The JAC Heyue Tongyue (aka JAC J3) is a

subcompact Subcompact car is a North American classification for cars smaller than a compact car. It is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe), supermini (Great Britain) or A0-class (China) classifications. According to the U.S. Environmental Prote ...

sedan and hatchback produced by

JAC Motors JAC Motors (; officially Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer.

in the early 2000s under the Heyue brand in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Prices as sales began ranged from 52,800 to 58,800 yuan for the sedan and started at 54,800 yuan for the standard Tongyue RS.

Overview

Development

The development of the J3 project begin in 2005 when JAC Motors signed a contract with the Italian design house

Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian mu ...

for the development of a new family of compact cars; in 2008 the prototypes JAC A107 (two-box hatchback) and A108 (three-box sedan) are presented to

Auto China Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Beijing Motor Show or Auto China () is an auto show held biennially in Beijing, China since 1990. China is currently the largest auto market in the world. 2020 The 2020 Auto China show was due to open o ...

and shortly thereafter they move on to industrialization. A new front-wheel drive chassis with a transverse engine is developed while an agreement is made with

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Mitsubishi Orion engine The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...

) for the supply of a 1.3-liter 16V four-cylinder (4G13).

Production version

Launched in 2008 as the JAC Tongyue sedan and the JAC Tongyue RS hatchback, the subcompact sedan and hatchback was sold worldwide under the JAC badge, with RS being the symbol for JAC hatchbacks. A later rearrangement within the JAC product line relisted the Tongyue under the Heyue brand of JAC, and the name was changed to Heyue Tongyue sedan and Heyue Tongyue RS hatchback. File:2011 JAC Tongyue RS, rear 8.9.18.jpg, JAC Heyue Tongyue RS (hatchback) File:JAC J3 Turin 1.3 2014 (14529158453).jpg, JAC J3 in Turin (sedan) A facelift in 2014 changed the name of the sedan to Heyue A13. The facelift features a redesigned front with smoked lamps and a restyled rear end with horizontal lamps extending on to the trunk lid. The Heyue A13 was powered by a 1.3 liter DOHC natural aspirated engine producing 99 hp (73 kW)/6000rpm and 124Nm/4000rpm of torque.

Safety

The Chinese-made J3 in its most basic Latin American version with 2 airbags received 1 star for adult occupants and 2 stars for toddlers from

Latin NCAP The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) is an automobile safety assessment programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 2010, it offers independent information to consumers about the safety levels of new cars in the ...

in 2012.

JAC Tongyue RS Cross

The JAC Tongyue RS Cross is the crossover version of the JAC Tongyue RS with power coming from a 1.3 litre engine producing 73 kW and 126 nm of torque. File:JAC Tongyue RS Cross 01 Auto Chongqing 2012-06-07.jpg, Tongyue RS Cross version] File:JAC J3 1.3 Cross 2013 (10414427514).jpg, 2013 J3 1.3 Cross, front File:JAC J3 1.3 Cross 2014 (43906734104).jpg, 2014 J3 1.3 Cross, rear

JAC iEV4 (EV)

An electric version of the Tongyue based on the regular Tongyue sedan was also available called the Tongyue EV. In 2011, the Tongyue EV had a range of and a weight of . Later renamed the iEV4, the electric car was developed on the basis of J3. The iEV4 has a 13-kilowatt electric motor with 170 Nm torque and a 19.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. At full charge, the sedan was stated by JAC to travel up to 160 km at a maximum speed of 95 km/h and up to 200 km, provided that the speed does not exceed 60 km/h. The battery may be charged in two ways: from an ordinary household network for 8 hours, or with a special charger for 2.5 hours. File:2018 JAC iEV4, front 8.16.18.jpg, 2018 JAC iEV4, front File:2017 JAC iEV4, rear 8.11.18.jpg, 2017 JAC iEV4, rear

References

External links

* {{JAC Motors JAC Motors vehicles, Heyue A13 Cars introduced in 2013 Front-wheel-drive vehicles Subcompact cars Sedans Latin NCAP superminis Cars of China Production electric cars