Welcome to Black License Plate Mania in Beijing, Part 12 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12), where we look at cars with black license plates in the Chinese capital. The first photo is a very old Lincoln Town Car with one of the first batches of black plates: 京A·03166.
Mercedes-Benz ML 320
A Mercedes-Benz ML 320 with 京A·20588.
The famous black license plates were issued to foreign-owned companies from the 1980s to the mid-’00s. These companies could buy a car locally or import one. There were no limits on the number of vehicles, price, or engine type. Other Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, had similar black plate license plate programs. The Beijing black plates started with 京A, with ‘京’ short for 北京, Beijing.
Porsche Cayenne
We have seen many black license plates on early Porsche Cayenne SUVs. This one has an interesting plate: 京A·28288. Eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture, and license plates with 8s are highly coveted. This plate has 3 eighths, so that’s triple lucky!
Honda Odyssey
A Guangzhou-Honda Odyssey MPV with 京A·26815.
The numbering system began with 京A·00001 and continued upward, meaning the lower the number, the older the car. Black plates that start with 京A·0 or 京A·1 are ultra-rare nowadays. I owned one myself!
A beautiful Beijing-Jeep Cherokee with a very early plate: 京A·10009.
In the past, black-plate cars enjoyed privileges similar to diplomatic cars. Police officers wouldn’t dare stop them, and owners could park anywhere without worrying about fines. Today, police treat black-plated cars like any other vehicle, and the government no longer issues new black plates.
BMW X5
Like with the Cayenne, we have also seen many early BMW X5 SUVs with black license plates. This pretty white car has 京A·32412. White is a rare color for the China-spec imported X5; most were black or dark blue.
BMW X5 (2)
Check! Another BMW X5, this one in black, with 京A·32298.
Mercedes-Benz S500 L
A brilliantly pretty and well-maintained Mercedes-Benz S 500L, seen on a cold winter evening. The plate is an early one again, with 京A·07929. I saw this Benz in 2016 in an undeveloped area in central-east Beijing. It had small restaurants and seedy shops. The area is gone now, replaced by high-rise apartment buildings.
Changan-Mazda 3
The Changan-Mazda 3 sedan is quite a rare car. It is even rarer with black plates: 京A·36526. Changan-Mazda also made a hatchback, which was more popular than the sedan.
BMW 730 Li
BMW has always imported the 7-Series into China. There’s no local production. This black 730 Li model has an interesting plate again: 京A·39333. The number 3 doesn’t have a meaningful meaning in Chinese culture, but it is rare to see a black plate with 3 3s. It also has a black BMW-branded license plate frame. These frames were super popular in the 2000s and early 2010s.
Honda Accord
Another oldie! A 4th-generation Honda Accord on a flatbed truck. It was in bad shape, dusty and dirty, with deflated tires. I saw it at a car market in north-central Beijing, a long time ago. It has 京A·00504.
Guangzhou-Honda Accord (2)
And this is a 5th-generation Honda Accord, made by Guangzhou-Honda again, with 京A·00504.
Honda Civic
A light white sixth-generation Honda Civic with 京A·19801.
Today’s article happens to focus quite a bit on Honda — purely by coincidence. The order of these Black License Plate articles is determined by how I scroll through my archives, by other pieces I’ve written, or by new material I’ve photographed on the streets of the Chinese capital. In short, there’s no real system.
Many more black-plate cars to come! I haven’t even searched a fifth of my archive