JAC Heyue Tongyue

The JAC Heyue Tongyue (aka JAC J3) is a subcompact sedan and hatchback produced by JAC Motors in the early 2000s under the Heyue brand in China. 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.

Development
The development of the J3 project begin in 2005 when JAC Motors signed a contract with the Italian design house Pininfarina 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 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 (Mitsubishi Orion engine) 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.

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 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.

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 150 km and a weight of 1200 kg. 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.