The Chinese-Made Holden Commodore You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
When most Australians think of the Holden Commodore, they think of local roads, family wagons, taxi ranks, V8s, P-platers, highway patrol cars, and the great Aussie battle between Holden and Ford.
What they probably do not think of is Beijing.
But tucked away in one of the stranger corners of automotive history is the BJ6490, a Chinese-built vehicle based on the VN Holden Commodore.
Yes, really.
A Chinese-made Commodore wagon existed — and the story gets even better. There were also electric and hybrid versions.
For Australian car fans and diecast collectors, this is exactly the kind of weird automotive history that makes the hobby so interesting.
A Holden Commodore, But Not As We Know It
The BJ6490 was reportedly built by Beijing Travel Vehicle Works, also known as Beilu. It was based on the VN Holden Commodore, one of Australia’s most recognisable late-1980s and early-1990s family cars.
But this was not simply a regular VN Commodore with a different badge.
According to ChinaCarHistory, the BJ6490 used a 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine of unknown origin, rather than the engines Australians would usually associate with the VN Commodore.
That alone makes it fascinating.
The VN Commodore in Australia was known for its large family-car proportions and, depending on the model, six-cylinder or V8 power. The idea of a Commodore-bodied wagon running around China with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine feels like something from an alternate automotive timeline.
Why Was It Sitting So High?
One of the strangest things about the BJ6490 is its ride height.
Photos shared in the original ChinaCarHistory article show a blue BJ6490 sitting noticeably higher than a normal VN Commodore. The article suggests Beilu may have raised the vehicle to better handle rougher roads outside major cities.
That actually makes sense.
In Australia, the VN Commodore was a big family car built for suburban roads, highways, and long-distance touring. But in 1990s China, especially outside major urban areas, road conditions could vary heavily.
So the BJ6490 appears to have become something slightly different: part Commodore wagon, part rough-road people mover, part local Chinese experiment.
The Beijing Badge
Another interesting detail is the badging.
The BJ6490 wore Beijing/Beilu identification rather than Holden branding. ChinaCarHistory notes that one badge reads Beijing Travel Vehicle Works – Beilu, while the rear/model designation shows BJ6490 and a 2.2 engine badge.
To an Australian enthusiast, seeing a Holden Commodore shape with unfamiliar Chinese badging is seriously odd.
It is the kind of car that would make you do a double take.
From a collector’s point of view, it also raises an interesting question: if someone ever made a 1:64 scale version of the BJ6490, would it be a Holden model, a Chinese car model, or both?
Honestly, it would be an incredible obscure release.
The Electric Version: BJ6490D
As strange as the petrol BJ6490 is, the electric version is even more fascinating.
At a 1996 electric vehicle expo in Beijing, an electric version known as the BJ6490D appeared. The vehicle was developed under a Beijing Second Auto Works green vehicle research division, with engineer Yuan Jia Zhen involved in the project.
The electric BJ6490D reportedly used a mix of Chinese and imported components. ChinaCarHistory says the speed controller and accelerator came from Curtis, the motor was produced by Sichuan Electric Motor Factory, and the batteries were similar to golf-cart batteries. The claimed range was around 100km, with a top speed of 92km/h.
For the mid-1990s, that is genuinely interesting.
This was not a modern EV with slick marketing and software updates. This was a Commodore-based Chinese electric prototype using practical, available parts to explore what electric vehicles might become.
The BYD Connection
Here is where the story becomes even more unexpected.
According to the ChinaCarHistory article, in 1997 Wang Chuanfu, the founder of BYD, showed interest in buying an electric vehicle for experimentation. Yuan Jia Zhen reportedly convinced him to purchase a BJ6490D instead of importing a different electric car.
That is a wild historical footnote.
BYD is now one of the biggest electric vehicle companies in the world. The idea that an electric Commodore-based wagon may have played a tiny part in BYD’s early EV experimentation is almost unbelievable.
It does not mean the BJ6490D “created BYD” or anything over the top like that. But it does make the car a surprisingly interesting piece of the wider EV story.
A Holden-based Chinese wagon sitting somewhere near the early days of BYD’s electric vehicle research? That is proper automotive trivia.
There Was a Hybrid Too
The BJ6490 story did not stop with petrol and electric versions.
In 1998, a hybrid version was reportedly shown at an auto show, possibly the Beijing Auto Show. ChinaCarHistory says this hybrid added a petrol engine that acted as a generator to charge the batteries while the vehicle was moving.
The article also notes that battery-only range was said to be around 200km after battery changes, which is impressive for the era if accurate.
Again, this is not what most Australian car fans expect when they think of a VN Commodore.
The VN was launched in Australia as a mainstream family car. In China, its basic body appears to have been used as a platform for experiments in petrol, electric and hybrid mobility.
That is seriously cool.
Why This Matters to Collectors
So why talk about this on Hot Match Collectables?
Because diecast collecting is not just about small cars. It is about the stories behind the cars.
Collectors love the oddities:
- strange rebadges
- export models
- forgotten prototypes
- government vehicles
- limited-production cars
- cars that were never sold in your country
- vehicles with unexpected historical connections
The BJ6490 ticks nearly all of those boxes.
It connects Australian car culture, Chinese automotive history, early electric vehicle experimentation, and one of the most recognisable Holden platforms of the 1990s.
For a model car collector, that is gold.
Imagine This as a Diecast Model
Now here is the fun part.
Imagine a 1:64 scale release of the BJ6490.
You could have:
- the raised blue petrol wagon
- the BJ6490D electric version
- the hybrid version with experimental markings
- a standard VN Commodore comparison model
- a “forgotten prototypes” series
- a “weird export cars” series
For Australian collectors, it would be a must-have oddball. For Chinese car collectors, it would represent a small but fascinating piece of local automotive development. For EV collectors, it would have an early electric vehicle connection.
Honestly, someone should make it.
Final Thoughts
The BJ6490 is one of those cars that sounds made up until you actually read into it.
A Chinese-built Holden Commodore wagon.
A 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine.
A raised ride height.
An electric version.
A hybrid version.
A possible early connection to BYD’s EV experimentation.
It is weird, obscure, and exactly the kind of story that makes automotive history so addictive.
For Aussies, the Holden Commodore is part of everyday motoring history. For collectors, the BJ6490 shows how far a familiar shape can travel — and how differently it can be used once it gets there.
Sometimes the best car stories are not the famous ones.
Sometimes they are the strange little footnotes hiding in plain sight.
Source and further reading: ChinaCarHistory’s article “The BJ6490 – A Chinese made Holden Commodore”.