Qiantu Motor
A Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer best known for the K50 electric sports car and the K20 electric city hatchback.
Last updated October 12, 2026
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Overview
Qiantu Motor was a Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer and automotive brand associated with Beijing Great Wall Huaguan Automobile Technology, commonly known as CH-Auto. The company developed in the context of China’s expanding new-energy-vehicle sector and was established around the ambition of creating a domestically developed, purely electric sports car. Its leading figure was Lu Qun, an engineer and manager who had worked at Beijing Automobile Works in the 1990s and later helped establish the Great Wall Huaguan automotive technology business with partners. The Qiantu brand made its public debut at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show with a pre-production version of the K50, a two-door, two-seat electric sports coupe. The production-ready car appeared at the 2016 Shanghai Auto Show, while manufacturing began at the company’s Suzhou facility in 2017. The K50 was positioned as a premium, high-performance battery-electric vehicle with distinctive styling and an ambitious role as one of China’s first domestically developed electric sports cars. It entered the Chinese market in 2018, but its high price, limited market size, and weak commercial traction made it difficult to establish sustainable volume. Qiantu attempted to broaden its future product portfolio through a series of concepts. At the 2018 Beijing Auto Show it presented the Concept 1 luxury grand tourer and the K20 small sports-car concept. In 2019 it showed the K25 and Concept 2, indicating an interest in moving beyond a single halo sports car toward a wider range of electric vehicles. The company also announced international ambitions. In December 2018 it said it intended to enter the United States, and in April 2019 it announced a proposed arrangement with California-based Mullen Technologies under which a version of the K50 was expected to be sold as the Mullen Dragonfly. That planned program was not ultimately implemented. Commercial difficulties subsequently forced a retreat. Qiantu ended K50 production in November 2020 after approximately two years and suspended operations. The company returned in June 2022 with the K20, an affordable fully electric city hatchback derived from the earlier K20 concept. The launch represented a strategic shift from a low-volume premium sports car toward a smaller and more accessible urban vehicle. Qiantu also stated that it intended to restructure, expand its model range, and pursue overseas markets, but the available record does not show that these plans developed into a durable international business. Qiantu Motor’s corporate difficulties culminated in insolvency proceedings. On January 20, 2025, Qiantu Motors (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. was declared bankrupt by the Suzhou High-tech Zone People’s Court. The proceedings followed creditor applications alleging unpaid obligations of approximately RMB 72 million and insufficient assets to satisfy liabilities. The court rejected the company’s objections concerning the value of its new-energy-vehicle license, vehicle models, and technical personnel, and found that proposed financing and overseas expansion prospects did not overcome the insolvency situation. On January 24, 2025, its parent company, CH-Auto, also filed for bankruptcy liquidation. Qiantu is therefore best understood as a defunct Chinese EV manufacturer whose history spans an ambitious electric sports-car project, an unsuccessful attempt at product diversification, and a final insolvency process.
