Chiriquí Chatter

I have noticed a new pickup and SUV in David recently. On it’s front, it sports the letters JMC. I have been wondering what it stood for. I had thought maybe Japanese Motor Corporation or Just More Crap or Just Might Crash or Just Made Car… All of this thinking made my brain start hurting. An easy solution was to stop by the TESA dealer, who is selling the new vehicles and ask.

Well, the answer is Jiangling Motor Company. Now armed with the name and the Internet, I have learned more about JMC. Here is what I found in the company website

Company overview
Our parent company, Jiangling Motors Group, is a well-known company in China that was established 40 years ago. We, Jiangling Motors Import & Export Co. Ltd, were established in 1993. Exporting for more than a decade, we now serve clients in Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America. Our main product lines are light trucks, pickup trucks, BUVs (business utility vehicles) and SUVs.

Technological support from Ford and Isuzu

To bring you high performance vehicles, we work with Ford and Isuzu. In fact, we have been working with Ford for 10 years, and with Isuzu for 20 years. Supported by such strong R&D resources, we have now developed more than 400 models. Built with Isuzu engine technology, our vehicles feature efficient fuel consumption. And we can guarantee you lower maintenance costs because we produce most of the parts in-house.

Annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles

Your orders will be processed at our 1.27-million-square-meter facilities. Equipment is sourced from Germany, Japan, Spain, the US and Denmark. Our annual production capacity is 100,000 vehicles. Our list of factory certifications include QS-9000, ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001.

MC BUV (4X4) JMC 4×4 Business Uitlity Vehicle (Modified Pickup) with Diesel Engine

Brand Name:
· JMC BD Series

Country of Origin:
· China (mainland)

Key Specifications/Special Features:
· Driving wheel: 4×4
· Cabin: double
· Seat capacity: 7
· Wheelbase: 3025mm
· Tread front: 1395mm
· Tread rear: 1400mm
· Min. ground clearance: 220mm
· Min. turning diameter: 12.2m
· Max. gradeability: 28%
· Max. speed: 120kph
· Fuel consumption: 7L/100km
· Engine: JX493QI (4JB1)
· Displacement: 2771cc
· Max. torque (Nm/rpm): 172/2000
· Max. output (kW/hp/rpm): 55(77)/3600
· Air conditioning, power steering, beige interior

Main Export Markets:
· Eastern Europe
· Mid East/Africa
· Central/South America
· Asia
· Western Europe

I use AutoExpress to look up a lot of cars that are in Panama because the European reviews are a little more consistent with what might be shipped here than those shipped to the US. You should never use your US experience as a yardstick on the same brand car here.

From Auto Express I found this:

Jiangling copycat looks familiar…
Fans of the old Frontera will love the latest offering from Chinese firm Jiangling Motors - although GM bosses are less than happy.
The Asian firm’s Landwind off-roader bears a startling similarity to the Vauxhall - and it’s already on sale in Europe. In a statement, the US giant said: “The Landwind has no connection whatsoever with GM, and its resemblance to the Frontera is a matter our legal team is looking at.”
The Landwind costs £10,000, and some of GM’s German dealers are already selling the vehicle. Competition laws allow them to do so, and the UK could follow suit. GM continued: “Vauxhall franchises are free to sell any vehicle they wish under block-exemption rules, but we will obviously discourage them from marketing this car.”
At the moment the Landwind is only available in left-hand drive, so it will have limited appeal for buyers in the UK.

Another article:
Off-roader crash test shock

These chilling pictures show what hap-pened when one of the new range of Chinese-built cars was put to the wall in an independent 40mph crash test
This model used to be a Jiangling Landwind SUV - revealed at the Frank-furt Motor Show and featured in issue 876. A Euro NCAP crash safety inspector who witnessed the experiment seen here described the results as “appalling”.
As you can see, the engine bay crumple zone has completely collapsed, with excessive cabin intrusion. The front wheel has been forced backwards deep into the footwell. As a result, the dummy’s legs have been driven backwards and the knees up towards its chest. They are pressed against the dislodged facia.
Although not visible, the steering wheel has moved towards the dummy’s head. And to make matters worse, the column has been deflected off-line, which is likely to have impaired the performance of the driver’s airbag.
The trial was carried out by German motoring outfit ADAC (the equivalent
of our AA) which does work for crash test expert Euro NCAP. Staff blamed the poor performance of the Landwind - available on the Continent for around £10,000 - on a soft bodyshell. NCAP secretary general Adrian Hobbs said: “This test wasn’t carried out for us, so wasn’t done in line with our procedures. But one of our inspectors witnessed it and claimed the Landwind performed appallingly.”
Amazingly, Hobbs explained that, despite the severe cabin intrusion, the Landwind would still probably earn at least one Euro NCAP rating star, as the test isn’t geared to deal with vehicles with such poor protection. He said: “If the UK was going to be getting a whole load of cars such as this, we’d have to change our marking system to penalise them more for such bad cabin intrusion.”
Meanwhile, the Mazda 5 compact-MPV has been awarded five stars in a proper Euro NCAP crash test. Its overall score of 33 points makes it one of the safest cars in its class.
Mat Watson

Another:
Frontera in ‘copy’ row

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, bosses at Vauxhall should be delighted - but they’re not. Parent firm GM is considering taking legal action against a Chinese car manufacturer for breach of copyright

Now I know you have decided that JMC stands for Junk from Mainland China. I looked at the car and its fit and finish wasn’t that bad. I bought a 1964 Toyota Corona when they first came to the US and it was a piece of junk. Look where Toyota is today. I think China is on a faster track than Japan was then. It will be interesting to watch how it does.

Tags: Cars