Archive for ChangAn

This is the other car launched by Changan Berjaya Auto on Monday, the Chana Era CV6. It’s essentially the same 5-door hatchback we saw in Putrajaya in March 2008. It’s pretty much a Viva-type of vehicle and the thing is it actually is decent to look at. There aren’t any strange jarring design cues that spoil the design, it’s simple, unpretentious and perhaps boring but it’s not hideous, nor does it employ any odd patterns like the triangles all over the Naza Forza.

For a sum of RM 36,862.00 for the Standard Solid version, you’ll get 5 seats, a 1,301cc engine producing 85 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 110Nm of torque between 3,500 to 4,500rpm, steel wheels, power steering with adjustable tilt, front power windows and a top speed of about 145km/h. For Metallic paint, you pay RM 37,368.00.

Going for the Premium version will cost you RM 40,888 for solid paint and RM 41,394 for metallic paint, and you’ll get alloy wheels, power windows for all four doors, ABS brakes, a single CD player with radio and a driver’s airbag. So it’s got ABS and an airbag covered, that’s pretty much how far safety features can go at this segment. Apparently during the launch period, you can get the Premium version for the price of the Standard version as an introductory offer.

The 1.3 liter engine is also a Suzuki-derived one, and probably a unit that’s a little more modern than the one in the van covered earlier, but it’s still pretty much a basic unit though it has a nice peak torque spread starting from 110Nm. From my observation of the units they had for display at the media preview, the build quality was even worse than the van. ChangAn even got basic things like the feedback an air conditioning knob gives when you turn it wrong. Go to a showroom and try it, it feels really weird, like you were forcibly twisting something through some thick oil, I would imagine this is what goes on inside a torque converter or something.

The selection knob for fresh air or recirculation air for the air conditioning appeared to be positioned too close to the dash and was cutting in to the dash plastic itself. The dashboard plastic itself isn’t really too bad however parts where various pieces meet together were way too rough. Some metal mounts and etc were too exposed like the bolt and joint where the seat and backrest connect together, etc. It’s a pity as the exterior doesn’t look too bad.

Despite the horrendous build quality, ChangAn knows people are also looking for mechanical quality and endurance, so they’ve recently organised this ChanaTrax event where a group of ChangAn vehicles including this CV6/BenBen drove from China to South Africa. That’s a total distance of 24,000 kms and there were some pretty high altitudes and rough terrain involved.

So I suppose it would be okay running around town here, it’s just that the only appealing thing going for this car at the moment seems to be its initial price tag.

2009 is the year of the MPV. The big two are the Proton MPV and the Perodua MPV that’s set to launch at different times this year, but before any of them manage to get in the showrooms comes the cheapest MPV in the market, the Chana Era CM8.

Now let’s backtrack a little – those of you who have been following this blog for a few years now may remember this vehicle being spotted a few years ago, in June 2007 to be exact. The CM8 was spotted in Subang Jaya with trade plates. Even before that in end-2005, we heard news of a company signing an agreement with the CM8’s maker ChangAn Auto to assemble the CM8 locally in Malaysia. It turns out that company was a unit of the Berjaya Group, Changan Berjaya Auto Sdn Bhd.

The result of all that discussion and planning since 2005 are two cars, and here we take a look at one of them – the Chana Era CM8, assembled locally in Oriental Assemblers in Johor. Chana Era is the brand that Changan Berjaya is using to market the ChangAn products here in Malaysia. The car is said to have over 40% local content. Take one look at you’ll realise this is probably something based on a Suzuki as it looks like the Suzuki ER-V, plus Suzuki is one of ChangAn’s partners in China.

Something similiar in size and shape to this vehicle was introduced in Malaysia sometime ago. I’m sure some of you remember the Suzuki APV, which retailed for over RM70k. It didn’t do very well, probably because of its van-like looks. But the 3.8 meter long Chana Era CM8 has one advantage under its sleeves – it’s insanely low price tag of RM38,888 OTR with insurance for the cheapest model. This goes up to just under RM45k for the most expensive models.

The Chana Era CM8 is built on a monocoque chassis which is superior in terms of ride comfort and handling compared to the body-on-frame that other cheap MPVs use. It’s essentially a van, with a van-like engine position. It has sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle for access to the rear. The 2nd and 3rd row have their own air cond blower located at the ceiling. The key differences between the Standard and Premium models are ABS brakes, a stereo radio with a single CD player, speakers, an electric power steering and 14 inch alloy wheels which are all features only available on the Premium version. Power windows are only available on the front two doors for both models.

Both variants are powered by a Suzuki-derived 1,310cc inline-4 16 valve aluminium alloy engine producing 80 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 102Nm of torque between 4,500 to 5,000rpm. This is mated to a 5-speed manual, with no automatic version in sight even in the near future. Top speed is 135km/h. Brakes are discs for the front and drums at the rear. Tyre size is 175/65R14 for both the Premium’s alloys and the Standard’s steel wheels. It measures 3,856mm long, 1,568mm wide and 1,898mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,430mm.

At first impressions the interior plastic quality and the touch and feel of the CM8 is quite rough, especially where different plastic bits meet together. Mechanically it remains to be seen but as it is a basic 16 valve inline-4 without any funky features like variable valve timing it should be easy to maintain. If you want to compare to another China-sourced car, the Naza Forza (Naza Sutera) definitely has better interior quality.

It’s quite obvious the proposition that the CM8 is offering to you is cheap to buy. There are many people who do not place importance on interior quality and just want something that works and isn’t expensive. This is the car for them. It remains to be seen whether it is cheap to maintain and cheap to run. I will try to get a test drive session and report to you how it drives as well as the fuel consumption I can get.

