Changhe (car brand)

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Older generation of the Changhe ideal
The Changhe Furuida (also known as "Changhe Freedom")

Changhe ( Chinese  昌河 , Pinyin Chānghé ) is the automobile brand of a Chinese vehicle manufacturer called Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co. Ltd. (short: Changhe Auto ), based in the prefecture-level city Jingdezhen in the province of Jiangxi .

Development of the brand as part of corporate activities

The manufacturer Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co. Ltd. was founded on November 26, 1999 and was initially a subsidiary of Changhe Aircraft Industries or its predecessor, a Chinese company for the construction of helicopters. However, the beginnings of vehicle construction at Changhe Aircraft go back well before the company Jiangxi Changhe Automobile was founded . Subsequently, from November 2009 to October 2013 - after the Changhe Aircraft era - Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co. Ltd. was established. a subsidiary of the Chang'an Corporation. In November 2013, 70 percent of Changhe Auto was taken over by the Beijing Automotive Group , or BAIC for short .

Changhe Auto currently has a production plant in the two cities of Jingdezhen and Jiujiang, both in Jiangxi Province, and another smaller one in Hefei, Anhui Province, with a total annual capacity of 270,000 vehicles per year (as of Nov. 2013).

The first in-house developments by Jiangxi Changhe Automobile , which were independent of other car manufacturers, fall in 2002, so that the actual beginning of the independent Changhe brand must be settled at this time. The brand logo was used to label vehicle designs that were developed in-house by Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co. Ltd. have emerged. The work in the joint venture -Unternehmen Jiangxi Changhe Suzuki Automobile had them initially not affected. Since the BAIC group became the majority owner of Changhe Auto , BAIC and the Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation have no longer been able to mutually agree on a model of cooperation in matters of new car developments. Those in charge of Suzuki were no longer willing to try new technologies Changhe Auto to deliver. The dissent was so deep that BAIC recently delivered chassis to Changhe Auto , which were used for further development for new car models at Changhe Auto , which should have come from Suzuki (as of May 2017). The development of the Changhe Furuida M50 is apparently the first new car model from Changhe Auto that was created under a cooperation model that deviates from the previous procedure. However, there was no chassis problem with the M50, as this model had already been completely developed by the joint venture company Beiqi Yinxiang Automobile and was launched on the Chinese market in October 2013 as the “Weiwang M20”. This “Weiwang M20” was brought onto the market in October 2014 as “Changhe Furuida M50” thanks to additional labeling . The discrepancies between BAIC and Changhe on the one hand and Suzuki on the other hand came to light with another model: Around autumn 2017, a new series of the " Changhe-Suzuki Liana A6 " should be brought onto the market. For this purpose, the Changhe engineers had already developed a prototype that was ready for series production and that could be presented, which was built on a " Beijing Senova D50 " chassis. This model had "CHANGHE" in capital letters on the front grille. It looks as if the BAIC group wanted to create a fait accompli by "incorporating" the "Liana A6" into the Changhe model range , as Changhe and Suzuki no longer have equal shares , as was common for decades in the model development, but here Changhe has now anticipated the partner company Suzuki . The people in charge of the Suzuki Motor Corporation obviously did not agree, because the "Liana" had been a core model in the model range of the Changhe-Suzuki Auto joint venture , but not from Changhe Auto . They probably refused to let Changhe Auto and the BAIC group get away with this. Certainly it was an override of the previous agreements between Changhe Auto on the one hand and Suzuki Motor Corporation on the other. There was probably no official legal dispute . In terms of the market, this means that the Liana model has been incorporated into the model range of the Changhe Auto company . However, this has not remained without consequences because the Suzuki Motor Corporation sold its shares in the Jiangxi Changhe-Suzuki Automobile joint venture in June 2018 and thus caused it to be dissolved.

Logos and lettering on Changhe vehicles: current handling by the manufacturer

The somewhat idiosyncratic way in which the car brand "Changhe" was treated after the takeover by BAIC must appear unusual when you look at how the models have recently been labeled at the rear: this is usually found on the tailgate or the Trunk lid on the left side with the inscription "BeiQi Changhe" - a finger pointing to "Beijing Qiche" (in German: "Beijing Auto"), in short "BeiQi" - but in the middle the "Changhe" logo is emblazoned; and on the right side you can find the respective model name. The idiosyncratic thing about it is that the Changhe logo is left on the front grille and on the tailgate in the middle. Apparently the manufacturer BAIC wanted to keep the brand its independence, on the other hand it did not want to do without the BeiQi in front of the Changhe in "BeiQi Changhe" (left rear of the vehicle). However, Changhe cannot be a brand and a sub-brand at the same time. In this respect, one should perhaps accept the embossing of the Changhe logo on the front grille and tailgate as the decisive factor. (This would make Changhe a brand and not a sub-brand.)

