This sleek new saloon and coupé twins from Beijing Automotive Holding, dubbed the 700 and 700R, are described by officials as more of an image building exercise than any real show of production intent. They are meant to showcase BAH’s ability to create world class cars, even if they are destined to remain one-offs. If the reaction from Beijing’s show going public, which lined up some 10 deep at the company’s information booth, is any guide, its mission was successful. Best known for supplying four-wheel drives to the Chinese army, Beijing Automotive Holdings has successfully linked up with Hyundai for production of the Elantra and more recently secured a deal to begin assembly of the Mercedes C-class for the Chinese market, leading officials to set the ambitious target of building one million cars for 2008.Along with the 700 and 700R, it also unveiled an even more upmarket offering called the 800 - a car one BAH official described to Autocar as being China’s answer to the Mercedes S-class.
Greg Kable
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