Liebao, Chinese for leopard, was the name carried by the off-roaders and SUVs of Changfeng Motor from the 1980s until the end of 2014. The line began with licence-built Beijing BJ2020s, moved on to Mitsubishi Pajero-based vehicles from 1995 and grew into a broad range, before the brand was replaced by Leopaard at the end of 2014.
Changfeng Liebao at a glance
| Brand | Changfeng / Liebao, China |
|---|---|
| Maker | GAC Changfeng Motor (earlier Hunan Changfeng Motor) |
| Production | 1980s – end of 2014 (run-out models possibly into 2015) |
| Meaning | Liebao is the Chinese word for leopard |
| First models | licence-built Beijing BJ2020 off-roaders |
| Pajero assembly | from 1995 |
| Later models | Feiteng, Heijingang, Xianfeng, CS6 |
| Successor brand | Leopaard, from the end of 2014 |
| Peak sales | 127,083 vehicles in 2017 |
| End | name dropped at the end of 2014 or during 2015 |
The English Wikipedia article covers the company and the meaning of the Liebao name; the model history comes from the German articles on Changfeng and Leopaard.
History of the Changfeng Liebao
The name and the first off-roaders
Changfeng was a brand of the Changfeng Group, introduced in the 1980s. Its origins lay in a factory that began as a military repair facility, and production of SUVs, licence-built Beijing BJ2020s, started in 1988. The Liebao name was usually attached to Changfeng models — Liebao being the Chinese word for leopard. The earliest vehicles carried the codes CJY 6420 and CJY 5020, or CFY 2020, and followed the BJ2020 design.
The Pajero years
From 1995 Changfeng assembled the Mitsubishi Pajero, and the Liebao suffix has been recorded on these vehicles since that year. The first known codes were CJY 6421; an open version appeared in 1999, called CJY 6470 at first and CFA 2030 from 2004. In 2000 seven-seat vehicles joined the range under the codes CFA 6470, CJY 6470 and CBA 2030. The Feiteng and the SUV Heijingang arrived in 2002, the Xianfeng was presented in 2004 and produced from 2005, and the C 1 shown in 2005 was intended for production in 2006 but apparently never reached series output. The Changfeng Liebao CS6 followed in 2007.
GAC, Leopaard and the end
Guangzhou Automobile Group took control of Changfeng around 2012, and in January 2013 the Changfeng Group set up Hunan Liebao Automobile Co., Ltd. to continue manufacturing and marketing vehicles under the Liebao or Leopaard name. The original Changfeng Liebao name was used until at least the end of 2014, and possibly into 2015 on run-out models. At the end of 2014 the new Leopaard brand was launched by Hunan Leopaard Motors of Changsha, a company that traces its history to the Changfeng Group. Its first model, the Q6 off-roader, reached the Chinese market in December 2014; the CS10 SUV followed in April 2015, the CT7 pick-up in September 2016, the CS9 in April 2017 and the Mattu in June 2018. Sales of the new brand peaked at 127,083 vehicles in 2017 and fell to 32,407 in 2019 and 1,045 in 2020, and in July 2021 Hunan Leopaard Motors declared bankruptcy.
Design and features
- Licence-built beginnings: the range started with Beijing BJ2020 off-roaders built under licence from 1988.
- Mitsubishi Pajero connection: from 1995 the line was built around Pajero-based SUVs assembled in Changsha and Yongzhou.
- Broad range: off-roaders, seven-seat vehicles and SUVs, from the CJY 6421 to the 2007 CS6.
- State customers: as of 2008 close to seventy per cent of sales went to police, military and other government agencies.
- Exports: from 2006 vehicles were exported to Russia, South-East Asia, the Middle East and Africa, though mostly in small numbers.
Changfeng Liebao versions
- CJY 6420, CJY 5020 and CFY 2020: the first licence-built BJ2020 off-roaders.
- CJY 6421: the Pajero-based model recorded from 1995.
- CJY 6470 / CFA 2030: the open version of 1999, renamed in 2004.
- Seven-seat models (2000): CFA 6470, CJY 6470 and CBA 2030.
- Feiteng and Heijingang (2002): a compact model and an SUV.
- Xianfeng and CS6: the 2004–2005 model and the SUV of 2007.
The passenger-car side of the company is described in the article on the Changfeng Kylin. More vehicles from the maker are in the Changfeng collection.
Video: LieBao Leopard Crash Test
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Changfeng Motor, English Wikipedia: company history, Liebao name, Pajero assembly, bankruptcy
- Changfeng (Automarke), German Wikipedia: model codes, chronology, end of the name
- Leopaard, German Wikipedia: successor brand, models, sales figures
