About China's Coolest Cars
A BYD D1, seen in Beijing in the summer of 2023, parked alongside the road and fitted with the Beijing city’s green NEV license plates. The BYD D1 is quite a special car. It is a purpose-built model for ride-hailing services, developed by BYD in cooperation with Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi.
Continue reading “BYD D1 MPV Is A Special Ride Hailing Car For China”
A Fulu Junma tricycle, seen in the great city of Nandaihe in China in 2011. It was standing in front of a touristy place and was for hire as a taxi. It looked really cool in red with shiny mirrors and big headlights.
A Volkswagen Jetta taxi, seen in the Sanlitun embassy area in Beijing back in 2013. It was a hot summer day in July so the Beijing taxi driver took a well deserved rest. He was having a sleep with the driver seat down and his yellow shirt hanging down from the ceiling of the vehicle.
These yellow shirts are a thing. They became obligatory by law in 2007 in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Beijing taxi drivers, a notoriously grumpy bunch, didn’t like the shirts at all, but the Beijing government made clear that no shirt was no ride, so in the end early all taxi drivers complied.
Seeing a taxi driver having a nap like this was perfectly normal in times then. On any hot summer’s day you could find exhausted Beijing taxi drivers, riding for 12+ hours a day, taking a rest on any shaded street.
The FAW-Volkswagen Jetta used to be one of the most popular taxi’s in Beijing in the 2000’s and early 2010’s. Nowadays, most have been replaced by taxi’s made by the local Beijing-Hyundai joint venture.
A black Hongqi CA7202E3 Century Star taxi, seen in central Beijing back in 2012. Hongqi taxi’s have always been very rare in the capital, most were used to ferry passengers back and forth to the airport. Continue reading “Hongqi CA7202E3 Century Star Is A Luxurious Taxi In China”
An Englon TX4 taxi, seen on a cold day in the winter of 2012 in Beijing, in front of a large shopping mall near the center of town. The Englon TX4 was based on the London Taxi International (LTI) TX4.
A foreign model with huge tits recommends a C-cup breast augmentation in a taxi in Beijing in 2009, I think it was in a Citroen ZX. The advertisement was on a magazine holder on the back of the driver’s seat. I guess they thought this was a smart advertising strategy as many girls take taxis, without and with their boyfriends.
A taxi car-washing place, seen in the not-so far east of the Chinese capital Beijing in 2011. In those days, the mandatory color was yellow, with taxi companies allowed to choose a second color.
The yellow shirt for taxi drivers was, and still is, mandatory as well. This famous shirt-rule came into effect in 2007 in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A green Citroen Elysee VIP taxi, seen in the great city of Nanjing in Jiangsu province in China. The Elysee VIP was a long-wheelbase variant of the Citroen Elysee series, which was an updated Citroen Fukang, which was based on the Citroen ZX.
The Elysee VIP was made from 2005 until 2010 by Dongfeng-PSA. It was extended by 16 centimeters and powered by a 105 hp 1.6 liter four-cylinder petrol engine. The VIP version was a popular taxi due to the extra space in the back. When I visited Nanjing way back in 2012 these long Citroen limousines were all over the place!
One you don’t see every day in China: a very rare Series 1 Citroen CX! We know that a small number of Series 1 was used as high-end taxi’s in Beijing in the early 1980’s. Considering this car’s yellow color, I assume this is one of those.
A very sweet Citroen Elysee taxi, seen in central Beijing a few years ago. Sadly, the Elysee taxi’s have nowadays largely disappeared from the roads of the capital.
Continue reading “The Dongfeng Citroen Elysee Was A Perfectly Basic Taxi For China”
