More cars are being manufactured today than at any other time in history. For many decades, the United States led the world in total automobile production. However, in 2009, China took the top spot with 13.8 million units. Since 2009, China has been the largest in the world in terms of automobile unit production and manufactures more vehicles than Japan and the United States combined. China accounted for nearly 30 percent of worldwide vehicle production. China’s automobile industry had mainly Soviet origins and for the first 30 years manufactured 100-200 thousand vehicles per year. It reached 1 million in 1992 and by 2000, it achieved the 2 million target. Since then, it has developed rapidly and in 2017, it manufactured almost 30 million motor vehicles. Most of the Chinese car production focus on passenger cars rather than commercial vehicles.
The ‘Big Four’ Chinese automakers are SAIC Motor, Dongfeng, FAW, and Chang’an where SAIC being the largest Chinese car manufacturer. The country’s home market offers its automakers a solid base and therefore most of the car manufacturers in China sell within the nation. Chinese car brands have announced at least $31 billion in overseas deals during the past five years, buying stakes in car-makers and parts producers. Even after investment in overseas stakes, Chinese-branded passenger cars haven’t made it to the U.S. or Europe. Therefore to start the business in Europe, Lynk & Co (a Chinese-Swedish automotive brand owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group) is working on a new SUV in Belgium, which will be available from the first half of 2020 in Europe. Soon, people will be driving Chinese cars even outside the country.
Here, we have presented a list of some successful Chinese car brands and Chinese car logos:
SAIC Motor
Founded: 1955
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Shanghai, China
Parent Company: Assets Supervision and Administration Commission
Website: www.saicmotor.com
SAIC Motor Corporation Limited is the largest auto company in China’s A-share market. This state-owned Chinese automotive design and manufacturing company specializes in passenger cars, microvans, and minivans. SAIC Motor is one of the ‘Big-three’ Chinese automakers and 36th on the Fortune Global 500 company list. Cars of this Chinese automaker brand are not wholly consumer offerings, SAIC also manufactures commercial vehicles under the Wuling car brand. Morris Garages, SAIC MAXUS, SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC-GM, Shanghai General Motors Wuling (SGMW), NAVECO, SAIC-IVECO Hongyan, and Shanghai Sunwin Bus Corp (SUNWIN) are automobile companies affiliated through SAIC.
SAIC traces its origins to the mid-1950s and during that period this Chinese car company produced its passenger car SH760, which was based on the Mercedes-Benz 220S. However, in the 1970s SAIC attained a position of prominence in the Chinese automobile industry. In 1985, Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co Ltd was established that allowed this Chinese automaker to manufacture cars with foreign technology. In 1997, another major joint venture was formed, Shanghai General Motors Co Ltd, with General Motors. SAIC produced 3.97 million vehicles in 2011, which made it the largest car producer in China that year.
This Chinese automobile company sells vehicles under Maxus, Roewe, Yuejin, and MG brands. Apart from this, products produced by SAIC joint venture companies are sold under marques including Chevrolet, Buick, Škoda, Iveco, Baojun, Wuling, and Volkswagen. SAIC has total equity of 11.683 billion shares and sold 6.93 million vehicles in 2017. The most popular car models by this Chinese car brand are Po Chun 560 and Wuling Hongguang.
Dongfeng Motor Corporation
Founded: 1969
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Wuhan, Hubei, China
Owner: Chinese Government (100%)
Parent Company: The SASAC
Website: www.dfmc.com.cn
Dongfeng Motor Corporation is currently among the top four on the basis of vehicle output and one of the ‘big three’ Chinese automakers. Apart from Buses, Commercial Vehicles, and Passenger cars, this Chinese car brand also produces automotive parts and cooperates with foreign companies. Dongfeng Motor Corporation has a partnership with six global automakers and most of them are outside China. Its major production facilities are distributed across various places such as Guangzhou, Shiyan, Xiangyang, and Wuhan.
Its origin lies in Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s Third Front Strategy: an in-land industrial development program initiated in 1964 aimed at protecting the country from foreign invasion. As a part of it, this Chinese automaker was formed in 1969 and known as the second automobile works until 1992. Its early operations centered on manufacturing commercial vehicles, but with the introduction of economic reforms in 1978, it initiated passenger car production. In the mid-90s, this Chinese car company was experiencing financial problems and by 1999 the company was restructured. In the early 2000s, Dongfeng initiated cooperative efforts with foreign firms but its first was established in 1992 with Groupe PSA. In 2013, this Chinese automaker and Renault formed Dongfeng Renault Automotive Co Ltd. to produce Renault brand passenger cars for the Chinese market.
Today, Dongfeng has various joint ventures including Dongfeng Yueda Kia, Dongfeng Honda, Dongfeng Yulon, Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. (DFL), Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën and Dongfeng Renault. Many other brand’s names are also associated with this Chinese car brand such as Dongfeng Fengshen, Infiniti, Luxgen, and Venucia. Among all the models produced by Dongfeng, the most popular are Dongfeng Peugeot 408 and Dongfeng Citroen C5.
