Chevy lumina apv series#

The L’Universelle’s lack of a working transaxle was just as well. Look America we already have two non-functioning FWD vehicles! Just wait until 1980 when we start building non-functional FWD cars by the millions! Just like GM’s other FWD concept in 1955, the LaSalle II roadster. Said transaxle was actually non-functioning, so the L’Universelle was a “pusher”, meaning it had to be pushed from its transporter into the Motorama exhibit hall, The L’Universelle had a front-mid mounted Pontiac V8 engine, which in theory drove the front wheels through a transaxle. As in: it couldn’t even move under its own power. Like so many GM concepts, it had lots of wow factor, but was intrinsically and profoundly flawed. It was shown in GM’s traveling three-ring circus, the 1955 Motorama. In fact GM pioneered the idea of the modern American FWD minivan, way back in 1955 with their GMC L’Universelle concept ( DKW had been building their FWD Schnellaster minivan since 1949). It’s not like minivans or compact vans were an alien concept to GM. What Americans really want is a minivan that looks like a space shuttle! Not. Or they were conceived in GM’s notorious bubble of hubris, where its product planners and designers were seemingly perpetually stuck in a Jetsons-Futurama mind set, convinced that they could wow Americans with more advanced design and technology. They either arrived with deadly flaws in their quality/reliability, like the Vega, Citation and quite a few other models. There are two primary reasons GM vehicles have failed. Given that this segment was expanding rapidly, had high transaction prices and healthy profit potential, GM’s utter failure to find any success in it is almost bizarre and inexplicable, but GM ended up walking away from the minivan market after consistently under-performing. | ChinaCarHistory on Tongtian New Glow, the winter child.( first posted ) GM struggled in many market sectors during its decades-long decline, but none more than the minivan segment.

Tianqi Meiya T3, another car we never met in traffic.JFK on Tianqi Meiya T3, another car we never met in traffic.Matti on The Dongfeng EQ6400PL Baolai Xideng station wagon.Erik Van Ingen Schenau on The Dongfeng EQ6400PL Baolai Xideng station wagon.Spohr0452 on Tianqi Meiya T3, another car we never met in traffic.China Concept Cars: The Hongqi HQ3/Shengshi Extended Limousines & Inspection Car.The pickup, box car and station wagon based on the Fukang (Citroën ZX).Geely, and the first car he made a Mercedes Benz! Search for: Search Categories They make all sorts of buses and specialty vehicles, and the JB6500 still stands proudly atop of their history page! The page shows the 1999 Nushen lineup, which furthermore includes an Iveco clone and various Toyota HiAce clones. Nushen still exists today, now a subsidiary of JAC. Gearbox was a five-speed manual, sending power to the rear wheels. In the JB500 the engine delivered 87 horsepower and 157 Newton meter, good for a claimed top speed of 120 kilometers per hour. FAW used the engine for many of their own cars, including Hongqi limousines, and they sold the engine to zillions of small Chinese automakers, including Nushen.Īnd so it happened: a Chinese clone of a Chevrolet powered by a Chrysler engine. This engine was a rebadged Chrysler K-platform unit.įAW bought the rights, tooling, and production line of this engine from Chrysler in a 1987 deal. The JB500 was powered by a four-cylinder 2.2 liter CA488 engine, sourced from First Auto Works (FAW), and made in China. That is as close as a clone can get, and very impressive for the time. But it stands far too high on its feet, especially at the rear.

Nushen did a good job with the basic body shape and proportions. The Nushen JB6500 debuted in 1996 and was made in very small numbers until 2001.

Chevy lumina apv series#

They made a series of vans, minivans, and small buses. That company was called Jiangsu Nushen Automobile, founded in 1990 and based in Jiangdou city in Jiangsu Province. So it is perhaps no surprise that a Chinese company copied it. Even today a lot of them are still around. It was a popular car that, somewhat surprisingly, stood the test of time rather well. The photo shows a shipload of the things arriving in a Chinese port, with General Motors saying thank you to the Chinese. The real Chevrolet Lumina was officially marketed in China from 1993 until 1996. And it has a Chrysler engine under the bonnet.