Beijing-Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Gold In White In China

A white Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Gold sedan on the streets of Beijing, right after a nasty dust storm, covered in dirt from the endless steppes of Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. Happily, it was in very good shape.

And it isn’t just any other Sonata. This is the Sonata GLS V6 Gold, the top-trim level Sonata made by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture. It had a special grille with horizontal bars and it was equipped with loads of luxury.

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A Peugeot Double In China: 505 & 307

Two pretty French Peugeot sedans at sunset in the mountains to the north of Beijing. To the left is a gray Guangzhou-Peugeot 505 SX2 with very early 京·A license plates and classy darkened windows. The 505 was made in China from 1990 until 1997, powered by a 105 hp 2.0-liter petrol engine.

On the left is a far more modern Dongfeng-PSA Peugeot 307 sedan, painted dark green. The 307 sedan was made here from 2002 until 2014, a very long run that saw various facelifts and new variants. Power comes from 108 hp 1.6 and 138 hp 2.0 engines.

The Peugeot 505 has sadly largely disappeared from the roads in China. But happily, the 307 sedan is still everywhere, as it was a very popular car.

A Changan-Suzuki Alto Party In Beijing

I have always been, and I will always be, a big fan of the Changan-Suzuki Alto. It is one of the coolest cars ever made in China. In fact, when I arrived in China in 2003, I seriously considered buying one, but it was just a tad too small for my needs.

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BAW Beijing BJ1021C 4×4 Fire Truck On The Double In China

A red BAW Beijing BJ2021C 4×4 utility vehicle, seen overgrown at the Crab Island amusement park in Beijing. Crab Island used to be a great place for drinking, playing, swimming, and whatnot more. Sadly, most of the park was closed in late 2019. The area will be used for a housing project.

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Mistubishi Outlander Police Car In China

A very neat Mitsubishi Outlander police car in Beijing, capital of China. The first-generation Outlander was manufactured by Beijing-Jeep. This odd arrangement dates from the days of Daimler-Chrysler, which also held a stake in Mitsubishi.

Chrysler had the long-running Beijing-Jeep joint venture in China, producing the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee. Daimler-Chrysler added the Chrysler 300C, the Chrysler Sebring, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Pajero Sport, and this Outlander to the line-up.

White license plates are used by police, paramilitary police, and the armed forces. The black character on the left is jing, short for Beijing (北京). The character on the right is another jing, short for Jingcha (警察); also see bonnet, which means police.

This Is The Geely Baofeng GT Sport

This red beast is the Geely Baofeng GT Sport, seen parked on a pavement in north Beijing. The Baofeng (Leopard Wind) GT Sportwas a sporty cross-over thing based on the Geely Haoqing, aka Geely HQ.

The Geely HQ in turn was based on the Tianjin Xiali, which in another turn was based on the Daihatsu Charade.

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