Wuling Dragon
Encyclopedia
The Wuling Dragon is a series of Microvan
s and mini pickup truck
s made by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile
, a Chinese
joint venture with General Motors
of the United States. The Dragon is the successor of the earlier Liuzhou Wuling LZ 110, which was based on the 1977-1984 Mitsubishi Minicab
.
Production began around 1990 after an agreement was signed with Mitsubishi to produce the 1984-1991 Mitsubishi Minicab
under license, as the Liuzhou Wuling LZW 6320/6430 (bus/van versions) and LZW 1010 (pickup trucks). In 1998 the car received a facelift and became the LZW6330/6332. A seven passenger minivan called the LZW6360 was added in 2003.
The engines used were originally a Daihatsu 843 cc three-cylinder and Mitsubishi's 1,061 cc 4G82 four cylinder (all Chinese built). Since at least 1998 the engines used are 0.8, 1.0, and 1.1 litre versions of the old Suzuki F8A/F10A inline fours with 35, 43, and 48 PS (26, 32, and 35 kW) respectively. More recently the 1.1 has been dropped and the power of the smaller engines are increased to 39 PS. Other engines have also been fitted, such as Daihatsu's 993 cc three-cylinder.
The Dragon is popular as it is of the right size for China's densely populated areas and it is cheaper than most import vehicles into China. The long wheelbase double cab pickup (LZW 1010SD/PSN, more recently LZW 1020PSLNE3) developed by Wuling sits on a longer (237 cm (93 in)) wheelbase and is of 417 cm (164 in) overall length, considerably longer than the 332 cm (131 in) of the microvan version.
Microvan
A microvan is a van that fits into Japanese kei car classification or similar. In certain regions, these models are inexpensive and widely used for small business because of tax and insurance benefits; for example, in Japan they are exempted from a certification that there is adequate parking...
s and mini pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
s made by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile
SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile
SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile is a joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation of China and Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co., Ltd...
, a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
joint venture with General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
of the United States. The Dragon is the successor of the earlier Liuzhou Wuling LZ 110, which was based on the 1977-1984 Mitsubishi Minicab
Mitsubishi Minicab
The Mitsubishi Minicab is a kei truck and microvan built and sold in Japan by Mitsubishi Motors since 1966.-First generation:The Minicab cab-over pickup truck was launched in 1966 to replace the 360, which by this time had adopted the same model name as the Minica sedan...
.
Production began around 1990 after an agreement was signed with Mitsubishi to produce the 1984-1991 Mitsubishi Minicab
Mitsubishi Minicab
The Mitsubishi Minicab is a kei truck and microvan built and sold in Japan by Mitsubishi Motors since 1966.-First generation:The Minicab cab-over pickup truck was launched in 1966 to replace the 360, which by this time had adopted the same model name as the Minica sedan...
under license, as the Liuzhou Wuling LZW 6320/6430 (bus/van versions) and LZW 1010 (pickup trucks). In 1998 the car received a facelift and became the LZW6330/6332. A seven passenger minivan called the LZW6360 was added in 2003.
The engines used were originally a Daihatsu 843 cc three-cylinder and Mitsubishi's 1,061 cc 4G82 four cylinder (all Chinese built). Since at least 1998 the engines used are 0.8, 1.0, and 1.1 litre versions of the old Suzuki F8A/F10A inline fours with 35, 43, and 48 PS (26, 32, and 35 kW) respectively. More recently the 1.1 has been dropped and the power of the smaller engines are increased to 39 PS. Other engines have also been fitted, such as Daihatsu's 993 cc three-cylinder.
The Dragon is popular as it is of the right size for China's densely populated areas and it is cheaper than most import vehicles into China. The long wheelbase double cab pickup (LZW 1010SD/PSN, more recently LZW 1020PSLNE3) developed by Wuling sits on a longer (237 cm (93 in)) wheelbase and is of 417 cm (164 in) overall length, considerably longer than the 332 cm (131 in) of the microvan version.