17 Chinese Automobiles You Probably Never Knew Existed

We all know about the mainstream brands and where they typically hang their hats. With the global market become more connected than ever it easy to find a ton of great vehicles all over the planet sharing a similar badge or a similar architecture when companies have joined forces to create a specific platform. What we don’t know about or see as often are the multitude of off main street vehicle models that we may have never heard of ever before. Every country has a great deal of car makers that are not part of the typically accepted global market, but none seems to have more than China.

China not only has the largest global population, but also offers nearly sixty Chinese brands that are not all known outside of China. A few are, even if they are foreign to many of us such as Geely, Chery and Great Wall, but so many more are part of just a small group that are known in China, which offers a large enough market for sales, but they simply have not had the global impact that other automakers have had.

As for the mainstream brands, China is dominated by Volkswagen, Audi and Buick, but just as it’s great for any country to enjoy their own domestic brands, China has several as well. Here is what was on display at the Shanghai Auto Show, offering some brands and looks you might not have ever seen.

Denza

The Denza is a small electric vehicle that is being produced by BYD and Daimler. The car does appear to look a lot like a hatchback, but it really is a four door sedan that is based on the Mercedes- Benz B-Class and is powered by an 86-kW electric motor. The range is expected to be 250 kilometers for the Denza, making it a great car to have around a city that is perfectly capable of heading out on a commute when needed.

Zinoro

As another joint venture electric car brand the Zinoro shows up as a collaboration between Brilliance and BMW and the Zinoro 1E shows off some BMW sheet metal designs that are found on many of the German automakers lineup already. The basis for this car is the BMW X1 compact SUV but the Zinoro is a four door sedan that offers great looks and amazing performance. The power for this car shows up as a 125-kW electric motor that is a rear-drive model but the range is only 150 km, making it a great car for in the city and short commutes, but longer travel will not be practical in this car.

JAC

The JAC Refine A60 showed up in Shanghai and offered a beautiful look at a large sedan that can be had with a choice of two four-cylinder engines, either 174 or 190 horsepower. The car is a front-wheel drive beauty with some amazing features to enjoy, but the company has had an interesting history as a builder of trucks and Hyundai SUV’s. JAC is state-owned and has chosen to now branch out on its own to develop its own line of cars and if others are as feature laden and dynamic as the Refine A60, JAC may quickly become a globally recognized name.

Venucia

As a new brand, Venucia is a joint effort between Dongfeng and Nissan. The Venucia lineup includes some Nissan-based C-segment SUVs and a Leaf EV that offers new badging. The VOW crossover concept is one of the original offerings from Venucia that is a fantastic SUV that offers a feeling and look that hints at the GT-R. Venucia seems to be a brand that offers a little something for each and every driver on the market to take advantage of and fully enjoy. With their current lineup and one that might be able to grow, Venucia is another name that could easily show up on a global scale before too long.

Luxgen

The name along suggests what this brand is looking to provide, luxury and genius. This new brand from Yulon Motor which is a Taiwan based company has been assembling Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, GM and Mitsubishi cars for several years. The new Luxgen U6 is a turbocharged crossover SUV that offers its own version of power. The engines offered on this nice little SUV are 1.8 and 2.0-liter turbos that offer 150 and 170 horsepower each, giving them plenty of power to carry these vehicles down just about any road in and out of town along with the ability to travel off road as needed to be a great vehicle for utility as well as daily driving.

Zotye

Even though you may have never heard of Zotye they have been making SUVs a and sedan along with some small electric vehicles. The Zotye E200 EV car is one that appears to resemble the Smart car line as this company takes many design cues from other makers, and why not? If you see someone else having success, as long as you aren’t copying them exactly doesn’t it make sense to make a similar product? The E200 is powered by a 24-horsepoer electric motor which is about as small as you can get on the horsepower scale and still be able to power a vehicle down the road.

Roewe

This brand belongs to Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and shows up with tooling that will easily remind you of Britain’s Rover because SAIC bought the tooling for the Rover 75 and 25 models back in 2004. The Roewe 950 is a rebodied Buick LaCrosse, making it another copycat company, but as the Chinese partner with GM, this redesign is expected and encouraged. The Roewe 950 would make a great large sedan for anyone to enjoy and the Chinese market offers a great place for this car to have tremendous success in sales and performance. As for the tooling, SAIC still owns it and uses it for their vehicles; offering a British influence in their inner workings.

Lifan

As a highly ambitious automotive company, Lifan which made its first car in 2004 now has seven production plants outside China in Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Uruguay and Iraq. Lifan offers a bit of a checkered history as the company that sold motorcycles under the Honda name and then were successfully sued by Honda for doing this. The Lifan X70 is a concept SUV that offers some nice power and is expected to go on sale in 2016 with a pair of turbocharged engines that are 1.5 and 1.8-liter displacements. Lifan may be the first Chinese automotive company that will be sold on a global market, especially since it already has a global production process.

