CMC Veryca: Taiwan’s long-lived Minicab

The CMC Veryca is a cabover microvan and mini truck built and sold in Taiwan by China Motor Corporation since 2000. It began as a long-wheelbase version of the Mitsubishi Minicab, unrestricted by Japanese kei-car rules, and it has stayed in production long after the Japanese original moved on.

CMC Veryca at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the CMC Veryca.

History of the CMC Veryca

From Minicab to Varica

China Motor Corporation built its first commercial vehicle in 1978: the CMC Minicab, a locally made rebadged third-generation Mitsubishi Minicab, sold under the Chinese name Bǎi Lì. A second generation followed in 1985, again a rebadged Mitsubishi Minicab, this time the fourth generation.

In 1989 the van was redesigned by Yulon and renamed CMC Varica, with the Chinese name changed to Wēi Lì. It used a 1,061 cc 4G82 engine with 58 PS, a wheelbase lengthened to 1,475 mm just in front of the rear axle and an overall length of up to 3,645 mm; top speed was 115 km/h. A facelift in 1993 updated the headlamps and dropped the grille, and a second facelift in 1998 brought a longer, more rounded nose and a 1.2-litre engine in place of the 1.1. The Varica stayed on sale until 2007, and from 2004 a diesel version was also built in India by Premier from Taiwanese body panels.

The Veryca

The Veryca arrived in 2000 as the successor to the Varica, based on the sixth-generation Mitsubishi Minicab Town Box Wide but restyled by CMC’s own design centre, with a longer rear overhang and new front and rear graphics. Because it was never bound by kei regulations, its engines were soon larger than the Japanese ones. A 2001 version called the Veryca Magic, with wider wheel arches and a 1.6-litre engine, was aimed at private buyers rather than the usual commercial customers.

In 2013 CMC facelifted the Veryca and began badging its own products with the CMC name instead of Mitsubishi. A second facelift in 2018 changed the front and rear ends and introduced the A180 designation for vans and A190 for pickups. The successor J Space was unveiled in 2024, but some versions, including the A190, stayed in production alongside it.

Electric and Chinese versions

The Veryca has been sold as an electric vehicle since the e-Veryca, renamed E300 in 2023. The E300 has a 129 hp motor, a top speed of 100 km/h and an NEDC range of 298 km for the five-seat van, 309 km for the two-seat chassis cab and 326 km for the pickup. For China, a rebadged Veryca was built through CMC’s partnership with Soueast Motors; after a facelift it became the Soueast Xiwang C1, launched at the 2010 Guangzhou show and produced from 2011 with 1.3-litre engines of 82 or 92 hp.

Design and features

• Long wheelbase: the Veryca is a widened, stretched Minicab Town Box Wide, not a kei vehicle.
• Many bodies: van, pickup and chassis cab versions share one cab.
• Magic: a 1.6-litre passenger version with wider wheel arches from 2001.
• Electric E300: up to 326 km of NEDC range and a 100 km/h top speed.
• Own design: restyled by CMC rather than taken directly from Mitsubishi.

CMC Veryca versions

• CMC Minicab (1978–1984): rebadged third-generation Mitsubishi Minicab.
• CMC Varica (1989–2007): redesigned van with the 1,061 cc 4G82 engine.
• Veryca (2000–): the main van and pickup range.
• Veryca Magic (2001): 1.6-litre passenger version.
• e-Veryca / E300: electric van, chassis cab and pickup.
• Soueast Xiwang C1: Chinese-market version built from 2011.

The Veryca grew out of the Mitsubishi Minicab, and its Taiwanese relatives include the Freeca and the Zinger. More Mitsubishi models are in the Mitsubishi collection.

Sources

• CMC Veryca, English Wikipedia: history, engines, electric versions