China FAW Group Corp., Ltd. ( First Automotive Works) is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Changchun, Jilin.[ FAW Today FAW's 50th Anniversary Brochure] Founded on 15 July 1953,
The company produces and sells vehicles under its own branding, such as Hongqi, Bestune (Benteng) as well as under foreign-branded joint ventures such as FAW Toyota and FAW-Volkswagen (Volkswagen, Audi, Jetta).
Its principal products are automobiles, buses, light, medium and heavy-duty trucks,[ About FAW Profile FAW Official Site] and auto parts.[ Products Components & Parts FAW Official Site] FAW became China's first automobile manufacturer when it unveiled the nation's first domestically produced passenger car, the Hongqi, in 1958.[ Key Events, May 21, 1958/Aug. 1, 1958 FAW Official site]
As a state-owned enterprise of China, FAW Group is controlled and managed by SASAC, which under Chinese law performs the functions of an investor.
The company has three Public company subsidiaries: FAW Jiefang Group Co., Ltd. (), Changchun FAWAY Automobile Components Co., Ltd. () and Qiming INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd. ().
History
First Automotive Works broke ground on its first factory in 1953 (the first year of the first five-year plan),
[ FAW Group Steps up Global Expansion FAW Official Site, Mar 27, 2007] and produced its first product, the Jiefang CA-10 truck (based on the Soviet ZIS-150) in 1956.
[ About FAW > Key Events FAW Official Site]
Soviet Union lent assistance during these early years providing technical support, tooling, and production machinery.
First Automotive Works initially made only commercial trucks,[ The home team economist.com, Nov 13th 2008] Following this, FAW's Audi products are the traditionally favoured choice for ranking Chinese state officials.[ Chinese public revved up over BMW, Benz on gov't car list xinhuanet.com, 2009-06-13]
The First Automotive Works "winged 1" badge is derived from the Chinese 一汽 ("一" meaning "one" and "汽", from "汽车" meaning "automotive") and depicts a hawk spreading its wings, 一 (1).[ About FAW > Corporate Trademark FAW Official Site] The logo was introduced in 1964.[ About FAW > Key Events Faw Official Site]
During the Third Front campaign to develop strategic industries in China's rugged interior to prepare for potential invasion from the United States or the Soviet Union, the First Automotive Works transferred a third of its workforce to develop the Second Automotive Works.
In 1992, the name First Automotive Works was changed to FAW Group Corporation.
Though FAW was the fourth Chinese automaker to take on Western partners, its early joint venture with Volkswagen in 1990 saw it become the second Chinese auto company to develop a strong cooperative relationship with a foreign counterpart. SAIC Motor was the first, in 1984 and also with Volkswagen.[ Theme and variations economist.com, Nov 13th 2008]
Volkswagen was the first foreign partner for FAW, but others soon followed. The company acquired 50% ownership of Tianjin Automotive Xiali in September, 2002, and renamed the brand FAW Tianjin.[ GM, China FAW Set Up Commercial-Vehicle Joint Venture Bloomberg.com, August 30, 2009] and has joint ventures with a handful of other foreign companies as well.
The company produced more than 1.5 million vehicles in 2008, and in 2009 it was the largest machinery corporation and the second largest auto manufacturer in China.[*For 2008 sales figures, see 2008 Annual Report FAW Official Site
] In 2010, the 2.56 million units sold made it the third most-productive vehicle maker in China that year, and one of its offerings, the FAW Xiali, was the 7th most-purchased car in China in 2010.[*For 2010 sales figures, see China Car Market 101: Who Makes All Those 18 Million Cars? thetruthaboutcars.com, January 19, 2011
For 2010 ranking as 3rd largest Chinese vehicle manufacturer, see Sales surge, but congestion concerns rise people.com.cn, November 15, 2010
For FAW Xiali as 7th most-popular car in 2010, see Top 10 Best-Selling Sedans and SUVs in 2010 chinaautoweb.com, January 14, 2011] It produced 2.6 million vehicles in 2011, the third-largest output of any China-based company.
In July 2021, FAW transferred 49% of the shares of FAW Haima to Hainan Development Holdings Co., Ltd. (Hainan Holdings) at no charge. Haima Automobile holds 51% of the shares in FAW Haima, while Hainan Holdings hold 49% of the shares.
As of 2024, many other brands have been liquidated, leaving only Hongqi and Bestune as passenger car brands.
Cooperation with Leapmotor
In March 2025, FAW Group and
Leapmotor signed the MOU on strategic cooperation, under which the two parties will jointly develop passenger vehicles and collaborate on auto parts.
In May 2025 at the Auto Shanghai, Zhu Jiangming, Chairman of Leapmotor, revealed that the two companies have finalized their partnership and will jointly develop a model for the Hongqi brand targeting overseas markets. Mass production of the new vehicle is set to begin in the second half of 2026 at Leapmotor's Hangzhou plant. The new Hongqi model will be built on the same platform as Leapmotor B10 with both battery electric and range-extender powertrain.