History
Qiantu Motor emerged from Beijing Great Wall Huaguan Automobile Technology, or CH-Auto, a Chinese automotive engineering company associated with Lu Qun. Lu had worked at Beijing Automobile Works during the 1990s before joining with business partners to establish the Great Wall Huaguan enterprise. Their stated ambition was to create a Chinese sports car using a fully electric powertrain, at a time when domestic manufacturers were beginning to use new-energy vehicles as a means of building technological and brand distinction. The Qiantu marque was introduced publicly at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. Its first vehicle was the K50, a two-seat, two-door electric sports coupe shown initially in pre-production form. A substantially finalized version was displayed at the 2016 Shanghai Auto Show, and production at a Suzhou plant began in 2017. The K50 entered the Chinese market in 2018. It was intended to function both as a premium product and as a technological statement: a domestically developed battery-electric sports car with a design-led identity rather than a conventional mass-market positioning. The K50’s commercial performance was limited. Low-volume premium electric sports cars faced a narrow customer base, while Qiantu lacked the manufacturing scale, distribution reach, and financial resources of larger automotive groups. The company nevertheless continued to present concepts intended to extend its range. The 2018 Beijing Auto Show brought the Concept 1 luxury grand tourer and the K20 small sports-car concept. In 2019, Qiantu presented the K25 and Concept 2. These vehicles indicated that the company was exploring multiple segments, from compact urban cars to larger luxury vehicles, although the concepts did not all progress to production. Qiantu also looked outside China. In December 2018 it announced intentions to enter the United States. In April 2019 it described a proposed partnership with Mullen Technologies, a California company, to offer the K50 for the American market as the Mullen Dragonfly. The vehicle and associated manufacturing plans were not ultimately realized. The failed international initiative illustrated the difficulty of converting a promising prototype and a small domestic production program into a certified, distributed, and financially sustainable overseas product. In November 2020, Qiantu stopped producing the K50 after about two years and suspended operations. The company later attempted a restart with a substantially different product strategy. In June 2022 it returned with the K20, a small, affordable battery-electric hatchback based on the earlier K20 concept. Unlike the K50, which was a premium sports car, the K20 targeted city use and a broader potential customer base. Qiantu stated that it planned to restructure its operations, enlarge its model lineup, and pursue foreign markets, but there is no reliable evidence in the supplied record that these ambitions produced sustained international sales or a stable production portfolio. The company’s financial and legal problems eventually became decisive. On January 20, 2025, the Suzhou High-tech Zone People’s Court declared Qiantu Motors (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. bankrupt. The case followed applications by Senter Group Co., Ltd. and China Electronics Engineering Second Construction Co., Ltd., which alleged that Qiantu could not repay debts totaling approximately RMB 72 million and did not possess sufficient assets to cover its liabilities. Qiantu argued that it retained valuable assets, including a new-energy-vehicle production license, vehicle models, and technical personnel. The court did not accept those arguments as evidence of a viable recovery, and proposed external financing and overseas expansion were insufficient to prevent the bankruptcy ruling. On January 24, 2025, CH-Auto filed for bankruptcy liquidation. Qiantu Motor’s trajectory consequently ended as a defunct EV manufacturer: it progressed from an ambitious electric sports-car project to a broader but unsuccessful product strategy, followed by operational suspension, a brief restart, and corporate insolvency.
- 2025
Qiantu Motors (Suzhou) declared bankrupt
[1]A Suzhou court declared the operating company bankrupt after creditor claims and findings of insolvency.
- 2022
Operations resume with the K20
[1]Qiantu returned with the fully electric K20 city hatchback and announced restructuring and expansion ambitions.
- 2020
K50 production ends
[1]Qiantu stopped producing the K50 after approximately two years and suspended operations.
- 2019
Qiantu expands its concept portfolio
[1]Qiantu presented the K25 and Concept 2 as possible additions to its future electric-vehicle range.
- 2018
K50 enters the Chinese market
[1]The K50 became Qiantu’s first production vehicle to go on sale and was positioned as a premium electric sports car.
- 2018
Qiantu displays Concept 1 and K20
[1]The company showed a luxury grand-tourer concept and a small sports-car concept at the Beijing Auto Show.
- 2017
K50 production begins in Suzhou
[1]Qiantu started manufacturing the K50 at its Suzhou plant.
- 2016
Production-ready K50 shown
[1]The finalized K50 was displayed at the Shanghai Auto Show, ahead of production.
- 2015
Qiantu brand and K50 introduced
[1]Qiantu presented a pre-production version of the two-seat K50 electric sports coupe at the Shanghai Auto Show.
- 2010
Great Wall Huaguan project takes shape
[1]Lu Qun and business partners began developing the automotive technology venture that later gave rise to the Qiantu brand and its electric sports-car program.
Products and positioning
Initially positioned as a premium Chinese electric-sports-car brand emphasizing performance, styling, and domestic EV engineering; later repositioned toward more affordable urban electric mobility with the K20.
