Zhejiang Jonway Automobile Co., Ltd. (),

trading as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Jonway Automobile, is a Chinese

automobile manufacturer The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...

founded in 2003 and based in Taizhou,

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

History

The Jonway Automobile represents the automotive division of the Jonway Group created in 2005. The first product launched on the market was the model Jonway UFO A380 a copy (not licensed) of the second generation Toyota RAV4 (XA20) proposed in both three-door short wheelbase and five-door long wheelbase. The car immediately got high media exposure because of the similarity with the original Japanese model in every detail. The model was subsequently exported to many Asian markets and also appeared in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

at the

International Motor Show Germany The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs. I ...

2007 in

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. Also in 2007, Jonway and DR Motor Company signed an agreement for the assembly of the UFO three-door in Macchia d'Isernia in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in a restyled and re-homologated version for European standards; the car renamed ''DR3'' was unveiled at the

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

stage at the Bologna Motor Show 2007. However, the negotiations with DR Motor failed and the project for the European UFO/DR3 was abandoned. In July 2010, the

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

n manufacturer ZAP acquired 51% of Jonway Automobile and the joint venture ''ZAP-Jonway'' was created, specializing in the construction of

electric car An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is a passenger car, passenger automobile that is propelled by an electric motor, electric traction motor, using electrical energy as the primary source of propulsion. The term normally refers to a p ...

s; the first product was the A380 EV launched on the Chinese market. In 2012, Jonway bought the historic "Viotti" name belonging to Carrozzeria Viotti and relaunched the company, establishing new headquarters in Rivoli, in the province of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. The new company represented the European division of Jonway as well as the research and development center specializing in the design of hybrid vehicles, and in the engineering of sports cars. Emanuele Bomboi is hired as head of design. It signed an agreement with the Maggiora coachbuilder to make a deep restyling of its UFO-A380 model. The model exhibited at the concept car stadium was to go into production at the end of 2013. In May of the same year, it launched a

minivan Minivan (sometimes called simply a van) is a car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows . The equivalent classification in Europe is MPV (multi-p ...

called Wuxing on the Chinese market. In 2013, it presented a second SUV named

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

based on the mechanics and body of the A380 but with a completely new exterior and interior design. In 2014, it sold the shares of Viotti to the Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Maggiora S.r.l. In April 2012, the Chinese automaker Zhejiang Jonway Group purchased the intellectual property of Aptera Motors from creditors, and in May, it announced that it would start manufacturing the 2e at its factory in Shanghai and intended to ship chassis to a small assembly plant, initially employing 15-20 people, that it would set up in Santa Rosa, with sales commencing in early 2013. Jonway was a major investor in Zap Jonway, which had been working on electric cars in Santa Rosa since the mid-1990s. The company planned to name the US company "Zaptera USA" and it displayed a prototype 2e next to a Zap Jonway car at the Beijing Motor Show. However, the close association with Zap was met with protest by electric-car enthusiasts and by May, the company said it would call the company Aptera USA and keep it independent of Zap Jonway. In June 2013, Zaptera USA said it would split into two companies: the existing Jonway-owned Zaptera USA, and an independent Aptera USA; Zaptera would make the all-electric 2e and Aptera would make a gasoline-powered version called the 2g. However, by mid-May the following year, those new Aptera companies had gone silent.

Products

Jonway Automobile products are listed as follows: * Jonway A380 - compact crossover * Jonway Falcon - compact crossover * Jonway Wuxing - compact MPV *Jonway E4X3 File:Jonway UFO.JPG, A ''Jonway UFO'' 3-door at the IAA 2007 in

File:Jonway A380 China 2014-04-16.jpg, Jonway UFO 5-door File:Skio Junfeng 01 (cropped).jpg, A Dongfeng Skio Junfeng rebadged Jonway Wuxing (The Skio Junfeng is based on the Jonway Wuxing platform and design)

References

External links

Official website of the ''Zhejiang Jonway Automobile''
*https://jonway-europe.com/ *https://www.jonwayev.com/ {{Automotive industry in China Car manufacturers of China Companies based in Taizhou, Zhejiang Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2005 Chinese brands 2005 establishments in China