Vehicle models of this brand

Changhe Freedom Mini Van
Changhe Q25
Changhe Q35
Changhe A6
Changhe Q7
Changhe Beidouxing II

Small car

Changhe ideal

The Ideal was built continuously from 2003 to 2016, with a facelift and a revision that remained below facelift level. The addition of the codes I, II and II A + refer to the initial model version (I was produced 2003–2006), to a facelift (II was produced 2006–2011) and to a second revision that remains below facelift level (II A + was produced 2011–2016). The codes therefore do not mean entire series. The Changhe Ideal I , a design project as part of a collaboration between Changhe and the Gruppo Bertone , was launched on the Chinese market in 2003. Since the craftsmanship of the initial model execution was moderate and the price was high, the reception of the model by the Chinese was overwhelmingly negative. So it happened that the facelift on the model - also bearing the signature of the Italian designer Bertone - was pushed onto the market relatively early, namely in May 2006. The acceptance of the Changhe Ideal II must obviously have been better. From 2009 the Changhe Ideal was also exported to other countries. In June 2011, the facelift-level revision, the Changhe Ideal II A + , was launched on the market. With the SUV boom in China, however, demand for the model dropped noticeably. In 2014, just 304 vehicles were sold. Allegedly, production of the model was only stopped in 2016.

  • Changhe Ideal I (October 2003 – May 2006; 46 to 79 hp) (product type CH7111)
  • Changhe Ideal II (May 2006 – June 2011; 46 to 91 hp) (product types CH7101B / CH7101BE / CH7101BE3 / CH7101BE4 / CH7111B / CH7111B1 / CH7111BE / CH7111BE3 / CH7111BE4 / CH7111BR / CH7141E)
  • Changhe Ideal II A + (June 2011–2016) (Product types the same as with Ideal II?)

Mini platform trolley

Changhe Mini Truck

  • Changhe Mini Truck (? -?) (Product series CH1018, among others with the product types CH1018Ei / CH1018AEi) Was that a mini platform truck?

Minibuses / minivans

Changhe Junma (? -2002)

  • Changhe Junma (also known trivially as "Changling King"?) (? -2002) (Product series CH6353, including the product types CH6353A / CH6353A1 / CH6353 / CH6353B / CH6353B1 / CH6353C / CH6353C1). At that time, the Changhe logo may not have existed.

Changhe Haitun (2002-2007)

The "Changhe Haitun" model is the successor to the "Changhe Junma". The model was a minibus.

  • Changhe Haitun (also called "Changhe Dolphin") (2002-2008?) (Product series CH6370, including the product types CH6370A / CH6370B / CH6370C)

Mini buses / minivans and mini flatbed trucks

Changhe Furuida (2007-2014)

The "Changhe Furuida" model is the successor to the "Changhe Haitun".

There were four construction variants for the "Furuida" model:

  • Changhe Furuida Mini Van (also referred to as "Changhe Freedom Mini Van") (2007-2014) (Product series CH6390, including the product types CH6390E / CH6390E3 / CH6390E4 / CH6390HE / CH6390LE3 / CH6390LE4)
  • Changhe Furuida Blind Van (also referred to as "Changhe Freedom Blind Van") (2007-2014) (Product series CH6430, including the product types CH6430T1 / CH6430T2) In contrast to the Furuida Mini Van , which is glazed all around like a bus, this one The model is a van, which is mostly covered on the sides and also provided with a cover on the rear. The heavily tinted windows, which are used for this purpose, give this variant an almost panel van character. Perhaps they enabled partial transparency for the view from inside to outside. But there were also other veneers that were used that were completely non-transparent.
  • Changhe Furuida Single Mini Truck (also referred to as "Changhe Freedom Single Mini Truck") (2007-2014) This model is offered as a pick-up with a single cabin (product types CH1020LE / CH1020LE3).
  • Changhe Furuida Double Mini Truck (also referred to as "Changhe Freedom Double Mini Truck") (2007-2014) This model is available as a pick-up with a double cab (product types CH1021LE / CH1021LE3).

Changhe Furuida Single Mini Truck and Changhe Furuida Double Mini Truck are also resold by Martin Motors under the Freedom Cab name .

People carriers

Following the production of the initial series of the Furuida model from 2007–2014, there has apparently been a diversification of the model range into a Furuida model family.