Battery-electric sports car · 2018
Qiantu K50
The K50 was Qiantu Motor’s first production vehicle and its defining product. It was a two-door, two-seat electric sports coupe developed as a showcase for Chinese EV engineering and performance-oriented design. A pre-production version appeared in 2015, the production-ready vehicle was shown in 2016, and manufacturing began in Suzhou in 2017. It went on sale in China in 2018. Production ended in 2020 after about two years, as the vehicle failed to achieve sufficient commercial traction.
Battery-electric city hatchback · 2022
Qiantu K20
The K20 was Qiantu’s second production model and represented a shift away from the premium sports-car positioning of the K50. Derived from the K20 concept shown in 2018, it took the form of a small, more affordable fully electric hatchback intended for urban use. It was introduced when Qiantu resumed operations in 2022 and was initially offered in the Chinese market. Its longer-term production and market development were disrupted by the company’s subsequent insolvency.
Electric sports-car concept · 2015
Qiantu K50 Concept
The K50 Concept was the pre-production presentation of the model that became Qiantu’s first production car. It established the brand’s initial design language and its focus on a high-performance, fully electric sports coupe.
Luxury electric grand-tourer concept · 2018
Qiantu Concept 1
Concept 1 was presented at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show as a proposed luxury grand tourer. It was intended to signal a possible expansion of Qiantu’s range beyond the two-seat K50, but it did not become a documented production model.
Small electric sports-car concept · 2018
Qiantu K20 Concept
The K20 Concept was shown in 2018 as a small electric sports car. It later served as the design and product basis for the production K20 city hatchback introduced in 2022.
Electric vehicle concept · 2019
Qiantu K25
The K25 was one of the studio concepts Qiantu presented in 2019 as part of an intended broader electric-vehicle portfolio. No production launch is documented in the supplied reference.
Electric vehicle concept · 2019
Qiantu Concept 2
Concept 2 was unveiled in 2019 as another proposed addition to Qiantu’s future model range. It remained a concept rather than becoming a documented series-production vehicle.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2025
Bankruptcy of Qiantu Motors (Suzhou)OtherBackground
Creditors alleged that the company could not repay debts of approximately RMB 72 million and lacked sufficient assets to cover its liabilities.
Action taken
The Suzhou High-tech Zone People’s Court declared Qiantu Motors (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. bankrupt on January 20, 2025.
Aftermath
The court rejected objections based on the company’s vehicle license, models, technical team, and hoped-for financing or overseas expansion. CH-Auto subsequently filed for bankruptcy liquidation.
Reported debt. Approximately RMB 72 million in creditor claims (Bankruptcy proceedings reported in January 2025)
2022
Re-entered the market with the K20Product launchBackground
After suspending operations, Qiantu needed a product with broader urban appeal than its premium electric sports car.
Action taken
The company resumed operations and launched the smaller, more affordable fully electric K20 in China.
Aftermath
Qiantu announced plans for restructuring, further models, and overseas expansion, but later entered bankruptcy proceedings.
2020
Ended K50 production and suspended operationsStrategyBackground
The K50’s limited commercial performance made continuation of the low-volume sports-car program difficult.
Action taken
Qiantu stopped K50 production after approximately two years and suspended its operations.
Aftermath
The company remained inactive for roughly two years before returning with the K20.
2019
Proposed Mullen Dragonfly partnershipStrategyBackground
Qiantu explored an American route for the K50 through cooperation with California-based Mullen Technologies.
Action taken
The companies announced a plan for a K50-related vehicle to be sold in the United States under the Mullen Dragonfly name.
Aftermath
The planned vehicle and associated production arrangements were not ultimately implemented.
2018
Announced intended United States expansionStrategyBackground
Qiantu sought to extend its business beyond the Chinese market after launching its first vehicle.
Action taken
The company announced plans to sell vehicles in the United States in addition to China.
Aftermath
The proposed international expansion did not develop into a sustained Qiantu sales operation.
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