Here’s a Wanfeng Suda SUV, seen in the far east of Beijing, capital of China. It looked fantastic for its age, with sporty wheels and black Beijing license plates. Let’s have a closer look at the car and at its manufacturer.
About Wanfeng
Wanfeng (万丰) was a Chinese car brand. The owner was Shanghai Wanfeng Auto (上海万丰汽车). The company was based in Shanghai and existed from 1994 until 2008.
During that time, it made sereval SUV’s and pickup trucks. The photo shows the factory in 2004, with two Suda SUVs in the foreground.
Shanghai Wanfeng Auto was a subsidiary of the Wanfeng Auto Holding Group (万丰奥特控股集团). This company still exists today, retaining its original logo and name. It is involved in investments, real estate, steam turbines, and aluminum wheel manufacturing for the automotive industry.
The company is based in a beautiful complex with American-Greek style buildings with classic columns and an ornate main building that looks like the US Capitol.
The Wanfeng Suda
The Wanfeng Suda (速达, Sùdá, “Speedy”) debuted in 2004. It was a typical Chinese SUV for its time, with an Isuzu-inspired design and Mitsubishi-derived engines. The Suda looks great, with a dark-gray/gray body, off-road tires with six-spoke alloys, roof rails, and a spare wheel cover on the back.
Wanfeng decorated the Suda with fancy stickers; this was common at the time for this kind of vehicle. The Suda has racy stripes with the word “SUV” in purple. In 2004, the Wanfeng Suda SUV cost between 109.800 yuan and 125.800 yuan, in line with the competition. Competitors included the Tianma Fengchi and the Zhongxing Admiral.
The interior
The cabin was surprisingly luxurious, with loads of flashy fake wood and imitation leather. The owner added seat covers and a warm steering wheel cover to survive Beijing’s ice-cold winters.
The dashboard, with the control panel for the mirrors on the left.
The Wanfeng logo is stamped in the glass. The XYG logo on the window belongs to Xinyi Glass (信义玻璃), one of China’s largest automotive glass manufacturers.
Specifications of the Wanfeng Suda SUV
The engine was a WF491Q-ME, made in-house by Wanfeng and based on a Mitsubishi design. It was a 2.3-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with an output of 102 hp (75 kW), good for a claimed 150 km/h top speed.
The factory designation was SHK6481M. Up until the mid-2000s, the Chinese government required all Chinese car makers to put the full designation on every car. Nowadays, the government only requires this for commercial vehicles.
Black Plates
Chinese authorities issued the famous black license plates to foreign-owned companies from the 1980s to the mid-2000s. These companies could either buy a car locally or import one, with no restrictions on quantity, 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.
Yours truly in the beautiful shiny mirror of the Suda SUV. It is a pretty rare car, especially in the Beijing area. Like most of these smaller car makers, Wanfeng sold most of its vehicles in its home province. I have only seen a handful in over 20 years. May there be more!
Inspired by Isuzu… haha. Has anyone tried bolting actual Isuzu panels on these kind of trucks and viceversa? I’d love to know if they fit
Hey, how are you? There were so many Isuzu-like SUVs in those days: ofifcial, semi-official, CKD, illegal copy, etc. Greetings!