Changhe Furuida M50 and M50S

The M50 and M50S are two versions of the same model:

  • Changhe Furuida M50 (also known as "Changhe Freedom M50") (since October 2014) (Product Type CH6446BL22) This model is a 4.53 meter long van.
  • Changhe Furuida M50S (also referred to as "Changhe Freedom M50S") (since?) The M50S model differs from the M50 in that it has different front bumpers and door sills on the sides. It also has tinted glass.

Changhe Furuida M60

Changhe Furuida M70

  • Changhe Furuida M70 (also known as "Changhe Freedom M70") (since March 2017) This model is a 4.72 meter long van with up to seven seats.

High roof combos / vans

Changhe Beidouxing

The Changhe-Suzuki Beidouxing (first series), produced from 2004 to 2018, was an integral part of the model range of the Jiangxi Changhe-Suzuki Automobile joint venture , which the manufacturer Changhe Auto operated with partner manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corporation . From the first to the second series, however, there was a break here; the second series, built from 2019, is produced and marketed by Changhe Auto . But there were already changes to this effect: the electric version of the “ Changhe-Suzuki Beidouxing X5 ” was marketed as a Changhe product under the Changhe logo. Actually, this model should have been marketed as a Changhe Suzuki product under the Changhe Suzuki logo. But here too - as in the case of the "Changhe-Suzuki Liana A6" - the BAIC group has apparently created a fait accompli for the Suzuki Motor Corporation . The "Beidouxing" was actually an integral part of the model range of the Changhe-Suzuki -Joint-Venture. A piece of the market has been stolen from the Changhe-Suzuki joint venture at the expense of the latter. It looks as if this "abuse", which represents a disenfranchisement of the Suzuki Motor Corporation , is to be attributed to the responsible persons of the BAIC group.

Vans

Changhe Fuyun

The Changhe Fuyun is a 3.99 meter long minivan that was created through " Badge Engineering " of the Chang'an Star S460 . Production was based at the Chang'an Group.

Limousines

Changhe A6

  • Changhe A6 (previously: "Changhe-Suzuki Liana A6") (since November 2017) (product types CH7151BA2 / CH7150BA2) This 4.62 meter long sedan is based on the Beijing Senova D50 .

SUVs

Changhe Q25

Changhe Q35

  • Changhe Q35 (since August 2016) (product types CH7152AB22 / CH7152AB62) This compact SUV is positioned above the Q25.

Changhe Q7

Web links

Commons : Changhe  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ For illustration: A photo on the Internet shows the tailgate of a Changhe Beidouxing X5E EV168 with the label "BeiQi Changhe" on the left, the brand logo in the middle and the type designation "Beidouxing X5E EV168" on the right: the tailgate of a Changhe Beidouxing X5E EV168 (Photo) CarNewsChina Internet portal, February 2017, website accessed on February 19, 2020.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b W. E. Ning: BAIC takes 70% stake in Jiangxi Changhe Auto CarNewsChina Internet portal, November 27, 2013 (English)
  2. ↑ Biwen Wang: BAIC's three-year contact with Suzuki receives no result. Gasgoo Internet portal, April 10, 2017 (English)
  3. ↑ WE Ning: This Is the new Changhe A6 compact sedan for China. CarNewsChina Internet portal, October 31, 2017 (English)
  4. ↑ Usman Ansari: The 2018 Changhe A6 sedan. CarSpiritPk Internet portal, September 21, 2018 (English)
  5. ↑ Masahisa Yuzawa: Suzuki exits China to boost focus on India and Africa. Nikkei Asian Review online, September 5, 2018
  6. ^ Suzuki to pull out of China market amid sluggish sales of small cars. The Japan Times online, September 5, 2018
  7. ↑ a b c d Changhe Ideal A + 2011. ChinaAutoWeb Internet portal, August 24, 2012 (English)
  8. ↑ The IDEAL car - Ideal 2 about to hit the streets ( Memento of the original from March 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. China Car Times, May 1, 2007 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chinacartimes.com
  9. ↑ Changhe Freda M50S has both the strength and value of Yan.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. thechinesenews.net Internet portal, "Auto News" section, October 15, 2016 (English)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / thechinesenews.net  
  10. ↑ Joey Wang Changhe Beidouxing X5 goes electric in China. CarNewsChina Internet portal, February 17, 2017 (English)
  11. ↑ Changhe Fuyun minivan listed & priced in China The Tycho's CarNewsChina online, August 21, 2011 (English)