Haima

Haima is partly owned by FAW Group which is a giant in the Chinese automotive industry and once was the official car and truck maker of the Mao China era. FAW currently has partnerships with Volkswagen, Toyota, GM and Mazda. At one time the entire Haima lineup was rebadged Mazdas and the M5 shows up with elements of the Mazda3 and Buick styling. Maybe this partnership with so many global giants can pay off huge and give the world cars that will lead the industry, but most likely the Haima line will continue to be a melting of the brands. The Haima M5 Turbo shows up with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that offers 160 horsepower, not bad for this type of brand.

Hongqi

The name Hongqi means Red Flag and is another one of the brands under the huge FAW umbrella. This brand is built to attract the Chinese elite who would like a Chinese made luxury car and the ability to show their own brand of patriotism. The Hongqi is a car that shows up as a Bentley meets Volga styling in the L5 sedan and has as luxurious an interior and drive as you could possibly expect in any car. The 408 horsepower 6.0-liter V12 engine carries this heavy beast where those who can and want to purchase it need to go. The price for such opulence in China comes in at nearly $800,000, a hefty price to pay for this well-styled and designed car.

Trumpchi

As a newer brand on the scene, Trumpchi has only been around since 2010 and is one of the three Chinese brands from Guangzhou Automobile Group which has partnerships with Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Fiat. The GA8 is a flagship model that leads the way for the nine models that are marketed under the Trumpchi name. This car offers a 1.8-liter 177 horsepower turbocharge four-cylinder engine that is attached to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to offer a smooth and engaging driving experience. With the GA8 leading the way, Trumpchi is sure to gain popularity and become a household name in China for design and features that are excellent and give the feeling of luxury and comfort.

Land Wind

If you have seen the Land Rover range Rover, you have also seen the Land Wind X7. The two are nearly carbon copies of each other and caused Land Rover to threaten to sue Land Wind for this creation. Even though it is a joint venture between Jiangling and Changan, and a partnership with Ford, the copy of a vehicle to this degree can cause trouble. The Land Wing X7 may or may not be able to stay on the market depending on an outcome, but the matter is further complicated by the Evoque being built in China as a joint venture between Land Rover and Chery, creating a very confusing situation all around. Regardless, the X7 is currently one of the most attractive and enjoyable off road vehicles on the Chinese market, giving access to the many square miles of Chinese countryside.

Leopaard

This is a brand that belongs to the GAC the same as Trumpchi. The Leopaard models are typically Chinese-built versions of old Mitsubishi SUVs. This is not usually a problem because there is a strong partnership with Mitsubishi that protects and potential threats to sue, and the use of older models makes it easy enough to work with because Mitsubishi has moved on before Leopaard offers their models. The SUVs offered under the Loepaard name give plenty of great capability at a price that is reasonably easy for anyone to afford, making it fun and easy for all drivers to enjoy the great features and equipment inside these redone SUVs.

Hawtai

The Hawtai name offers a large array of compact SUVs for the market to fully appreciate and enjoy. The Shangdafei is only one but was featured at the Shanghai auto show as one of the leading offerings form Hawtai as an excellently styled small SUV. This brand used to be full of rebadged Hyundai SUV’s but the brand is now all its own and brings in a group of awesome vehicles that can be genuinely a Chinese production line. Having a long line of SUVs from their own brand will give the Chinese market an instant love affair with the Hawtai brand, making it quickly one of the most popular offerings.

Everus

Everus is a Guangqi Honda brand that offers the S1 as a smart and sophisticated sedan. This brand and company is a joint partnership with Honda and GAG, the same company that has both Trumpchi and Leopaard. The platform used is the same as the Honda Fit and makes a great car for anyone on a budget that needs a fantastic smaller sedan to drive and enjoy. The engines offered are the Honda 1.3 and 1.5 liter four-cylinder engines that give this car an affordable but peppy feeling making it one of the nicest small sedans in this price range to drive.

Haval

Haval is a brand from Great Wall. Great Wall was founded in 1984 and is one of the largest producers of pickup trucks in China taking design and engineering cues from Isuzu and Toyota. This company has been accused of copying vehicles from Fiat and Nissan. Great Wall has change course with Haval and is using this name to put out its new SUV lineup including the Concept R that showed up at the Shanghai Auto Show as one of the best looking and well-built Chinese offerings at the show. With a global reach, the Haval name under the Great Wall umbrella may soon be seen on other continents with the new R SUV leading the way.

Most likely you have never heard of any of these brands, and even if you may have heard of a couple of them, most were new to you and show just how diverse the market can be in China. As the most populated country in the world there is certainly no shortage of a workforce to support so many brands and companies to build vehicles. It’s rather interesting to see how many have partnerships with brands you already are familiar with and how many have offered copies of vehicles you currently see on the road every day.  If a trip to China is in your future you may encounter many of these automotive companies during your visit to this land that of long time dynasties and massive population.