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Chinese automotive giant rides into SA
The Beijing Automotive Industry Company has launched its first passenger vehicles in SA, writes Lerato Matebese
Simply dubbed BAIC (pronounced bike), the Chinese conglomerate Beijing Automotive Industry Company opened shop in SA earlier this week and introduced its first passenger cars. The D20 hatchback and sedan siblings will now be offered locally with a starting price of R149,900, going up to R209,900, for a vehicle that is sized somewhere between the B and C segments. The models are built on the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz Smart ForFour platform, while the engines — a 1.3l with 75kW and 128Nm and a 1.5l with 85kW and 148Nm — are Mitsubishi sourced, so the model’s underpinnings have, at least on paper, a proven pedigree. Unveiled at an event at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, the D20 hatchback has an uncanny resemblance to the first-generation Merc B-Class in silhouette, side and rear profile, while the grille is a blatant knock-off of the BMW i3, masked slightly with a circular insert. Joint ventures It is no surprise to learn that the company has been involved in joint ventures with...
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