FAW

Brand Overview

FAW (First Automotive Works) is the founder and pioneer of China's automotive industry. China FAW is a state‑owned super‑large automotive enterprise group headquartered in Changchun, Jilin Province. As a key central state‑owned enterprise, FAW is widely known as the "Eldest Son of the Republic." Since producing New China's first car, it has been deeply involved in and led the historical process of China's automotive industry from nothing to something, and from weak to strong.

China FAW's predecessor, the First Automobile Works, was established on July 15, 1953, and was one of the 156 key projects constructed during the "First Five‑Year Plan" period of New China. After more than 70 years of development, China FAW has built a national industrial footprint covering Northeast, North, East, Southwest, and South China. The group currently has 130,000 employees, total assets of 457.83 billion RMB, and registered capital of 35.4 billion RMB.

China FAW operates a diversified brand strategy, covering three self‑owned brands—Hongqi, Jiefang, and Bestune—as well as seven sectors including joint ventures, emerging businesses, overseas operations, and ecosystem businesses. In terms of organisational structure, the group headquarters directly operates the Hongqi brand and exercises strategic or financial control over other business sectors, forming a new market‑oriented management model. Key leadership includes Party Secretary and Chairman Qiu Xiandong, responsible for overall group leadership; and Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager Liu Yigong, presiding over daily operations and management.

Development History

FAW's history is a core chapter in China's automotive industry, and its development can be divided into four distinct stages.

Foundation and Initial Phase (1953–1978): Pioneering China's Automotive Industry. On July 15, 1953, the First Automobile Works broke ground in Changchun, with Chairman Mao personally writing the inscription "Commemoration of the Foundation of the First Automobile Works." On July 13, 1956, New China's first car—the Jiefang CA10 truck—rolled off the production line, ending China's history of being unable to manufacture cars. In 1958, FAW successively produced New China's first sedan (Dongfeng) and first luxury car (Hongqi). During this period, FAW's pioneering work laid the initial industrial, technical, and talent foundation for the national automotive industry.

Joint Venture Cooperation Phase (1978–Late 1990s): Introducing Technology, Accelerating Modernisation. After reform and opening‑up, facing a domestic product gap of "lack of heavy vehicles and shortage of light vehicles," FAW accelerated its own modernisation while launching cooperation with multinational giants. In 1988, the company held a mobilisation meeting to start sedan production, systematically discussing the development of the sedan industry for the first time. FAW successively established joint ventures with global automotive giants such as Volkswagen and Toyota. Domestic Audi, Jetta, and Bora models became hugely popular. During this period, FAW not only rapidly improved manufacturing capabilities but also absorbed advanced technology and management experience through joint ventures, laying the foundation for the subsequent rise of China's automotive industry.

Groupification and Reform Transition (2000–2017): Building a Group System, Focusing on Independent Innovation. Entering the 21st century, FAW accelerated group‑based strategic development. In June 2011, China First Automobile Co., Ltd. was established, completing the restructuring of the company's main assets. In November 2017, the corporate system reform was completed, and the company was officially renamed "China First Automobile Group Co., Ltd." During this phase, FAW shifted the group headquarters from strategic control to direct operation, gathering the entire group's strength to revitalise the Hongqi brand, starting the road to national brand rejuvenation.

High‑Quality Development Phase (2018–Present): Hongqi Leading, Full Transformation to New Energy and Intelligence. In January 2018, China FAW released its new Hongqi brand strategy, aiming to build Hongqi into a "first in China, famous worldwide" premium brand. Since then, the group has established a new pattern led by Hongqi, driving the joint development of Jiefang and Bestune. Since 2022, China FAW has fully accelerated its transformation towards new energy and intelligence, releasing and iterating the "Langqi Technology" development strategy and building three major technology platforms: Hongqi Tiangong (pure electric), Hongqi Honghu (hybrid), and Hongqi Jiuzhang (intelligent). In 2025, China FAW's total vehicle sales exceeded 3.3 million units, with strong growth in self‑owned brands and phased results in electrification, steadily moving towards the goal of becoming a world‑class mobility technology company.

Product Lineup

Hongqi, Jiefang, and Bestune are the three core pillars of China FAW's independent operations. At the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, the Hongqi brand was further refined into three sub‑brands, making the overall product matrix clearer.

