- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He Ar
Brilliance. Chinese style glitter
Brilliance China Auto is a Chinese automaker whose name translates from English and other languages as ‘brilliance/glitter’. The company’s factories are located in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. As for the company’s organizational form, it is a holding established in 1992 at the initiative of the Chinese government, which includes several, mainly automotive companies. It should immediately be clarified that Brilliance works closely with BMW. BMW cars for China are manufactured at Brilliance factories. German engineers work closely with Chinese experts, hence the similarity of design solutions. But the company has its own place in the Chinese sun: Brilliance Auto is ranked 7th in the ranking of automotive companies trading in China. Let’s figure out what “Chinese style glitter” means.
Place in the sun
Brilliance produces a wide range of vehicles, as it comprises Shenyang Brilliance JinBei Automobile Co., Ltd., which manufactures JinBei and Granse minibuses (based on Toyota’s Hiace and Granvia). The production technology was transferred to the Chinese company under a technical cooperation agreement signed between Brilliance and Toyota. These minibuses are used in China as police cars, ambulances and other special vehicles. Another major partner, as already mentioned, is the German manufacturer BMW.
Origins
Brilliance Auto was founded in 1949, but notable events took place much later. In 1992, the company entered the Chinese stock market, and in 2000, it released the first car under the Brilliance brand, having registered intellectual property rights. In 2002, the company entered the Chinese market. Brilliance Auto became a unitary enterprise established according to the decision of state authorities and the government of Liaoning Province. A year later, the company and the German automaker BMW created a joint venture, BMW Brilliance Automotive, and five years later, the Brilliance Auto research and development center won the National Technology Center award. The ‘brilliant’ Chinese company has more than 500 technological patents (including about 100 international ones).
In 2011, the holding was ranked the 7th in the rating of automobile companies trading in China, which it heroically (taking into account fierce competition) holds to this day. On March 25, 2014, the company unveiled the Brilliance V5 SUV. In 2015, the world saw the Brilliance V3 compact SUV that became the brand’s best-selling vehicle in China. And a couple of years later (in 2017), Renault Group and Brilliance Auto agreed that their joint venture would produce 150,000 commercial vehicles in the LCV segment annually. Today, the holding, which employs 49 thousand people, includes 4 companies: Brilliance Jinbei Automobile Co., Ltd, BMW Brilliance Automobile Co., Ltd, Shenyang Jinbei Vehicle Manufacturing Co., Ltd, Shenyang Aerospace Mitsubishi Motor Engine Manufacturing Co., Ltd, as well as more than 100 subsidiaries, holdings and equity firms.
Model range
In addition to the aforementioned compact SUVs, the company produced other models. For example, the Brilliance H230 (2012-2017), Brilliance H530 (2014-2018), Brilliance M1 (2004-2012) and Brilliance M2 (2006-2012) sedans exported outside the Celestial Empire.
Brilliance H230 sedan and Brilliance H220 hatchback
In 2012, the compact sedan appeared in China, followed by a 5-door hatchback that was introduced a year later. The car was equipped with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine (105 hp) in combination with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed robotic gearbox. The manufacturer tried to assemble and sell the car in Russia, but it ‘didn’t work out’. At the same time, the car kept on being produced in China until 2017. Moreover, the local market still offers an electric version of the Brilliance H230EV with an engine producing 88 hp and a battery that provides a driving range of 150 km.
Brilliance H530 sedan
The H530 sedan looks a lot like a BMW model. It has elongated headlights with lens optics and LED running lights. The radiator grille consists of two nostrils separated by an overlay with the manufacturer’s logo. They are covered with many thin horizontally oriented ribs. The H530 is 4,708 mm long, 1,788 mm wide and 1,475 mm high, and has a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. The trunk has a good capacity: 520 liters. The sedan is equipped with a 1.6-liter engine with 110 hp, 5-speed manual or automatic gearboxes and front-wheel drive.
Brilliance М1 sedan
The Brilliance M1 sedan was created on Mitsubishi’s platform, and its design was created by the specialists of the Italian studio Giugiaro. The dimensions of the model allow us to declare that it belongs to the business class. The car is 4,880 mm long due to the increase in the rear overhang, while the wheelbase is only 2,790 mm. The car is 1,800 mm wide and 1,450 mm high. The sedan looks massive, solid and representative. However, despite good ergonomics, the interior is finished with the low quality materials. The car comes with Mitsubishi’s 2.0-liter engine producing 129 hp and a 4-speed automatic gearbox (there is also a 5-speed manual gearbox).
Brilliance М2 sedan
The Brilliance M2 was similar to the M1, but had two Mitsubishi’s 1.6 and 1.8-liter turbo engines, coupled with automatic or manual gearboxes. The interior of the model was trimmed with leather. According to the manufacturer, this mid-size sedan was developed with the participation of Porsche, while Italdesign was responsible for its design, and one of the features of the model was a rear multi-link suspension. This car became famous for failing crash tests and therefore was not sold in Europe.
Brilliance V3 SUV
Considering the mistakes of the past, Brilliance Auto uses good solutions now: the design is still created by the Italians, but the car has a nice comfortable and functional interior and is equipped with modern systems. The V3 subcompact SUV is based on a front-wheel drive platform with an independent McPherson strut suspension at the front and a torsion beam semi-independent suspension at the rear.
Brilliance V5 SUV
This compact SUV looks like a BMW. It is equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo gasoline engine with 143 hp, coupled with a 5-speed automatic gearbox. The vehicle is front-wheel drive only. The basic equipment includes two airbags, ESC, air conditioning, a multimedia system, heated front seats, parking sensors, roof rails, and fog lights. In 2017, the model was restyled.