FAW Group
Founded: 1953
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Changchun, Jilin, China
Parent Company: Government of China
Website: www.faw.com
FAW Group Corporation is China’s first automobile manufacturer that presented the nation’s first domestically produced passenger car. In 2014, this Chinese automaker listed third in terms of output and it is also one of the ‘big three’ Chinese automakers. This Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer is known for passenger cars, buses; light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks. Additionally, FAW produces automotive components. This Chinese auto brand has three subsidiaries, namely FAW Car Co., Ltd., Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co., Ltd., and Changchun FAWAY Automobile Components Co., Ltd.
FAW was established under the guidance of China’s Central Committee and with assistance from the former Soviet Union in 1956. Initially, this Chinese automaker made only commercial trucks but soon it started manufacturing passenger cars. In 1958, it produced the ‘Hong Qi’ luxury sedan, which became the first domestically produced passenger car. The early passenger cars by FAW were based around designs from Chrysler and General Motors. In 1992, the name was changed to China FAW Group Corporation.
After the 1990 joint venture with Volkswagen, FAW became the second Chinese automaker to built strong cooperative relationships with the foreign counterpart. Soon, this Chinese auto brand signed joint ventures with other foreign brands including Audi, Toyota, General Motors, Mazda, and many others. Today, FAW operates eight homegrown sub-brands, including FAW and Hongqi (Chinese luxury car brand). Some of the popular models by FAW are FAW V2 VCT-I, FAW X-PV Dual AC, and FAW Sirius S80 Grand 1.5.
Chang’an Automobile Group
Founded: 1862
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Chongqing, China
Owner: China South Industries Group
Website: www.Changan.com.cn
Chang’an Automobile Group is one of the four major Chinese automobile companies. Its principal activity is the production of micro-vans, commercial vans, passenger cars, and light trucks. This Chinese economy car brand design, develops, manufacture, and sell commercial vehicles under the Chang’an brand while passenger cars under Chang’an & Hefei brand. Chang’an is also involved in joint venture operations with Ford, Groupe PSA, DS Automobiles, Mazda, and Suzuki. Apart from this, this Chinese car company also works with Jiangling Motors, which sold SUVs under the Landwind marque.
Chang’an Automobile’s early origins can be traced back to 1862 when a Chinese politician and diplomat of the Qing dynasty founded a military supply shop. It started manufacturing automobiles in 1959 with its first car, the Changjiang Type 46. In 2009, this Chinese car brand purchased two smaller domestic automobile companies, Hafei and Changhe. In 2012, Chang’an Ford Mazda Automobile was divided into two new joint venture companies, Chang’an Ford and Chang’an Mazda. The “Chang’an” stands for “Lasting Safety” in Chinese, which the brand believes in and provides consistently.
Chang’an Automobile has accumulated 59 years of automobile production, 35 factories, 16 production bases worldwide, and 10 key overseas markets. This Chinese car brand has declared that by 2025, the traditional meaning of fuel vehicles will be completely discontinued, and the electrification of full-spectrum products will be realized. Some of the famous cars by the brand are Ruihao Series, CS Series, Yidong Series, Yuexiang Series, Uno, Auchan, and CX70.
Geely
Founded: 1986
Founder: Li Shufu
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Binjiang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Parent Company: Li Shufu
Website: www.geelyholding.com
Geely, officially known as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd, sells commercial vehicles under the London EV Company and Yuan-Cheng Auto brands while passenger vehicles under the Geely Auto, Lotus, Lynk & Co, PROTON, and Volvo brands. The name Geely means “auspicious” or “lucky” in Mandarin Chinese. This Chinese automaker believes in creating safe, environmentally friendly, and energy-efficient vehicles. With total assets of over RMB100 billion, Geely has over 80k employees whose efforts made the company a member of the Fortune Global 500 for six consecutive years.
Geely started out as a refrigerator manufacturer in 1986 and started manufacturing motorcycles in the mid-90s. In 1998, this Chinese car company began producing automobiles with a small van. Three years later, Geely received state approval to become the first private carmaker in China and began car production in 2002. In 2010, the company purchased Volvo Cars from Ford. Soon, Geely acquired major car brands to fuel its aim to become one of the world’s largest car makers. Today, behind the ‘Big-four’, Geely is the most successful car maker.
This Chinese car company operates two independent brands; Geely Auto and a new joint-venture brand with Volvo, Lynk & Co. Geely Auto is aimed at the mass market while Lynk & Co. is a globally focused premium brand that is aimed at a new generation of consumers. Lynk & Co. is making a new SUV enter the European market and will launch it in 2020.