Hongqi Brand is positioned as the leader in China's luxury automotive market. At the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, it was subdivided into three sub‑brands:

• Hongqi Golden Sunflower: Focused on top‑level exclusivity and customisation services, launching high‑end custom models positioned at the pinnacle of the luxury market.

• Hongqi (Main Brand): The backbone contributing core brand sales, covering H‑series sedans and SUVs with fuel and plug‑in hybrid powertrains. Representative models include the new Hongqi H9 and Hongqi HS7.

• Hongqi Tiangong: A trendy sub‑brand aimed at young tech‑savvy groups, built on the Tiangong pure electric platform, representing the future of electrification. Models such as the Tiangong 05 and Tiangong 06 have already been launched.

Jiefang Brand is the leader in the domestic medium and heavy truck field, with cumulative sales exceeding 9 million units. Its products cover the full range of commercial vehicles, from light trucks to heavy trucks. In recent years, Jiefang has not only solidified its market position in traditional fuel heavy trucks but has also actively deployed in new energy and intelligent connected fields, launching multiple new intelligent trucks and achieving rapid overseas growth.

Bestune Brand is the core force serving the mainstream family market. In recent years, Bestune has decisively focused on the new energy track, achieving leapfrog development. In 2025, Bestune sales historically broke through 200,000 units, with a new energy penetration rate as high as 86%. On this basis, Bestune upgraded the "FAW Yueyi" new energy sequence to an independent brand in 2026, planning to launch seven new cars covering sedans, SUVs, and MPVs. The flagship Yueyi 08 has a wheelbase of 2,900 mm, equipped with CATL's new‑generation power battery and Horizon Journey 6P smart driving chip, directly benchmarking mainstream flagships like the BYD Han.

In addition, the joint venture sector (FAW‑Volkswagen, FAW‑Toyota) remains an important business pillar and profit source for China FAW. Its steady operation provides strong cash flow support for the group's independent innovation and transformation.

Market Performance

In 2025, China FAW delivered steady growth in a fiercely competitive market. The group achieved total vehicle sales of 3.2 million units (some sources say 3.302 million), with operating revenue of 541.55 billion RMB, and profitability remained industry‑leading. Structurally, joint ventures and self‑owned brands showed different trends. Joint venture brand sales for the full year were 2.362 million units, still the group's "ballast stone," contributing approximately 71.5% of sales and ensuring steady operations. At the same time, self‑owned brands showed strong growth momentum, with sales exceeding 940,000 units, a year‑on‑year increase of 15%.

Within the independent sector, the three brands each have their own focus:

Hongqi Brand is the undisputed flagship. In 2025, Hongqi cumulative sales reached 460,000 units, a year‑on‑year increase of 11.7%, marking the eighth consecutive year of growth and making Hongqi China's first luxury automotive brand to exceed 2 million users. However, it faced challenges in Q1 2026, with sales dropping 24.8%.

Bestune Brand became the "shock troop" for FAW's transformation. In 2025, Bestune annual sales historically broke through 200,000 units, a year‑on‑year increase of 33%, setting a new record since its establishment 20 years ago. More critically, its new energy penetration rate was 86%, far exceeding the industry average, indicating that it has essentially completed its transformation into a new energy vehicle enterprise.

Jiefang Brand is the absolute leader in the commercial vehicle field, selling 280,000 vehicles in 2025, a year‑on‑year increase of 11.5%. Among them, medium and heavy truck sales were 255,000 units, ranking first in China for ten consecutive years; new energy vehicle sales were 45,000 units, a sharp increase of 184.3% year‑on‑year, demonstrating its leadership in the commercial vehicle new energy era.

Core Technology

Under the "Langqi Technology" strategy, China FAW's technical system has formed a clear platform‑based and modular architecture. The core is the use of three self‑owned platforms—Hongqi Tiangong, Hongqi Honghu, and Hongqi Jiuzhang—as the technical foundation, providing support for the electrification and intelligence upgrades of the full product range.

Hongqi Tiangong Pure Electric Platform. Designed exclusively for pure electric vehicles, this is a full‑stack self‑developed E‑GMP high‑end electric platform. The platform adopts a highly integrated modular architecture, covering various models from sedans to SUVs. Its core technologies include the mass‑produced 800V high‑voltage platform and a global kilovolt high‑voltage architecture currently being developed. Second‑generation blade batteries and advanced CTP (cell‑to‑pack) technology are also widely used on models of this platform.

