Welcome to Black License Plate Mania in Beijing, Part 14, where we look at cars with black license plates in the Chinese capital. The first photo is a Shanghai-GM Buick Regal sedan with 京A·18554. It also has a beautiful, shiny license plate frame, which was a popular accessory in the 2000s.
Volvo XC90
A Volvo XC90 with 京A·36911. The car in the photos is an imported model. When the XC90 was discontinued in Sweden, Volvo produced a small number of XC90 Classic SUVs in China.
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. The numbering started at 京A·00001 and increased sequentially, meaning lower numbers indicate older vehicles.
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.
Wanfeng Suda
A rare Wanfeng Suda SUV with 京A·21820. The Suda is an unusual choice for a foreign-owned company. As far as I know, the 21820 is the only Wanfeng with black license plates in Beijing.
Chrysler PT Cruiser
A Chrysler PT Cruiser with 京A·25483. Chrysler sold the PT Cruiser in China from 2006 until 2009. It was an imported model, and thus relatively expensive. The only engine for the Chinese market was the 2.4 with 145hp and 214 Nm.
Beijing Jeep Cherokee XJ
A Beijing-Jeep Cherokee XJ with 京A·25626. The XJ was one of the most popular foreign company cars in Beijing, so there were many black-plate examples, including mine.
Beijing Hyundai Elantra
A very good-looking Hyundai Elantra with 京A·27783. The manufacturer is the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture.
JAC Refine
A JAC Refine van with 京A·33253. Another rare foreign company car. It seems to be a high-end model, fitted with seven seats.
BMW 3 Series sedan
An E46 BMW 3 Series with 京A·22006. The E46 was the first 3 Series manufactured in China, by Brilliance-BMW in Shenyang.
Changan Suzuki Carry Van
A Changan Suzuki Carry Van with 京A·51513, a very nice sequence of numbers. It appears to have been repainted at some point in time. The manufacturer was Changan-Suzuki.
Shangha-GM Buick Regal 2
Another Buick Regal, this one with 京A·18449, so that’s an oldie! The deep-black color nicely matches the plate. The Shanghai-GM joint venture, now SAIC-GM, was the manufacturer.
Nanjing Iveco PowerDaily
An Iveco PowerDaily minibus with 京A·31317. The Iveco PowerDaily and TurboDaily have long been important vehicles in China, ferrying people and goods to every remote corner of the country. In many smaller towns, they serve as regular buses. The Nanjing-Iveco (aka Naveco) sold dozens of variants of the PowerDaily; the car in the photos is an extended-wheelbase high-roof model.
Nissan Maxima
A Nissan Maxima with 京A·40518. Nissan never marketed the Maxima in China, so it is super rare, and examples with black plates are even more special. I had been hunting for this car for a while; it used to drive around the Sanlitun area in the mid-2000s, but I was never able to take a photo of it. Finally, in 2015, I found it parked in the 798 arty-farty district. And I was extra lucky that day, because behind the Maxima stood a…
Shanghai-VW Volkswagen Polo
Sadly, I didn’t take another photo, so I only have a partial plate number: 京A·25xxx. The Polo used to be a super-popular compact car in China. It was made by Shanghai-VW (now SAIC-VW). There was a sedan version as well.
That’s it for this edition of Black License Plate Mania. I will be digging in my archives for more.
The earlier editions are here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, and Part 13.