Ford is looking to dump its premium brand Volvo, known for its safety, and is currently said to be in talks with two Chinese car manufacturers – Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and ChangAn Automobile Group.

The SAIC rumour came about last week, reported by publications which were quoting unnamed sources. According to reports, Ford is hoping the Volvo sale can fetch £4 billion, which is less than the £4.4 billion sum it paid for Volvo in 1999. SAIC could do perform some front wheel drive platform sharing magic between MG and Ford.

Ford refused to comment on the talks when contacted by members of the media. “We will not comment on speculation or rumors, nor will we comment on regular business discussions that we have with our partners,” Ford said in a statement. Changan is Ford’s partner in China, and makes some Fords and Mazdas in China under one of its subsidiaries. It also assembles the Volvo S40 in China.

Another Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Group is also mildly interested in acquiring any assets the Detroit Three may dump for cheap. You may have noticed Dongfeng trucks in Malaysia. But Dongfeng is only monitoring the situation at best, and it’s too early to say if it would buy any assets.

Related Posts:
Volvo trucks doesn’t want Volvo cars if Ford sells

A silver ChangAn CV6 Ben Ben has been sighted at the JPJ Putrajaya building last week, most likely brought in by Changan Berjaya Auto Sdn Bhd. This would be the second ChangAn model spotted in Malaysia so far. The first was the Changan CM8 MPV, spotted with light disguise around the Klang Valley sometime last year.

The CV6 Ben Ben is a 5-door hatchback that seats 5. It also looks like it has some decent crash test safety, according to these photos. ChangAn has even displayed a sporty version with a bodykit in the past. It is powered by a 1.3 liter engine, but I have no horsepower and torque information at the moment. It is priced at under 50,000 RMB in China, which converts to about RM22,200.

If you remember, ChangAn was also the first Chinese company to develop its own hybrid car using a 1.5 liter gasoline engine combined with an electric motor. It also recently announced China’s first independently-developed hydrogen engine.

UPDATE: Looks like the ChangAn CV6 Ben Ben’s crash test results don’t look so good, click here. Thanks to reader Niceguy for the pointer in the comments.

Changan Berjaya Auto Sdn Bhd’s website says it plans to launch its first model before the end of 2007, so I guess there has been some delay. It has two models on display on its web page, the CM8 and the CV6 Ben Ben.

For more pictures of the silver CV6 Ben Ben, read the post after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of ChangAn CV6 Ben Ben spotted in Putrajaya!

After 6 years of development, the Chang’An Jiexun HVE hybrid vehicle has rolled off the production lines – China’s first locally developed hybrid vehicle. It’s your run of the mill hybrid – a 1.5 liter gasoline engine combined with an electric motor. Chang’An says this will improve fuel efficiency by 20%.

Not sure how well this will do – Toyota only sold 2,000 Prius hybrid vehicles in China last year, but Chang’An promises the Jiexun HVE will be cheaper than foreign hybrids in the Chinese market. Chang’An also recently announced Chinas first independently-developed hydrogen engine earlier this year.

Could this Chang’An Jiexun HVE possibly come to Malaysia? We’ve had sightings of a tall MPV on road tests in Malaysia, not sure what happened to that one, but the model has been identified as the Chang’An CM8.

Related Posts:
Chang’An unveils China’s first independently developed hydrogen engine
Chang’An CM8 spotted in Malaysia!
Chang’An CM8 to be assembled in Malaysia

Of the many Chinese car manufacturers, some of the Malaysian public would have been introduced to the ChangAn brand already because of the ChangAn MPV that has been spotted going around the Klang Valley on road tests.

Anyhow, ChangAn’s R&D has been advancing and their labs have managed to churn out something much more advanced than the ChangAn CM8 – China’s first independently-developed hydrogen engine!

ChangAn began to research this hydrogen engine back in 2005, and a prototype has been produced after 2 years.

Source

UPDATE: The CM8 has been launched in Malaysia as the Chana Era CM8, the cheapest 7-seater in Malaysia with a price tag starting from under RM40k.

A long time ago back in December 2005, there was an agreement signed between a Malaysian company and ChangAn Auto Group, based in Chongqing, China to assemble the ChangAn CM8 in Malaysia. It’s been one and a half years since, and I bet that most of us have forgotten about this.

But today, reader Edward sent in these shots of a ChangAn CM8 with a tradeplate spotted in Subang Jaya on Jalan Kewajipan turning out from the Kesas Highway, This could either be a CBU ChangAn CM8, or a locally assembled one. Whichever it is, we could see a competitor to the Toyota Avanza, Suzuki E-RV, and the upcoming Nissan Livina soon, as the ChangAn CM8 would likely fall into that segment and price range.

Just some backgrounder on ChangAn: ChangAn is an automotive group in China whose ventures include ChangAn Ford, ChangAn Ford Mazda Engine, ChangAn Suzuki, and even Jiangling, which most of you would have known by now because of the controversial Jiangling Landwind crash test results.

Two more photos after the jump, and check out the related posts for clearer product shots of the ChangAn CM8.

Related Posts:
ChangAn CM8 to be assembled in Malaysia

Click here to read the rest of ChangAn CM8 spotted in Malaysia!

UPDATE: The CM8 has been launched in Malaysia as the Chana Era CM8, the cheapest 7-seater in Malaysia with a price tag starting from under RM40k.

ChangAn Auto Group, based in Chongqing, China has completed negotiations with a Malaysian company to build it’s ChangAn CM8 here in Malaysia. An agreement was signed this week on investing and building an assembly plant for the vehicle. ChangAn Auto is the fourth-largest producer of automobiles in China as of 2005.

Click here to read the rest of ChangAn CM8 assembled in Malaysia