The firstborn of the Chinese automotive industry was the 4-ton commercial truck Jiefang CA10, released on July 13, 1956.
Following the trucks, the production of passenger cars was established. Thus, on May 12, 1958, the first passenger car model was released, and on August 1, 1958, the first luxury sedan Hongqi was presented, intended for servicing the highest state officials.
The company received another leap in its development through close cooperation with the leaders of the global automotive industry. Close cooperation with the world's leading automakers determined the company's strategy for decades:
On May 17, 1988, FAW Group and Volkswagen AG signed an agreement on the import and joint assembly of AUDI 100 sedans.
On November 20, 1990, FAW Group and Volkswagen AG signed an agreement on the joint production of the Volkswagen Jetta A2 car.
On June 1, 1995, the first Volkswagen Golf IV rolled off the assembly line.
On March 9, 2002, FAW Group and Mazda Motor Corporation signed a technical cooperation agreement for the production of the Mazda 6 sedan.
On August 29, 2002, FAW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation signed an agreement to establish a strategic and long-term partnership.
On October 21, 2002, FAW launched the production of Toyota Coaster mid-size buses.
On April 9, 2003, FAW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation signed an agreement on the joint production in China of four Toyota models, including Corolla, Crown, Land Cruiser Prado, and the hybrid Prius.
On December 7, 2004, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder took part in the grand opening ceremony of the 2nd FAW Volkswagen plant with investments of $1.1 billion.
On May 26, 2005, construction began on a new engine production plant, Volkswagen FAW Engine (Dalian) Co. Ltd., worth $194 million, with a planned annual output of 300,000 engines.
On October 31, 2005, FAW and Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd signed a technical licensing agreement for the production of the Daihatsu Xenia MPV.
On January 1, 2006, FAW Volkswagen and Audi AG merged the marketing and sales of locally produced and imported cars into a single business group.
On August 18, 2006, a joint venture with Y-TEC Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation began operations to produce auto components for Mazda cars.
On October 16, 2006, FAW launched the production of Deutz diesel engines with power from 160 to 300 hp for trucks.
On November 6, 2006, a joint venture between FAW and the French company Valeo began operations.
On April 20, 2007, FAW Toyota Engine Co. Ltd. (TFTE) announced the construction of a new plant with investments of $270 million, with a production volume of 220,000 engines per year of the ZR series (Dual VVT-i 1.6 L and 1.8 L).
On November 22, 2007, FAW Group announced the start of construction of a joint plant in Mexico. FAW became the first Chinese automaker to enter the rapidly growing Mexican automotive market.
In December 2010, the construction of a new plant, built jointly with GM, was completed in the city of Changchun.
In May 2011, a plant in Harbin, built jointly with GM, began operations. The plant's capacity is 100,000 trucks per year.
In 2013, in partnership with African Investment Company and Algeria Arco Fina Group, FAW opened a plant in Algeria.
In 2017, FAW established as many as 5 R&D centers:
1) Global R&D headquarters in Changchun (China)
2) Center for Advanced Technical Innovations in Beijing (China).
3) Center for research and development of "New Energy" vehicles in Shanghai (China).
4) Center for advanced research and development in Munich (Germany).
5) AI research center in Silicon Valley, California (USA).
Currently, FAW produces cars of such categories as: trucks (small, medium, and large load capacity), SUVs, passenger cars, buses, and compact cars. FAW produces cars under four own brands (Xiali, Hongqi, JiaxingFAW, Besturn). Also, FAW produces cars of such brands in China as Volkswagen, Audi, Mazda; Toyota.
The FAW Corporation holds leading positions in the Chinese automotive industry. FAW's sales volume exceeds 3 million cars per year. The company's turnover is more than $60 billion per year. The number of employees is more than 130,000 people. The FAW Corporation ranks 132nd in the ranking of the 500 largest global companies according to Fortune Global and is represented in 40 countries worldwide. The FAW Corporation owns 28 subsidiaries, and in another 18 companies FAW holds a controlling stake.
In Ukraine, FAW is represented by an exclusive distributor – AIS Group of Companies. Sales of FAW passenger and commercial vehicles in our country will begin this fall.
