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Guangzhou Autoshow 2008: Guangzhou Honda Linian Prototype

Beijing, 201108. Finally a good looking sportscar from China, but it's not completely Chinese. The Linanian is designed by the studio from Guangzhou Honda, a joint venture from Guangzhou Automotive and Honda.



So it is not, as other websites wrote, a prototype from Guangzhou Automotive. Guangzhou Automotive is planning it's own cars and has shown various proto's on various shows, on this show as well, I'll get back to that later, but this one is from the joint venture's designstudio.



Just as for example Beijing-Hyundai, a joint venture between Beijing Automotive and Hyundai, Guangzhou-Honda establshed it's own design-studio to 'Chinese' the Honda's made in China for the Chinese market.

To show that they are able to do some drawing they came up with this Linian, a prototype two-seater meant for knowbody knows. It looks like it has two engines, one in the front and one in the middle. Guangzhou-Honda, Guangben in Chinese, didn't release any info about the engine so I guess the Linian doesn't have any.



The logo is interesting, as so often in China. It's not a Honda-logo and it is not the 'G'-logo that Guangzhou automobile is using on it's own prototypes. This logo is indeed completely different. It might have to do with rumours saying that Guangzhou-Honda (the joint venture) wants to establish a separate brand together. That'll make things even and ever more confusing, than we'll have Guangben, Guangzhou and that 3rd one. Well, why not?



The steeringwheel reminds me of those 1980's prototypes from a country called Italy, designers like Bertone penned this sort of stuff in cars called 'Bradia' or some. The Linian will never make it to the market so have a good look and forget about it.


Source pictures: Autoblog China.