As much as everyone tries to ignore it, Chinese automakers are on the rise. Some have acquired established European car companies, while others recruit the services of acclaimed industry personnel to be more market competitive. Former truck manufacturer Changan however, have chosen its own route and developed its own models without outside help. A recipe for disaster? Not at all.
They’ve done really well in recent years, coming up with excellent models for its home market such as the Eado mid-size sedan and upmarket luxury saloon Raeton. This new XT Hatch, caught undisguised by China Car Times, may be Changan’s most exciting offering yet.
It’s based on the well-received Eado sedan but gets its own set of clothes. A stylish one at that too, with plenty of European-influence to be seen. The front is all edgy and aggressive, while the rear is well sculpted with fine design features such as the continuity of the side window line into the rear glasshouse.
The rear corners are substantially tapered in to create sport hatch-like rear haunches, and black-painted diffuser-like element breaks up the visual mass at the back. The interior is shared with the Eado sedan and is perhaps the hatchback’s weakest link. It’s a little derivative here and there but as a whole it’s an interesting design inside and out with lots to like.
Rumours are there’s a turbocharged 1.5 litre mill under the hood with up to 150 horses to play with. Coupled with a five-speed manual gearbox to run the front wheels, the XT Hatch can prove to be a real hoot to drive. A six-speed automatic transmission will be optional, but you don’t want that.
Chinese automakers may not receive the accolades they may well deserve, but there’s no denying that they are on a steep uptrend to break the social stigma. Changan’s lukewarm hatch, set for a Shanghai Auto Show unveiling, sits right at the head of the fast rising Eastern tide.
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The Korean r wetting their pants.
I don’t think they are wetting their pants. Koreans are quite ethical. Unlike the Chine people. Even baby milk also got melamine poison. Becareful of China cars, some toxic or hazard material will leak from the steering wheel or leather seat that will posion you or give you cancer. So many babies died because people from China are greedy and poisoned the formulae milk. That is not one off. Thousands of cases eg Mattel etc.
Soon enough the Chinese and Korean automakers will surpass the Japanese in sales. Just like Samsung, closing its gap in sales between Apple from year to year
The Koreans will not be enjoying much either, The Chinese sales will also affect their sales at the rate the PRC is churning out new models.
it is still made in China.
The day has finally come that I will say this, that’s one good looking Chinese car. Although its nothing more than an orgy of design from other manufacturer (I see a lot of Mazda and Honda in it)but, the result isn’t some Frankenstein monster but something that may even put pressure in the Koreans. Like it or not and I still side the latter, there is nothing so far stopping the Chinese onslaught in thame automotive world.
i hate to admit it, but that car is not bad. i see effort, as long as there is effort to compete, there will be results.
just bring it to see whether it’s perfect for Malaysian roads and Malaysian drivers!
Why does it look so Mazda-ish?
The front bumper looks similar to the M6.
From the side, the rear quarter looks like the fiesta. Inside, the speedo cluster housing and the central A/C blower too.
Shimano XT groupset…
he he h e
hate to admit it but scary; in such a short time; China brands are becoming more stylish and surprising and maybe the best part is the price tag. what Proton/DRB-Hicom should have done is to just do a JV with these guys and make a better car and having a bigger access to a bigger Car market unlike Malaysia. i will not be surprised that this XT probably cost as much as a Myvi 1.3 only in Mainland China.
This is much better design than our Preve hatchback ! Well done !
Dude, the Preve hatchback is not out yet and we don’t know how it might look like. How can you tell?
Still, this one does look good for a Chinese car although some design element is not original at best. The side mirror for instance is virtually the same as those on Hyundais, so is the steering wheel and dashboard. And the rear is reminiscent of Nissan Murano. The front is very much like MG6.
Then again, this is a good start.
wow dimsumcar,
can i borrow ur crystal ball for a few mins?
I wan to buy toto later
Hope come to M`sia with right prize provided no tax es so high.
looks so much like china MG6
Veloster. China version
OMG!! China made car design also 10 times nicer than our bolehland car design. Our car designer seriously have to do lot R&D and improve our design and quality.
don’t judge a book by its cover…
180 degrees of Acura logo
can I say it’s mix & match
but RV (in Malaysia only)is not good!
but I’m pretty sure the RV is good in China
I see Fiesta, Elentra & Veloster in it. Not bad at all, Proton guys please wake up !!
Still don’t know why we spent so much time still develop a crap like Preve ?!
Crap? What crap, i see you trolling without cause. Are you high?
Preve not crap ? See its styling and compare with those cars launched in the same year then you know what I meant. If you still don’t, I think you are a very subjective person then.
I rather Proton do copycat job to give the rakyat better designed car that this crappy preve.
u can tell that a car is crap only by judging on how it looks..?? look at VW cars, their design is not inspiring but it is crap..?? NO.. don.t judge something only on how it looks..
Yes, It seems they copy a bit of everything:The fiesta c-pillar, elantra front bumper and headlamp with some twists, kia forte meter cluster ring, volkswagen sirocco like rear design (stretched a bit taller), and Acura mirrored badge. And the steering looks familiar too… This is a “united nation” car..
Whether we like it or not, we have to admit that Changan XT is a decently-made Chinese car. A very good start to brush off people’s perception about Chinese cars (e.g. copycat, inferior quality, etc.) While the design of the XT looks almost catching up with the Koreans and the powertrain sounds yummy, the only things that Changan may need to work extra harder would be improving the quality and reliability.
one word – china
i am currently in shanghai, most of the cars on the road are BYD and i have yet to see a eastar on the road here but certainly there are alot of buicks , chevy , and china made cars .
changan is one of the main guy that makes military trucks for the military. i dont htink they have any issue to progress fast as they have the heavy industry backbone supporting them.
Handsome car.. but sigh~ made in China !
Only shot me if u think u will buy a China-made car..
why not? 25 years ago, people said “japanese cars? bullshit”, 15 years ago, people said “korean cars? bullshit”, it’s a universally accepted fact that the chinese will take less than that to change the perception of “chinese cars are crap”.
do you even know why apple chose to manufacture its products in china? if you want to know and loves to read: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/why-the-united-states-will-never-ever-build-the-iphone/251837/
heck, do you even know that the Lenovo is the ONLY PC manufacturer to grow its market share in 2012?
it is a big mistake to undermine the chinese, they have manufacturing prowess and MONEY to back that up.
nearly 30 years later, the only bull shit now is PROTON…….
looks like a….honda…civic
Wow the Chinese are really good at copying others huh? The headlights looks like US version of the Corolla and the back looks like Mazda3 hatchback. BTW, the design of Suprema S is not bad at all. If not due to reliability problems, i would probably get one. Proton original designs are not bad as compared to Almera, Mirage and even Vios. Proton just can’t make good cars in the inside. However, it probably has better reliability record then Mini or even Peugeot that has major engine and transmission problems.