What kind of vehicle has a license plate starting with 'la'?
2 Answers
License plates starting with 'la' are military vehicle plates from Lanzhou, belonging to the Air Force Command. The format of the new military vehicle plates is XY12345 (X: first letter, Y: second letter). Below is more information about military vehicle plates: 1. Meaning of the first letter in military vehicle plates: V (formerly Military) – Central Military Commission, four general departments, and military units at the regional level; K (formerly Air) – Air Force; H (formerly Navy) – Navy; B (formerly North) – Beijing Military Region; S (formerly Shen) – Shenyang Military Region; L (formerly Lan) – Lanzhou Military Region; J (formerly Ji) – Jinan Military Region; N (formerly Nan) – Nanjing Military Region; G (formerly Guang) – Guangzhou Military Region; C (formerly Cheng) – Chengdu Military Region. 2. Meaning of the second letter in military vehicle plates: A – Headquarters; B – Political Department; C – Logistics and Joint Logistics Department; D – Equipment Department; J – Military Representative Agency; K – Provincial Military District and Garrison; L – Mobile Plate; M – Joint Logistics Subdivision; N – General Armament Department; O – Military Vehicle Supervision; P – Armored Forces; R – Military Academies; S – Communications and Transportation; T – Intelligence Agency; V – Strategic Missile Forces; Y – Field Forces.
I often see people online asking what 'la' license plates represent, probably confusing it with the abbreviation for Lamborghini. Actually, in China's license plate system, the beginning usually consists of Chinese characters followed by letters, such as '京A' representing Beijing or '粤B' representing Shenzhen, Guangdong—these are regional codes. 'la' sounds like a combination of 'L' and 'A,' but it's not standard; it might refer to '鲁A' for Jinan, Shandong, or similar codes, indicating a location rather than a car model. License plates primarily identify the vehicle's region, like blue plates for small passenger cars and green plates for new energy vehicles, rather than directly displaying the brand. When choosing a car, don’t be misled by the license plate—focus on actual performance, such as the crash resistance of German cars or the fuel efficiency of Japanese cars, which are more worth considering. It’s recommended to test drive at official 4S stores when buying a car, rather than getting distracted by guessing license plate meanings.