BAIC Motors
Founded: 1958
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Beijing, China
Owner: Beijing Municipal Government
Website: http://www.baicgroup.com.cn/
BAIC Group is holding the company of several automobile and machine manufacturers. It mainly specializes in producing passenger, commercial vehicles, and new energy vehicles. Additionally, this Chinese car company involves in automotive parts development, automotive service trade, integrated travel services, finance, and investment. BAIC major subsidiaries are BAIC Motor, a passenger car maker; BAW, a military vehicle, and SUV maker; Foton Motor, a truck, bus, and agricultural equipment maker. This Chinese car automaker also manufactures Mercedes and Hyundai-branded cars for the home market through the Beijing Hyundai and Beijing Benz joint ventures.
Founded in 1958, BAIC group produced their first self-developed automobile, the Jinggangshan brand car. This Chinese car manufacturer company produced China’s first generation of light off-road vehicle BJ212 in 1965 and the first generation of light-duty truck BJ130. The BAIC Group became the first Chinese carmaker to signed a joint venture with a foreign car brand when it inked a deal with American Motors Corporation for the production of Jeep models in 1984. Later the group signed a joint venture with Hyundai and Daimler in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
In 2010, BAIC was one of the top ten most productive Chinese car manufacturers. A year later, it became the fifth largest in China in terms of vehicles manufactured that year and maintained the position till 2012. In 2017, this Chinese automaker sold 2.51 million vehicles that lead to the 124th rank in the Fortune Global 500 in 2018.
Great Wall Motors
Founded: 1984
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Baoding, Hebei, China
Website: www.gwm.com.cn
Great Wall Motors Company Limited was named after the Great Wall of China. This Chinese automaker started out as a commercial vehicle manufacturer. Today, it is the largest SUV and pickup truck producer in China. It sells SUVs under the Haval brand and passenger cars & trucks under the Great Wall brand.
Established in 1984, this Chinese car manufacturer gained fame for its models with flamboyant names, including the Coolbear, Gwerpi, and Florid. In 1998, the brand reached the top place in the Chinese pick-up truck market. This Chinese car company introduced its first sedan in 2010 and the first electric new energy vehicle in 2017. This year in July, Great Wall made signed a joint venture with BMW to manufacture electric Mini vehicles in China. Some of the best vehicles introduced by the brand are Great Wall C 50, Great Wall H6, and Wingle 5.
Chery
Founded: 1997
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Wuhu, Anhui, China
Parent Company: Government of China
Website: www.chery.cn
Chery was founded on a government-backed initiative in 1997 and began production of their first model, the Fengyun, in 1999. However, the lack of an automobile production license restricted export until 2001. This Chinese car brand deals in both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. While their passenger cars are sold under Cherry marque, the commercial vehicles under the Karry brand. Chery became one of the most successful Chinese exporters at the beginning of the century.
In 2007, Chery established a joint venture with Kenon Holdings, known as Qoros. For the production of Jaguar and Land Rover cars in China, Jaguar Land Rover signed a joint venture with this Chinese automaker in 2012. At present, Chery has 79.2 billion RMB assets and 16,721 employees who aid in assembling vehicles also in other 15 countries than China. The most popular models by Chery are Chery A11, Chery A15, and Chery Tigo DR5.
BYD Auto Co. Ltd
Founded: 2003
Current Status: Running
Headquarters: Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
Parent Company: BYD Company Limited
Website: www.byd.com
This wholly based subsidiary of BYD group design, develop, manufacture, and distribute Chinese economy cars, buses, electric bicycles, forklifts, rechargeable batteries, and trucks. It is among the top six automakers of China and awarded the top Crash Facility Award of the year in 2013. This Chinese car brand was created in 2003 and began selling its first mass-produced, plug-in hybrid vehicle, the BYD F3DM in 2008.
Collaboration with Daimler AG proved to be the most fruitful decision for the brand and lead to the formation of Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co., Ltd., which develops and manufactures luxury electric cars sold under the Denza brand. BYD has a range of vehicles, including people carriers, small sedans, small compacts, electric vehicles, Hybrid electric vehicles, compact hatchback, and SUVs. BYD F6, BYD F3, BYD G3, and BYD F0 are some of the well-known vehicles by this Chinese car brand.
Apart from these major Chinese car brands, there are many other brands that helped the Chinese automotive industry to dominate the automobile world.
• Brilliance Automotive
Years: 1992-Present
Website: www.brillianceauto.com
• Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC)
Years: 1997-Present
Website: www.gagc.com.cn
• Jianghuai (JAC)
Years: 1964-Present
Website: www.jac.com.cn
• Zoyte Auto
Years: 2005-Present
Website: www.zotye.com
• Lifan Group
Years: 1992-Present
Website: www.lifan.com
In 2009, the number of registered vehicles on the country’s road reached 62 million and is expected to exceed 200 million by 2020. According to estimation, China’s car market will grow tenfold between 2005 and 2030.