Hafei's products in the U.S. thanks to Miles Automotive

55480 Views 44 Replies 19 Participants Last post by Chinese LSEV, 25 d ago

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Discussion Starter · Aug 29, 2006

Street-Legal Chinese Hatchback Now on Sale in U.S.

NEW YORK — Miles Automotive has begun distributing a small, battery-powered Chinese hatchback to a few U.S. dealerships in one of the first salvos from this emerging market.

The Miles ZX40, priced from just under $15,000, is modest enough. The car has a top speed of only 25 mph and a range of 40 miles. But the distributor promises bigger and better things coming in 2007, including a new model — the XS200 — that will have a range of 200 miles, a top speed of 80 mph and a price tag of around $28,500.

The ZX40 started out life years ago as a Japanese minicompact, the Daihatsu Move. It migrated to China, where it is assembled in Tianjin by a subsidiary of auto giant FAW and rebadged as the Xinfu, or Happy Messenger. The electric version is manufactured by another Tianjin-based company, Qingyuan.

Miles Automotive describes the vehicle as "street legal," but the Chinese manufacturer says the target customers are townships, military bases, ports and research institutions.

What this means to you: The ZX40 is not to be confused with ZX Auto, another would-be U.S. distributor of Chinese vehicles made by Zhongxing.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=116474

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rmay635703

· #18 · Aug 15, 2008

Re: Miles Automotive sells electric vehicles, manufactured in China

AGR said:
They are all low speed vehicles for institutional applications, not intended for consumer road use.

Wrong I own one and it works fine and is street legal.

Top speed is 26mph on flat ground, lumbers from 20-26mph but speeds up relatively quickly from 0-20.

One question though, does anyone here actually have contacts in China? This vehicle still has the original 4 speed manual transmission and clutch from the gas engine. It has the shifting stick and clutch pedal disconnected and removed and the transmission is locked into 2nd gear which is what restricts the speed to roughly 25mph.

For speed and power purposes I would like to reinstall the shifter and the clutch pedal and linkage.

Anyone here speak chinese that could ask the manufacturer what all I would need to steel from a daihtsu mini truck to complete my transmission reenable? Any way I could buy the parts here in the US? It looks like I need to do the followign

1. Unlock the transmission
2. Install the linkage to the shifting stick
3. INstall the shifting stick where the drink holder is
4. Install the clutch cable
5. Install the clutch pedal
6. Install the associated bracketry

Thank You for any sources or information
Ryan

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rmay635703

· #20 · Oct 20, 2008

Re: Miles Automotive sells electric vehicles, manufactured in China

I have not been able to contact Daihatsu directly (no line to china)

I have tried other english speaking branches of theirs and all have said the vehicle was not imported into their market and therefore could not help.

Anyone here have any idea how I would reenable the transmission?

It has a 4 speed from a normal Daihtsu move

If someone can email them for me or PM me with the information it would be appreciated

Thanx
Ryan

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