm. It had a 250 km/h top speed, and 0-100 took 4.6 seconds.
Toyota Siena
Toyota produced the second-generation Sienna MPV in the United States from 2003 until 2000 with a facelift in 2007. The car in the photo is a post-facelift example. There was no export to China, but some examples arrived via the gray market. This black example is one of only a handful I have ever seen in Beijing. The engine was a 3.5-liter V6 with 266 hp and 328 Nm.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan
A 2006-2009 W211 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan with an aftermarket grille and a special BO200 license plate. The W211 was the first E-Class sedan that Mercedes produced in China, with the Beijing-Benz joint venture. The China-made W211 had the same wheelbase as the Germany-made model. The long-wheelbase L models came later.
Dodge Ram 1500 Conversion Van
A cool Dodge Ram 1500 Conversion Van, based on the third-generation Dodge Ram. Many American companies converted the Ram 1500 into executive vans or campers. Chinese gray-market importers shipped these vehicles to China and sold them to hotels and luxury-taxi companies. The car in the photo got the full treatment with a body kit, a high roof, and fancy stickers.
Maserati ghibli
Maserati once dreamed about making China its biggest market worldwide. The 2014-2017 Ghibli was one of the cars to lead to attack. Sadly, it didn’t work out. The Maserati name was just too unknown in China, and sales never got anywhere near the expectations. In China, Maserati only offered the Ghilbi with the 3.0 twin-turbo V6, with either 330 hp or 409 hp in the S trim level. It has an interesting, and probably fake, 1QQ01 license plate.
More VCCIC soon!
Internal note: the photos in this post are from: 2016-06-22-carrefour\1.