YW 531 (other designation: Type 63) is a modern Chinese armored personnel carrier. The first prototypes of the vehicle were probably created in the early 1960s, and mass production began in 1963. The basic version of the YW 531 is equipped with a single KHD BF8L 413F engine with a capacity of 320 horsepower. The machine is armed with one Type 59 machine gun of 12.7 mm caliber. The YW 531 was created as a result of a program announced by the Chinese government in 1958, which was to lead to the creation of a domestic armored personnel carrier. Unlike many other machines of the Chinese army, the YW 531 is not a copy of a foreign machine, but a machine created from scratch in domestic research centers. The car, especially in the first serial batches, is characterized by great simplicity of manufacture, simplified design and poor electronics. Despite this, the introduction of the car into serial production encountered many difficulties and took several years. Several versions of the YW 531 were produced during this period, the first of which was produced in very small batches and was called the YW 531 (or Type 63). The version in mass production from 1968 was the YW 531 (or Type 63A). An export version (YW 531C) with a Deutz BF8L413F engine was also created. On the basis of the YW 531 chassis and body, commando combat vehicles (YW 701 and YW 701A) were also created. The YW 531 wagons were sold to many countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
