The Hafei Zhongyi (哈飞中意) is a small cabover microvan made by Hafei Motor of Harbin and developed in partnership with the Italian studio Pininfarina. It was first shown at the 1999 Beijing Motor Show and became one of the shapes that made the Chinese microvan familiar far beyond China.
Hafei Zhongyi at a glance
| Maker | Hafei Motor, Harbin, China |
|---|---|
| Type | Cabover microvan |
| Design | developed with Pininfarina |
| First shown | Beijing Motor Show, 1999 |
| Names in South America | sold in Brazil and Uruguay as an Effa |
| Name in the USA | MAG C-MAG |
| Chile | launched in December 2007 together with the Ruiyi and Lobo |
| Nickname | pan de molde (“sliced bread”) in Chile; mian bao che (“bread loaf car”) in China |
| Pickup version | the Hafei Ruiyi, with an identical cab front |
The English article on the Zhongyi is short; company history comes from the English article on Hafei.
History of the Hafei Zhongyi
Hafei built its reputation on licence-built Suzuki Carry microvans sold under the Songhuajiang name, and by 2002 its vehicles were sold simply as Hafei. The Zhongyi was the company’s own step forward: a forward-control van with a one-box body, worked out with Pininfarina and presented at the Beijing Motor Show in 1999.
The shape explains both of its nicknames. In China such vans are called mian bao che, a bread-loaf car, and in Chile, where microvans and their pickup derivatives were extremely popular in the late 1970s and 1980s, they are known as pan de molde — sliced bread. The Zhongyi arrived in Chile in December 2007 together with two stablemates, the Ruiyi pickup and the Lobo city car.
Exports carried the van to several continents under different names. In Brazil and Uruguay it was marketed by Effa Motors, and in the United States MAG International sold it as a utility van under the name C-MAG. The same company offered the pickup version, the Ruiyi, as the T-MAG.
The Zhongyi also served as the base for the Ruiyi: the pickup uses the microvan’s cab with the front end unchanged and adds a load bed behind it.
Design and features
- One-box body: a cabover layout that puts the engine under the seats and gives the maximum load space for the length.
- Pininfarina involvement: the Italian studio worked on the design with Hafei.
- Export network: Effa in Brazil and Uruguay, MAG in the United States, and a Chilean launch in 2007.
- Pickup derivative: the same cab front carried over to the Ruiyi load carrier.
Hafei Zhongyi versions
- Zhongyi van: the standard passenger and utility microvan.
- Effa-badged cars: Brazilian and Uruguayan market versions.
- MAG C-MAG: the utility van sold in the United States.
- Ruiyi: the pickup version built on the same cab.
The pickup version is described in Hafei Ruiyi, and the small car launched with it in Chile is the Hafei Lobo. More cars are in the Hafei collection.
Video: Hafei Zhongyi on the road
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Hafei Zhongyi, English Wikipedia: design, show debut, export names, Chile
- Hafei, English Wikipedia: company background and model list