Brands and products
FAW sold products under at least ten different brands including its own, but most of its brands has been discontinued or consolidated into Hongqi,
FAW Jiefang and
Bestune brand currently.
Hongqi
Hongqi is a Chinese luxury car marque owned by the automaker FAW Group. Hongqi was launched in 1958, making it the oldest Chinese passenger car marque. In Chinese,
hongqi means "red flag."
File:Hongqi L5 II IMG01.jpg|Hongqi L5
File:Hongqi HQ9 008.jpg|Hongqi HQ9
File:2020 Hongqi E-HS9.jpg|Hongqi E-HS9
Jiefang
Jiefang is the medium and heavy trucks brand of FAW Group. The first truck rolled off of the lines in 1956, which was the first ever-built truck by the
China.
Jiefang became a subsidiary on 18 January 2003 with two subsidiaries of its own, Qingdao Truck Division and FAW Trading Company, it is one make of Jiefang branded trucks.[ Page 9 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
File:20220709 Jiefang J7 truck on Shangdu Road.jpg|Jiefang J7
File:20220102 FAW J6P refrigerated truck.jpg|Jiefang J6P
Bestune (formerly Besturn)
Bestune was established on August 18, 2006,
[ About FAW > Key Events FAW Official Site] It may also be known as
Ben Teng.
[ Besturn B90 Sedan spotted out testing chinacartimes.com, October 27, 2010] It serves as the passenger car brand in FAW Group.
File:Bestune B70 III 005.jpg|Bestune B70
File:Bestune T90 001.jpg|Bestune T90
File:Bestune E05 by FAW (front).jpg|Bestune NAT
FAW discontinued brands
-
Haima Automobile (divested), founded in January 1992 as Hainan Mazda Motor, a joint venture between the Hainan provincial government and Mazda to produce Mazda models for sale in China. In 2006, Mazda's share of Hainan Mazda was acquired by FAW Group, and the company became a subsidiary of FAW. In July 2021, FAW transferred 49% of the shares of FAW Haima to Hainan Development Holdings Co., Ltd. (Hainan Holdings) at no charge.
-
FAW Tianjin (discontinued), Junpai, Huali, Xiali (discontinued), Jiaxing (discontinued)
-
FAW Jilin (discontinued), a maker of mini-vehicles, small trucks and vans under the Senia and Jiabao brands.
-
FAW Oley (discontinued),
-
SiTech (discontinued), a brand that focuses on electric vehicles. Established in 2018 with the first car called SiTech DEV1 launched.
-
Pengxiang
-
Shenli
-
Yuan Zheng
[ Page 32 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
-
FAC (marque), FAW Lingyuan
-
Baolong
Joint ventures
FAW-Toyota
Created in 2003,
[ Home > About Us > Company Introduction > TOYOTA Motor Co., LTD. Tianjin Xiali Official Site] FAW operates this joint venture with Japanese automaker
Toyota through
Tianjin FAW. Key subsidiaries include:
- Guangzhou Toyota Motor Co
Operates a passenger car production base in the Nansha Economic Development District of
Guangzhou,
Guangdong.
[ Toyota Motor China Investment Co. By: Treece, James B. Automotive News, 5/14/2007 Supplement, Vol. 81]
- Sichuan and another in Changchun, Jilin.
[
]
- Tianjin FAW Toyota Engine Co Ltd
This equally owned joint venture with Toyota makes engines at its production bases in the Xiqing District of Tianjin and at the Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Zone. Combined, both bases can produce 440,000 units annually.
- FAW Toyota Changchun Engine Co Ltd
Making engines at a 130,000 units/year capacity production base in the Changchun Economic and Technology Development Zone, this equally owned joint venture was established in 2004.
FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co Ltd
Established in 1991, this large-scale automobile manufacturer is a joint venture between FAW Group and Volkswagen AG which, as of 2003, have ownership stakes of 60% and 40%, respectively.[ Page 21 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure] It manufactures Audi and Volkswagen-branded automobiles for sale in China.[ Page 23 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
File:AUDI A6L C8 China (44).jpg|Audi A6L
File:2022 FAW-VW Jetta VS7 (facelift, front).jpg|Jetta VS7
File:2021 FAW-Volkswagen Talagon (front).jpg|FAW-Volkswagen Talagon
- Chengdu FAW Co Ltd
This subsidiary of FAW's joint venture with VW controls production bases in Chengdu, Sichuan.
FAW-GM
A joint venture with General Motors that mainly produces Jiefang light-duty trucks,
- FAW-GM Light Duty Commercial Vehicle Co Ltd
This joint venture with General Motors mainly produces Jiefang light-duty trucks.
