China's leading automaker posts sales growth

Visitors view a Hongqi H5 sedan at the 17th China Changchun International Automobile Expo in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, July 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

CHANGCHUN, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China's leading automaker First Automotive Works (FAW) Group Co., Ltd. sold more than 1.63 million vehicles in the first half of 2020, up 2.3 percent year on year.

Its iconic sedan brand Hongqi sold 70,000 vehicles in H1, an increase of 110.7 percent year on year. Jiefang, another major truck brand, sold 278,200 units in H1, up 35.6 percent year on year. The group's joint ventures FAW-Volkswagen and FAW Toyota also reported good sales.

Founded in 1953 in the northeastern city of Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, the state-owned enterprise is seen as the cradle of China's auto industry.

The satisfactory sales in H1 were secured by FAW's institutional reforms and focus on the iterative product development of its self-owned domestic auto brands over the past few years.

Internal reforms, large-scale personnel adjustments and all-round rebranding have been implemented at FAW since 2017.

Photo taken on July 10, 2020 shows a launch event of Hongqi sedans at the 17th China Changchun International Automobile Expo in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

The company has restructured its tech center and established the RD headquarters.

"The restructuring helps research, production and marketing sections better interact with each other," said Li Hongjian from the department of new tech and innovation business management at FAW.

FAW also invited former Rolls-Royce Design Director Giles Taylor to join in as Global Vice President of Design and Chief Creative Officer in September 2018, who is chiefly responsible for creating unique design strategies and style concepts for FAW's luxury sedan brand Hongqi.

The brand-new Hongqi H9, the flagship sedan model from the Hongqi H-series, was available to order during the recent Changchun auto expo. The mid-to-large sedan will be the seventh model on sale from the Hongqi family.

Photo taken on July 10, 2020 shows a Hongqi H5 sedan displayed during a launch event at the 17th China Changchun International Automobile Expo in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

Meaning "red flag," Hongqi is China's iconic sedan brand. The brand was established in 1958 and has been used as a vehicle for parades at national celebrations.

Hongqi fulfilled its sales target of 100,000 cars in 2019 and has doubled the target for 2020. With a younger and more market-oriented design style, Hongqi plans to roll out 21 new models in five years, and eyes a sales target of 600,000 cars in 2025.

The brand has also taken steps to boost sales and improve service, establishing more than 100 experience centers in major Chinese cities and rolling out lifetime free warranty policies.

Jiefang, a truck subsidiary of FAW, has developed seven generations of heavy-duty trucks, and has seen an accumulated production volume exceeding 7 million units since the first Jiefang truck rolled off the production line in 1956.

FAW has started building a test base for new-energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles in Changchun, which is expected to provide the automaker with whole-process RD and test capabilities for passenger cars. ■