FAW Group
China FAW Group Corp., Ltd. is a Chinese central state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Changchun, Jilin. Founded on 15 July 1953, it is currently the second largest of the "Big Four" state-owned car manufacturers of China, together with SAIC Motor, Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Changan Automobile.
The company produces and sells vehicles under its own branding, such as Hongqi, Bestune as well as under foreign-branded joint ventures such as FAW-Toyota and FAW-Volkswagen.
Its principal products are automobiles, buses, light, medium and heavy-duty trucks, and auto parts. FAW became China's first automobile manufacturer when it unveiled the nation's first domestically produced passenger car, the Hongqi, in 1958.
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 publicly traded 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, and produced its first product, the Jiefang CA-10 truck in 1956.Soviet Union lent assistance during these early years providing technical support, tooling, and production machinery. Before the first factory opened, 39 Chinese FAW employees traveled to the Stalin Truck Factory for instruction in truck production. Operations were conducted under Soviet direction, and the USSR is even credited with choosing Changchun as the location for the first FAW facility.
First Automotive Works initially made only commercial trucks, but started producing passenger cars in 1958. These vehicles, Hongqi luxury sedans, were the first domestically produced Chinese automobiles. Made primarily for the party elite, the design changed little over their thirty-year production run. Following this, FAW's Audi products are the traditionally favoured choice for ranking Chinese state officials.
The First Automotive Works "winged 1" badge is derived from the Chinese 一汽 and depicts a hawk spreading its wings, 一. The logo was introduced in 1964.
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 was the first, in 1984 and also with VW.
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. As a result, FAW ended up with Toyota as a foreign joint venture partner. FAW established a joint venture with General Motors in 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. 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. It produced 2.6 million vehicles in 2011, the third-largest output of any China-based company. While it retained its third place rank, the number of whole vehicles produced in 2012 slowed to 2.3 million. Passenger cars made up a relatively scant 64% of total production that year.
In July 2021, FAW transferred 49% of the shares of FAW Haima to Hainan Development Holdings Co., Ltd. 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.
List of Chairmans
Current Qiu XiandongPast Chairmans
- Xu Jianyi
- Xu Ping
- Xu Liuping
Brands and products
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."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 People's Republic of 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.
Bestune (formerly Besturn)
Bestune was established on August 18, 2006, It may also be known as Ben Teng. It serves as the passenger car brand in FAW Group.FAW discontinued brands
- FAW Haima, 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. at no charge.
- FAW Tianjin, Junpai, Huali, Xiali, Jiaxing
- FAW Jilin, a maker of mini-vehicles, small trucks and vans under the Senia and Jiabao brands.
- Oley, a newer brand that was targeting young buyers. Defunct in 2015.
- SiTech, a brand that focuses on electric vehicles. Established in 2018 with the first car called SiTech DEV1 launched.
- Pengxiang
- Shenli
- Yuan Zheng
- FAC, FAW Lingyuan
- Baolong
Joint ventures
FAW-Toyota
Created in 2003, FAW operates this joint venture with Japanese automaker Toyota through Tianjin FAW. Key subsidiaries include:Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor Co
Operates a passenger car production base in the Chenghua District of Sichuan province and another in Changchun, Jilin province. As of 2008, its 10,000 units/year capacity production base in Changchun makes the Toyota Prius and the Toyota Land Cruiser. The other production base it controls may make buses.
;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. It manufactures Audi and Volkswagen-branded automobiles for sale in China.;Chengdu FAW Co Ltd
This subsidiary of FAW's joint venture with VW controls production bases in Chengdu, Sichuan province.
FAW-GM
A joint venture with General Motors that mainly produces Jiefang light-duty trucks, this JV includes the Harbin Light Vehicle and FAW Hongta Yunnan factories.;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.Strategic investment
Leapmotor ''- In December 2025, Leapmotor announced that FAW Group would acquire 5% of its shares for 3.744 billion yuan. Following this acquisition, the stake held by Zhu Jiangming and other shareholders, who together form the single largest shareholder group, will dilute from 23.75% to 22.56%, while Stellantis' stake will decrease from 19.99% to 18.99%. The investment funds from FAW will be allocated in proportions of 50%, 25%, and 25% for research and development, supplementing working capital and general corporate purposes, and expanding the sales and service network while enhancing brand awareness, respectively.
Subsidiaries and divisions
The following is an incomplete list.