Silk-FAW Automotive
This joint venture with US based design firm Silk EV produces high end luxury hybrid sports cars.
Subsidiaries and divisions
FAW has at least 28 wholly owned subsidiaries and controlling shares in 18 partially owned subsidiaries. These include the wholly owned subsidiaries FAW Jiefang Truck Co Ltd and FAW Bus and Coach Co Ltd, and the publicly traded FAW Car Co Ltd, Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co Ltd, and Changchun FAWAY Automobile Components Co Ltd.
The following is an incomplete list.
Vehicle-producing Divisions
Chengdu FAW Automobile Co Ltd
Chengdu FAW produces Huaxi brand light and medium buses based on the Toyota Coaster.[ Page 38 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
FAW Car Co Ltd
Created in 1997 from the merger of Changchun Gear Factory, the FAW No. 2 Engine Factory, the FAW No. 2 Car Factory, and the former FAW No. 1 Car Factory,[[http://www.faw.com/Events/17.htm Page 17] FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure] and engines.[[http://www.faw.com/Events/19.htm Page 19] FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure] It has a production base in western [[Changchun]], [[Jilin province|Jilin]].[[http://www.faw.com/Events/18.htm Page 18] FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
FAW Bus and Coach
Founded in 1959, it produces buses sold under the Taihu brand.
FAW Hongta Yunnan Automobile Co Ltd
Created in 1997 when FAW purchased a controlling interest in Hongta Yunnan Automobile Co Ltd, this subsidiary company, as of 2003, produces 1/2-3 ton pickups and light trucks as well as license-built Daihatsu models.[ Page 39 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure] This factory was included in the FAW-GM joint venture.
File:FAW Hongta Lanjian Jiefang.jpg|FAW Hongta Lanjian Jiefang
File:FAW Hongta T340 front.jpg|FAW Hongta T340
FAW Jilin Automobile Co Ltd
Founded in 1980, this company became a wholly owned subsidiary of FAW Group in either 1987
FAW Passenger Vehicle Co
As of 2012, this company has two factories and some of the products it produces carry the Oley brand.[
]
FAW Sichuan Automotive Co Ltd
Established in 1997, this part-owned subsidiary designs, produces, and markets medium and heavy truck bodies, wheels, and components for both FAW and other manufacturers.[ Page 16 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
The Harbin Light Vehicle Factory
Established in 1965, this FAW Group subsidiary made military vehicles until partnering with FAW in the 1990s.
Other divisions
-
The 9th Industrial Machinery Design and Research Institute - Wholly owned subsidiary since 1958, responsible for production base design.
[ Page 26 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
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FAW Forging Co Ltd - Producing die casting and hand-forged auto parts, this subsidiary was established on 31 May 2000.
[ Page 12 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
-
FAW Foundry Co Ltd - This wholly owned subsidiary produces cast auto parts including engine blocks.
[ Page 13 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
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FAW Jiaxin Heat Treatment and Electroplate Technology Co Ltd - This wholly owned subsidiary designs and manufactures complete heat treatment and electroplating systems.
[ Page 14 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
-
FAW Qiming Information Technology Co Ltd - Established in 2000, this subsidiary company is responsible for GPS research and development, business development, sales and marketing, after sales support, and system integration.
[ Page 25 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure] A vehicle-monitoring division of its GPS research & development arm used a system purchased from Avaya to, "monitor over 3,000 vehicles throughout China".
-
FAW Tool Co Ltd - This wholly owned subsidiary specializes in development and production of non-standard tools for automotive manufacture.
[ Page 15 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
-
FAW Tool and Die Co Ltd - Manufacturing automotive dies is the main responsibility of this wholly owned subsidiary.
-
Dalian Diesel Engine Co - Produces engines for commercial trucks, construction equipment, and agricultural machinery.
[ Page 31 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
-
FAW Import and Export Corporation (FAWIE) - Established as a subsidiary in 1984, FAWIE is the international sales and marketing division of FAW Group.
[ FAW's Xiali Division Launches New C1 Hatchback in Russia FAW Official Site, Jun 11, 2007] Overseas joint ventures and technical cooperation with foreign countries are also within its remit.
Minor joint ventures
-
Chengdu Araco Automobile Trim Part Co Ltd - This joint venture with Japan's ARACO produces interior trim package parts.
-
FAWER Automotive Component Co Ltd - Operated with American auto-parts maker Visteon, produces air-conditioning units at a facility in the Changchun Automotive Development Zone
-
FAW Bharat Forging Co Ltd - A joint venture with India's Bharat Forge Ltd, it manufactures forged automotive components for passenger cars, buses, and commercial vehicles as well as forged products for the railway, mining, steel, and petroleum industries.
