Sonny United Automobile Enterprise ( 승리 자동차 종합 기업소 ) is a 600,000 m² automobile plant in Toccheon, Pyeong Namdo Province, North Korea . It was the most powerful enterprise in the North Korean automobile industry before its production volumes were surpassed by the Pyeongwa Chadonchha factory. The plant produces cars, light, medium and heavy trucks, as well as construction and off-road trucks and buses. All models are replicas or derivatives of foreign cars. [1] Vehicles are generally for civilian and commercial use, officials prefer foreign imported cars, and the armed forces have their own factories. [2]
Content
History
The Sonny Automobile Plant was founded in 1950 as the Toccheon Automobile Plant ( 덕천 자동차 공장 ). In 1958, he produced his first car, the Sonny 58 truck. In 1975, the plant was renamed the United Automobile Enterprise “Sonny” ( 승리 - “victory”). In 1980, annual production, according to a government report, was 20,000 units per year, but in reality, most likely, from 6,000 to 7,000 units per year. In 1996, production was reduced due to economic difficulties to about 150 units.
The newest car produced at this plant is the Sonny ZR 5000 mining dump truck, which is driven by a W-shaped 4-cylinder engine with 1,000 horsepower. [2]
Car Models
- “Achkhimkot” ( 아침 꽃 - “Flower of the Dawn”) - 5-seater sedan, copy of the GAZ-M20 “Victory” . Most likely one prototype. [3]
- “Konchkhuk” ( 건축 - “construction”) [1] .
- “Chaju” ( 자주 - “independence”) is a five-seater passenger car [1] . Clone Volkswagen Passat .
- “Kensen” ( 갱생 - “Renaissance”) is a more modified “Sonny-4.10” (Korean mixture of GAZ-69 and Willis ) of 1968, then the production was transferred to the Pyeongsan automobile plant [1] .
- “Pektusan” ( 백두산 ), “Pyongyang-4.10” and “Kensen-88” are clones of 1987 Mercedes-Benz W201 , a luxury passenger car [1] .
- Synthback ( 신태백 ) [1] .
- "Sonny-4.10" - the Korean version of the all-terrain vehicle GAZ-69 with a new modified front end.
- "Sonny-4.25" - the Korean version of the GAZ-69 with a pickup truck [1] .
Truck Models
- Kumsusan ( 금수산 ) is a 1979-ton 40 ton construction dump truck. [1]
- Sonyon is a small urban truck of the 1990s.
- “Sonny-58” ( 승리 58 호 ) [1] - a clone of the Soviet truck GAZ-51 , but with weaker springs. The disadvantage of “Sonny-58” is also a very high fuel consumption due to the roughly copied carburetor GAZ-51, which has been used since 1961 [4] [5] . Its production began in 1958 [6] . Later versions of the Sungri-58KA and Sungri-58NA (4x4) with a new cab appeared in the 1970s.
- “Sonny-60 / 10.10”) is a large truck of the 1960s with a 6x6 wheel arrangement, it has a load capacity of ten tons and is used primarily for military purposes. He was depicted on the North Korean postage stamp of 1961 [7] .
- “Sonny-61” - based on the truck GAZ-63 . Modification "Sonny-58" with a 4x4 wheel formula. Production of the “Sonny-61” began in 1961 [7] . Later, the “Sonny-61NA” appeared with a payload increased to 2 tons and a new cabin.
- “Sonny / Chadzhu-64” is a 6x4 dump truck based on the KrAZ-222 Dnepr [8] , has 10 tons of payload and a 15-liter V8-cylinder diesel engine. He was depicted on a 1965 North Korean postage stamp. [7] , was produced from 1964 to 1982.
- Sonny / Chadzhu-82 is a 1982 multi-purpose truck with a 4x2 wheel arrangement, has 10 tons of payload and a 15-liter V8-cylinder diesel engine. It was depicted on a 1988 North Korean postage stamp. Sometimes called “Chaju” [9] .
- “Synnisan / Console-25” (“Victory Mountain / Construction”) - a 25-ton dump truck of 1970. It is based on the design of the BelAZ truck [7] . It was later produced at the Plant named after March 30.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kim, Mi-young The Struggling North Korean Automobile Industry . The Chosun Ilbo (February 5, 2002). Archived on December 5, 2002.
- ↑ 1 2 Hoare, James E. Historical Dictionary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. - Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2012 .-- ISBN 0810879875 .
- ↑ Van Ingen Schenau, Erik Achimkoy (Flower of the Morning) . China Motor Vehicle Documentation Center. Date of appeal September 17, 2013.
- ↑ Full text of "1997 North Korea Country Handbook (Insignia and Uniforms)" . Internet Archive. Date of appeal September 14, 2011.
- ↑ Google Groups
- ↑ Sungri-58 / GAZ-51 - Wood Burning Truck | The North Korean ver ... | Flickr
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 [1] (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Korean relative of KrAZ // "Truck Press", No. 3, 2008
- ↑ Van Ingen Schenau, Erik CHAJU 82, later renamed CHAJU 64 . China Motor Vehicle Documentation Center. Date of appeal September 17, 2013.