As China settles into its role as the world’s largest car market, domestic car manufacturers are working overtime to find ways to satiate the needs of the country’s increasingly mobile populace.
Unlike the West, however, China’s car market doesn’t have the 100+ years of automotive history we benefit from, which leads its domestic car manufacturers to build some, well, interesting vehicles.
Though China’s car industry has evolved past carts powered by lawnmower engines, it still produces vehicles that leave us Westerners a bit dumbfounded.
Here are 10 modern Chinese cars that leave us scratching our heads.
Great Wall Hover Pi
Great Wall’s Hover π (yes, that is the pi symbol) is a stretch-limo SUV that you can buy from the factory, and, yes, the interior is a combination of horrid plastics and the terrible décor of a 1980s hotel.
But this is China, where the ultimate display of wealth is having someone else do the driving for you.
So while the Hover π may look like a cheap prom-night special to us, it surely carries some status in its native land.
BAW Motors Yongshi
“Unusual” doesn’t always equal “bad.”
Take, for example, BAW Motors’ Yongshi (“Warrior”). Looking a bit like a cross between a Humvee and a Range Rover, the Yongshi is a military-grade off-road machine.
It’s not the most powerful off-roader around, but it is solid enough to be used by the UN.
English-language promo photos show the Yongshi solely as a military machine, but as the Chinese consumer site touts its five-passenger seating capacity and CD player, we’re sure that anyone with the cash — which does usually mean some sort of government official — can buy one.
Haima Auto Happin
Conflicted car buyers who long for a 1999 Mazda Protégé but find it a tad too attractive and too powerful should be stoked on Haima Auto’s Happin sedan.
Haima Auto is a joint venture between China’s First Auto Works (FAW) and Mazda, so it’s safe to say that the Happin is made from genuine — if not ancient — Mazda tooling.
What perplexes us about this car, though, is that Haima also sells its own version of the Mazda3 — the successor to the Protégé and a much better, much more attractive car.
The Happin does only cost 60,000-70,000 yuan, which, for the equivalent of only $9,500-$11,000, gets you a 1.5 liter engine with a whopping 112 hp and 108 lb-ft of torque.
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