[ About FAW > Key Events FAW Official Site]
-
FAW Huali (Tianjin) Automobile Co Ltd - A joint venture with Tianjin Automotive Industry (Group) Co Ltd that, since 2003,
[ Page 33 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure] As of 2008, it continues to produce Daihatsu models, has a 10,000 units per year production capacity, and is majority owned by FAW with a 75% ownership stake.
-
Wuhu FAW Yangzi Automobile Co Ltd - This joint venture with Yangzi Group and Wuhu Automotive Industry Company manufactures trucks, custom bus chassis, and medium-size buses.
[ Page 37 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
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Changchun Fawer-Johnson - A joint venture between FAW Sichuan and Johnson Controls, it produces a wide range of interior components including automotive seats and trim package.
Production bases and facilities
FAW has production bases located in 14 provinces throughout China[ Hainan,]
Changchun
FAW headquarters are located in Changchun, Jilin, and operations here include an R&D and test center.[ Innovation FAW Official Site] Additionally, FAW has two production bases here—one produces for the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture and the other makes self-branded autos.[
]
Chengdu
An unfinished production base in the Longquan Economic Development Zone in Chengdu, Sichuan, replaces an older Sichuan base and will produce passenger cars for a FAW-Toyota joint venture, Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co Ltd, when it is completed in 2010.[ Sichuan FAW-Toyota Relocates Chengdu Plant FAW Official Site, Jul 16, 2008]
FAW Jiefang Truck Co Ltd also has a production base here.
Another site in Chengdu produces cars for FAW-Volkswagen,[ FAW-Volkswagen Takes over Chengdu FAW FAW Official Site, Mar 30, 2009] and a second VW production base is, as of 2009, scheduled to be built in the city.[ FAW Group and VW AG Joint to Build up New Chengdu Plant FAW Official Site, May 12, 2009]
Dalian
The Dalian division of FAW Bus and Coach Co Ltd manufactures Jiefang and Yuan Zheng brand medium and large-size buses in a production base in Dalian, Liaoning.[ FAW Builds up Dalian New-energy Bus Plant FAW Official Site, Jun 24, 2009]
Another Dalian base produces engines for commercial trucks, construction equipment, and agricultural machinery.[ Deutz (Dalian) Engine Starts Operation FAW Official Site, Sep 18, 2007]
Foshan
As of 2010, 150,000 units/year production capacity FAW-VW production base will soon be built in this Guangdong city.[ Ready consumer cash fueling robust sales chinadaily.com.cn, 2010-10-25]
Hainan
Located in the sunny, southern vacation spot of Hainan and built in 1958, Hainan Island Test Grounds is an auto testing site that includes a test track.[ Page 40 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure] FAW Hainan Automobile Co Ltd operates FAW's southernmost production facility here.
A production base on the island manufactures license-built Mazdas.
Harbin
A planned production base at the Aviation & Automobile Development Zone (Pingfang Development Zone) in the city of Harbin, Heilongjiang, will see completion in December 2010 and produce light trucks.[ FAW Initiates 100,000-unit Light Truck Engineering Project in Harbin FAW Official Site, Jun 4, 2009]
Shanghai
FAW Jiefang Truck Co Ltd has a production base in Pudong.
Tianjin
Plants No. 1, 2, and 3 in the city of Tianjin produce automobiles for the FAW-Toyota joint venture Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co Ltd.[ Home > About Us > Company Introduction > TOYOTA Motor Co., LTD. Tianjin FAW Toyota Official Site] Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co Ltd also has an engine plant in Tianjin.[ Tianjin FAW Toyota to Launch New Engine Plant FAW Official Site, Apr 20, 2007]
Qingdao
A FAW Jiefang Truck Co Ltd medium, heavy, and severe-duty truck production base is located in Qingdao, Shandong.[ Page 34 FAW 50th Anniversary Brochure]
Export and overseas sales
While primarily manufacturing products for sale in its home market, FAW began exports to foreign countries in 1957 with the sale of three commercial trucks to a businessperson in Jordan.[ New China-made Cars Launch at Egypt Market FAW Official Site, Jul 3, 2009] Iraq,[ FAW Exports 920 Xiali cars to Mexico FAW Official Site, Jun 25, 2009] Myanmar,[ FAW Group Tapping Russian Market FAW Official Site, Mar 28, 2007] South Africa, Iran,[ FAW¡¯s Jiefang Brand Cement Mixers Popular in South Africa FAW Official Site, Jun 14, 2007] Zimbabwe and Uruguay.[ FAW Exported Mini Vans to Uruguay FAW Official Site, Jan 22, 2008]
NAZ-Nakhchivan Automobile Plant has assembled FAW cars in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, since 2020.
See also
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Automobile manufacturers and brands of China
-
List of automobile manufacturers of China
-
Automotive industry in China
External links
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