Foton SUV Quest Revives Classic German Brand

(Beijing) – Eager for a share of China’s red-hot SUV market, a state-owned truck manufacturer is taking a road never before traveled by resurrecting a classic German brand declared dead 55 years ago.

Beiqi Foton Motor Co., a unit of vehicle manufacturing giant Beijing Automotive Industry Group Co. (BAIC), paid 5 million euros for the Borgward vehicle brand name and diamond-shaped hood badge in January 2014. Now, some 16 months later, Foton has launched full-scale production of the Borgward BX7, a full-sized SUV, for the Chinese market.