Malawi just ditched Taiwan for China. And the main reason for that is the aid package that the Chinese have promised. Since I don’t care about how much aid we get, I will look at other interesting things. What about the possibility of Malawi roads being flooded with cheap, unsafe and unreliable cars from China. We all know that everything that china exports end up being recalled or sent to the third world countries, but what about cars? We have seen the Ssangyong which I don’t have much to say about because there is nothing really to say about it except the fact that it is written that its powered by Mercedes Benz, I don’t know how far true that is. Of course the Ssangyong is made in Korea but its 51% owned by china. And then there is the Dadi Auto pick up which you can’t even look at twice, makes me wonder why we can’t make our own Malawian car.
But is that really what china has to offer on the road? I set out to look for the best cars in China today. We might be lucky to have some of these cars here soon. I know Malawi is a Toyota country but isn’t anything better in china?
There are several car manufacturing companies in China and the race is about making cheap affordable cars. The major companies include Chery, Geely, Great Wall Motor, Nanjing, Hafei, Zhongxing and Brilliance China. In a series of posts I will be looking at cars from some of these companies and more. We set off with the giants Chery and Great Wall Motor (GMW).
Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. was founded in 1997 by five of Anhui's local state owned investment companies. In 2007, Chery achieved a historical milestone reflecting the domestic emergence of China's growing industrial strength. In that year, it sold a total of 381,000 passenger cars in global market. It has the annual production capacity to produce 650,000 completed vehicles, 400,000 engines and 300,000 transmissions. It produces ten vehicle models: Eastar, Cowin, Tiggo3, A5, V5, QQ3, QQ6, Karry, Riich2 and A1, along with each model's auxiliary engines, transmissions, and its other parts and components. These ten models range from sub compact cars to intermediate and full size passenger cars.
I was more interested and impressed with two models, the little A1 and the Eastar.
The Chery A1 is a cute small car and cheap as well. It comes in two models, the 1.1lL and the 1.3L which is a plus due to the fuel prices and they can do 6L of fuel can take you 100KM at 90km/hr! And a top speed of 156km/hr and 130km/hr in the 1.1L. Unlike the other mini cars I have seen in Malawi like the Altos or the KIA Picanto, this is better looking both inside and outside. I am just looking forward to the day our Chinese connection will reward us with a car like this.
Then there is a more luxurious Eastar, with Delphi ABS system, four Key Safety Systems SRS Airbags, a visual Reverse Radar plus low brake fluid alarm, Eastar puts your safety in its heart. You can also enjoy music or movies via a 3-Screen DVD Stereo System while an automatic thermostatic air-conditioner and 8-way adjustable power leather seats complete a cozy ambience. And if you want sunshine and fresh air, why not check this Double-Deck Sunroof.
But is that really what china has to offer on the road? I set out to look for the best cars in China today. We might be lucky to have some of these cars here soon. I know Malawi is a Toyota country but isn’t anything better in china?There are several car manufacturing companies in China and the race is about making cheap affordable cars. The major companies include Chery, Geely, Great Wall Motor, Nanjing, Hafei, Zhongxing and Brilliance China. In a series of posts I will be looking at cars from some of these companies and more. We set off with the giants Chery and Great Wall Motor (GMW).
Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. was founded in 1997 by five of Anhui's local state owned investment companies. In 2007, Chery achieved a historical milestone reflecting the domestic emergence of China's growing industrial strength. In that year, it sold a total of 381,000 passenger cars in global market. It has the annual production capacity to produce 650,000 completed vehicles, 400,000 engines and 300,000 transmissions. It produces ten vehicle models: Eastar, Cowin, Tiggo3, A5, V5, QQ3, QQ6, Karry, Riich2 and A1, along with each model's auxiliary engines, transmissions, and its other parts and components. These ten models range from sub compact cars to intermediate and full size passenger cars.
I was more interested and impressed with two models, the little A1 and the Eastar.
The Chery A1 is a cute small car and cheap as well. It comes in two models, the 1.1lL and the 1.3L which is a plus due to the fuel prices and they can do 6L of fuel can take you 100KM at 90km/hr! And a top speed of 156km/hr and 130km/hr in the 1.1L. Unlike the other mini cars I have seen in Malawi like the Altos or the KIA Picanto, this is better looking both inside and outside. I am just looking forward to the day our Chinese connection will reward us with a car like this.
Then there is a more luxurious Eastar, with Delphi ABS system, four Key Safety Systems SRS Airbags, a visual Reverse Radar plus low brake fluid alarm, Eastar puts your safety in its heart. You can also enjoy music or movies via a 3-Screen DVD Stereo System while an automatic thermostatic air-conditioner and 8-way adjustable power leather seats complete a cozy ambience. And if you want sunshine and fresh air, why not check this Double-Deck Sunroof.
Talking about SUVs we have a company called Great Wall Motors (GMW), it is the largest privately owned automotive manufacturer in China It is among “the Top 500 Enterprises of China in 2004″ and one of the best brands in national automobile range. GWM took its first step to become a truly global company by exporting SUVs to the competitive European market in September 2006. GWM already sells cars in about 60 (mostly developing) countries and exports account for about a third of the company’s sales.
The SUV models include the GMW Safe, Sing and Pegasus. They have Luxuries which we don’t have in most SUV and can match the X5 in that department but the problem is they have no looks. But there is one that caught my attention; it’s called the GMW Hover CUV (Compact Utility Vehicle).
It’s the most luxurious of the lot and it has good specs as well, Equipped with the Mitsubishi 4G 64 engine, CUV meets Euro-III emission standard (of course we don’t care about the emission bit). It has the most advanced ABS + EBD system, The Bosch 8.0, a five speed manual gear box, genuine leather seats, 6 CD changer, A/C, anti dizzy rear view mirror, the list is endless. It comes in 2.4L Petrol and 2.8L Diesel engines, The diesel is capable of producing torque of 225@2600rpm and output power of 70kw @ 3600rpm which is not bad at all.
Will we see some of these cars on the roads of Malawi soon?
The SUV models include the GMW Safe, Sing and Pegasus. They have Luxuries which we don’t have in most SUV and can match the X5 in that department but the problem is they have no looks. But there is one that caught my attention; it’s called the GMW Hover CUV (Compact Utility Vehicle).
It’s the most luxurious of the lot and it has good specs as well, Equipped with the Mitsubishi 4G 64 engine, CUV meets Euro-III emission standard (of course we don’t care about the emission bit). It has the most advanced ABS + EBD system, The Bosch 8.0, a five speed manual gear box, genuine leather seats, 6 CD changer, A/C, anti dizzy rear view mirror, the list is endless. It comes in 2.4L Petrol and 2.8L Diesel engines, The diesel is capable of producing torque of 225@2600rpm and output power of 70kw @ 3600rpm which is not bad at all.Will we see some of these cars on the roads of Malawi soon?
1 comment:
Hi that a great collection of cars, thanks for sharing.......
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