Pyonghwa Motors
Encyclopedia
Pyeonghwa Motors (Hancha : 平和自動車), (a Korean language
word for "peace
", also spelled Pyonghwa) is one of only two car manufacturers and dealers in North Korean automotive industry
. It is a joint-venture in Nampo
between Pyonghwa Motors of Seoul
(South Korea
), a company owned by Sun Myung Moon
's Unification Church
, and the North Korea
n Ryonbong General Corp
. The joint venture produces small cars under licence from Fiat
and Brilliance China Auto
,, a pick-up truck
and an SUV using complete knock down kits from Chinese manufacturer Dandong Shuguang, a Mercedes-Benz
/SsangYong design luxury cars.
Pyeonghwa has the exclusive rights to car production, purchase, and sale of used cars in North Korea. However, most North Koreans are unable to afford a car. Because of the very small market for cars in the country, Pyeonghwa's output is reportedly very low. In 2003, only 314 cars were produced even though the factory had the facilities to produce up to 10,000 cars a year. Erik van Ingen Schenau, author of the book Automobiles Made in North Korea, has estimated the company's total production in 2005 at not more than around 400 units.
. The Chairman bears a strong resemblance to Mercedes-Benz
cars, which are favoured by North Korean government officials, and is indeed based on an old Mercedes E-Class
design.
In the same year, Pyeonghwa also reached an agreement with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance China Auto
to assemble its Jinbei
Haise vans, which are based on an old version of the Toyota Hiace
.
In 2007, Pyeonghwa introduced Brilliance's Junjie car under the name Hwiparam II. (The original Fiat-based Hwiparam still appears on Pyeonghwa's website.)
In 2009, Pyeonghwa announced a profit on its North Korean operations.
The Premio and Pronto are also sold in Vietnam
by Mekong Auto
(Mekong Auto has sold Fiat cars in Vietnam since 1995, and this relationship may have led to Pyeonghwa assembling Fiats in North Korea.)
to advertise. A series of billboards and TV commercials have been made in an effort to show residents that their country is still able to produce products such as motor vehicles. The ads may be aimed primarily at expatriate businesspeople in Pyongyang, but Car and Driver
magazine suggests that they are actually propaganda aimed at the local population, to make them believe that their country is economically successful.
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
word for "peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
", also spelled Pyonghwa) is one of only two car manufacturers and dealers in North Korean automotive industry
Automotive industry in North Korea
The North Korean automobile industry is one of the branches of national economy with production a hundreds times smaller than one in South Korea...
. It is a joint-venture in Nampo
Nampo
Namp'o is a city and seaport in South P'yŏngan Province, North Korea. It was a provincial-level Directly Governed City from 1980 to 2004, when it was designated a "Special City" and made a part of South P'yŏngan...
between Pyonghwa Motors of Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
(South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
), a company owned by Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
's Unification Church
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
, and the North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n Ryonbong General Corp
Ryonbong
Ryonbong General Corp. is North Korean Government-owned corporation, and its purpose is the export of metals, minerals and machines. It has branch offices in many countries...
. The joint venture produces small cars under licence from Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
and Brilliance China Auto
Brilliance China Auto
Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited is a publicly owned, Chinese investment holding company making automobiles, automotive components, and minibuses....
,, a pick-up truck
Pick-Up Truck
"Pick-Up Truck" is a song written and recorded by Belgian acid house musician Praga Khan. It is the third single from Praga's eighth studio album, Soundscraper....
and an SUV using complete knock down kits from Chinese manufacturer Dandong Shuguang, a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
/SsangYong design luxury cars.
Pyeonghwa has the exclusive rights to car production, purchase, and sale of used cars in North Korea. However, most North Koreans are unable to afford a car. Because of the very small market for cars in the country, Pyeonghwa's output is reportedly very low. In 2003, only 314 cars were produced even though the factory had the facilities to produce up to 10,000 cars a year. Erik van Ingen Schenau, author of the book Automobiles Made in North Korea, has estimated the company's total production in 2005 at not more than around 400 units.