Hongqi Honghu Hybrid Platform. Focused on PHEV and range‑extender routes. The platform's core advantage lies in its efficient hybrid system. By optimising the fourth‑generation hybrid engine and smart energy management strategies, it achieves ultra‑low fuel consumption and ultra‑long combined range. Models of this platform have successfully set multiple Guinness World Records for range at normal and extreme cold temperatures.

Hongqi Jiuzhang Intelligent Platform. Supporting the leadership of full‑series products in the field of intelligence. Its core is the self‑developed automotive‑grade 5nm five‑domain fusion chip "Hongqi No.1," which forms a unified and efficient computing architecture in the cockpit and intelligent driving domains. The Jiuzhang platform also integrates the latest AI large‑model technology, creating end‑to‑end intelligent driving solutions and supporting the operation of the enterprise‑user interaction agent "OpenMind."

Global Footprint

China FAW's globalisation strategy has successfully moved from "product export" to the new stage of "system export." In 2025, the group's overseas vehicle export volume increased by 45% year‑on‑year, with business covering over 100 countries and regions. This leapfrog growth is due to a multi‑brand, multi‑model internationalisation approach:

Diversified Synergistic Export. Major brands advance in synergy. FAW Jiefang deepened its focus on the commercial vehicle field, with light truck exports exceeding 14,000 units in 2025, with sales surging in South Africa and Myanmar. The Hongqi brand is committed to expanding the high‑end market, winning large orders in the Middle East. FAW‑Volkswagen also achieved a historic breakthrough with its first batch of vehicle exports, marking the joint venture sector's entry into the export camp.

Capital and Technology Export. FAW is deeply integrating into the global industry chain through innovative cooperation models. An important milestone is FAW's strategic cooperation with Leapmotor, using Stellantis Group's Spanish plant to assemble Hongqi models. This move bypassed the high costs of building factories and trade barriers, achieving an "airdrop" into the European market. Previously, the Hongqi overseas models developed by both sides have landed and are planned for mass production, reflecting new ideas of technical synergy and joint development.

Systematic Layout. To support its globalisation strategy, FAW has strengthened organisational construction and channel development. Professional overseas business companies such as Jiefang International and Bestune International have been successively established. The group is continuously improving global resource allocation capabilities and supply chain resilience through measures such as establishing overseas treasury centres and operating China‑Europe Railway Express routes. In strategic markets, Bestune has planned to focus on five major regions—including Eastern Europe, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia—with eight global production bases.

Future Outlook

Going forward, China FAW will continue to deepen the development of its three self‑owned brands—Hongqi, Jiefang, and Bestune—and fully advance its "All in" new energy strategy, with the goal of becoming a world‑class mobility technology company.

Electrification and Core Technology Breakthrough. The group will focus on the fields of three‑electric systems and three intelligences, continuously iterating the three major technology platforms—Tiangong, Honghu, and Jiuzhang—and accelerating the implementation of frontier technologies. More than 900 key technologies, including high‑performance drive motors and intelligent steer‑by‑wire chassis, have been achieved. R&D of all‑solid‑state batteries has made effective breakthroughs, with 66Ah cells completing prototype manufacturing. Going forward, FAW will continue to increase R&D investment to consolidate its core technology moat.

Brand Positioning and Product Planning. Product planning will revolve closely around each brand's core mission. FAW Group General Manager Liu Yigong has clarified that the Bestune brand will continue to receive firm group support, with the "FAW Yueyi" new energy brand being upgraded domestically and seven new cars launched. The overseas strategy focuses on five major markets, with ten global models launched to hit the 600,000‑unit target. The Hongqi brand will complete the release of its new three‑sub‑brand matrix—Jinkuihua, Hongqi, and Tiangong—at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show. Hongqi Jinkuihua focuses on top‑level exclusivity, while the Hongqi Tiangong series, anchored to Generation Z and young families, shoulders the responsibility of pulling Hongqi's new energy sector into the private market.

Deepening of Globalisation Strategy. FAW will actively utilise overseas cooperation resources and channels for global market development, such as entering Europe by assembling Hongqi models in Spanish plants. The strengthening of overseas business will also become an important growth engine for the group's future. Taking the Bestune brand as an example, its overseas strategy will focus on five strategic markets, with eight global production bases and ten global models.