"Gratitude, Honor, Reluctance": An Tiecheng Bids Farewell to CATARC Leadership Role in 6 Words

[ Resigned from Party Secretary, Chairman, and Director, Retired due to Age Limit ]

Author | Li Guozheng

Editor | Ge Bangning

Produced By | Bangning Studio (gbngzs)

Bangning Studio learned: An Tiecheng has retired due to age limit, resigning from the positions of Party Secretary, Chairman, and Director of China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "CATARC").

On August 25, 2026, at the CATARC cadre conference, An Tiecheng made a statement using the 6 words "Gratitude, Honor, Reluctance". He said: "It is a great honor in my career to be able to dedicate myself to the cause of building a strong automotive nation, working with everyone to experience the magnificent industry transformation of electrification and intelligence in the automotive industry, and witness every step of CATARC moving towards high-quality development."

In September 2019, An Tiecheng was appointed as the Party Secretary, Chairman, and General Manager of CATARC. From April 2022, he served as the Party Secretary and Chairman of CATARC until his current retirement.

Over the past 7 years, under An Tiecheng's leadership, CATARC adhered to its functional positioning and original mission, completed the "14th Five-Year" Development Plan and "15th Five-Year" Business Layout, established the "525 Development Strategy", anchored on the "Four 'Most' Strategic Goals", and submitted a historical and pioneering development report.

During this period, CATARC continuously improved the modern corporate governance system, comprehensively opened a new chapter of high-quality development; deeply participated in the United Nations' formulation of global automotive regulations, promoting Chinese automotive standards onto the international stage; seized the opportunities for new energy and intelligent connected vehicle transformation, laid out a batch of major scientific research and innovation platforms, achieving a simultaneous leap in business quality and hard scientific research capabilities.

Under his leadership, CATARC further expanded its new business landscape, including:

Building a leading domestic and world-class new energy vehicle technology innovation base and putting it into operation, launching Phase II project construction;

Constructing China's first comprehensive technology innovation base covering the full value chain of intelligent connected vehicles, filling a gap in the industry;

Planning and building a global scale largest, full-coverage working condition scenario all-season ice and snow automotive test base in Yakeshi, Inner Mongolia;

Promoting the construction of R&D centers and auxiliary facilities in the main campus, creating a soft science collaborative innovation aggregation hub;

Initiating the establishment of China's first overseas institution in the standardization field — China Automotive Standardization Internationalization Center (Geneva), effectively enhancing China's discourse power on standard rules;

Steadily advancing internationalization development layout, establishing a Southeast Asia Representative Office taking Bangkok, Thailand as the strategic pivot point, CATARC Southeast Asia Inspection and Certification Services Co., Ltd. officially established, serving Chinese domestic automotive brands to accelerate "going global".

CATARC is An Tiecheng's third career experience. The first two were: first, honed in China FAW Group for 33 years.

In July 1984, after graduating from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Polymer Chemistry Engineering of Jilin Institute of Technology, he joined China FAW Group. He successively served as Deputy Director of the Body Plant of FAW Group, Deputy Minister of the Planning Department of FAW-Volkswagen, Minister of the Planning Department of China FAW, General Manager of FAW-Volkswagen, General Manager of FAW Car Co., Ltd., until April 2017.

Second, served at Dongfeng Motor Corporation for two and a half years. From April 2017 to September 2019, he served as Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Vice General Manager of Dongfeng Motor Corporation, mainly assisting the General Manager in charge of operation and management, assisting the Deputy Party Secretary in guiding external publicity work, etc.

CATARC is a directly affiliated central enterprise of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, founded in Tianjin in May 1985, completed the company system reform in February 2018, and is a comprehensive technology enterprise group with broad influence in the automotive industry both domestically and internationally.

In January 2026, CATARC announced a brand renewal, releasing the brand slogan "Empowering the Full Chain, Co-creating Value", with the core value system of "Innovation-Led, Full-Chain Empowerment, Fair & Authoritative, Results-Oriented & Far-Reaching", positioned as the "Leader of the Complete Value Chain of China's Automotive Ecosystem".

Bangning Studio learned that CATARC's work is presided over by Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager Gong Jinfeng.