Early history
- 1999, April - founded by the Unification ChurchUnification ChurchThe Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
- 2000, January - the joint-venture with RyonbongRyonbongRyonbong General Corp. is North Korean Government-owned corporation, and its purpose is the export of metals, minerals and machines. It has branch offices in many countries...
is announced - 2002, April - first production line in Nampo was completed and the first Hwiparam was produced
- 2004 - Premio and Pronto introduced
Further models and partnerships
In summer 2006, the North Korean government magazine Foreign Trade, which advertises North Korean products, published a photograph of a new luxury car produced by Pyeonghwa, the Junma, which appears to be a rebadged version of the South Korean SsangYong ChairmanSsangYong Chairman
SsangYong renamed pre-2008 Chairman model as Chairman H to differentiate from Chairman W. Chairman H kept same exterior, interior, engine, transmission and features as the previous models...
. The Chairman bears a strong resemblance to Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
cars, which are favoured by North Korean government officials, and is indeed based on an old Mercedes E-Class
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a range of executive-size cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in various engine and body configurations. The E initially stood for Einspritzmotor, ; a new feature in volume production vehicles at the time that the E-Class first appeared, with the E as a suffix to the...
design.
In the same year, Pyeonghwa also reached an agreement with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance China Auto
Brilliance China Auto
Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited is a publicly owned, Chinese investment holding company making automobiles, automotive components, and minibuses....
to assemble its Jinbei
Jinbei (car)
Jinbei is a car brand name of Brilliance Jinbei Automobile Co., Ltd., in Shenyang/Liaoning China, it is a subsidiary of Brilliance China Auto .-Products:...
Haise vans, which are based on an old version of the Toyota Hiace
Toyota Hiace
The Toyota HiAce is a motor vehicle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. First launched in 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of configurations, including minivan and minibus, van, pick-up, taxi, and ambulance....
.
In 2007, Pyeonghwa introduced Brilliance's Junjie car under the name Hwiparam II. (The original Fiat-based Hwiparam still appears on Pyeonghwa's website.)
In 2009, Pyeonghwa announced a profit on its North Korean operations.
The Premio and Pronto are also sold in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
by Mekong Auto
Mekong Auto
Mekong Auto Corporation headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is a car manufacturer and assembler founded in 1991. The first car was built at the Delta Auto Plant on May 20th, 1992. Japanese Saeilo Machinery Japan Inc. is the major shareholder of the company, owning 51%. The company opened...
(Mekong Auto has sold Fiat cars in Vietnam since 1995, and this relationship may have led to Pyeonghwa assembling Fiats in North Korea.)
Advertising
Pyeonghwa is currently the only company in North KoreaNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
to advertise. A series of billboards and TV commercials have been made in an effort to show residents that their country is still able to produce products such as motor vehicles. The ads may be aimed primarily at expatriate businesspeople in Pyongyang, but Car and Driver
Car and Driver
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
magazine suggests that they are actually propaganda aimed at the local population, to make them believe that their country is economically successful.
Joint-venture stockholders
- 70% Pyeonghwa Motors (Seoul) (owned by the Unification ChurchUnification ChurchThe Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
) - 30% Ryonbong Corp.
Model list
- Hwiparam I, 2000, based on the Fiat SienaFiat SienaThe Fiat Siena is the four-door sedan version of the Fiat Palio, a supermini car especially designed for developing countries. The car is similar to Fiat Albea...
. - Hwiparam Ia, 2004, based on the Fiat Premio.
- Hwiparam II, 2007, based on the Brilliance's Junjie.
- Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi) 1, 2003, based on the Fiat DoblòFiat DoblòThe Fiat Doblò is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle produced by Italian automaker Fiat since 2000, it was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2000.-First generation :...
. - Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi) 2, 2004, based on the Shuguang SUV 4x2.
- Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi) 3, 2004, based on the Shuguang pick-up.
- Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi) 4, 2005, based on the Shuguang SUV 4x4.
- Junma, 2006, concept car based on the SsangYong Chairman HSsangYong ChairmanSsangYong renamed pre-2008 Chairman model as Chairman H to differentiate from Chairman W. Chairman H kept same exterior, interior, engine, transmission and features as the previous models...
- Zunma, 2008, series production of the Junma
External links
- Official website
- Pyongwha brochure (PDF) on the Korean Friendship AssociationKorean Friendship AssociationThe Korean Friendship Association , headed by Spanish citizen Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez, is an organization working with the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , as well as an organ of promotion/public relations for the...
website - Photos of North Korean vehicles including Pyeonghwa models, compiled by the author of Automobiles Made in North Korea