First Auto Works (FAW) | ChinaCarHistory

Hongqi CA7560: The last of the 770’s

The CA7560 series was the last hurrah for the CA77x series of Hongqi limousines. The CA770 was produced between 1966 and 1981 and was succeeded in 1985 by the CA770G which was a lightly modernised CA770 equipped with a 5.7 liter V8 engine from Ford. The CA770G lasted until 1988 with only 25 examples being produced in those 3 years. Between 1991 and 1992 a possible variant called the CA770E was produced (unconfirmed). Then in 1992 the final iteration of the CA77x series was released – the CA7560. In this article I will discuss the CA7560 and its stretched variant – the CA7560LH.

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The lost Beijing and Tianjin limousines of China.

This picture shows four Hongqi CA72, three Beijing CB4 and two Tianjin Heping 2-type, together on Tian’anmen square in Beijing in 1959 or 1960. It is a very interesting gathering of the three candidates for manufacturing state-limousines for the People’s Republic of China. The chances are already clear taking into account the number of cars present: 4 Hongqi, 3 Beijing and 2 Tianjin.
Yes, it was Hongqi that won. And Beijing and Tianjin were the losers. Recently new photos have been found of the limousines from Beijing , which we will present here.
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The story of Thunder Sky (Part 1)

Thunder Sky is a major player in the development and production of LiYePO4 Rare Earth Lithium Ion batteries. Thunder Sky started experimenting with electric vehicles around the turn of the last century by converting existing petrol powered cars to electric power. This included, as you shall discover from this article, everything from the humble Geo Metro to über collectible Hongqis. Join me as I take you on a journey to discover one of the most ambitious, ingenious and downright insane (in a good way) companies we will ever discuss here on the pages of China Car History. A journey so long it has to be split across two articles. The first shall cover all their vehicles prior to 2007 and the second everything after. Please note that right up until the day of publishing we were uncovering more and more vehicles produced by Thunder Sky and likely may find more in the future so these articles will more than likely be updated.

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Trip report: Jinan Classic Car Collection

Earlier this year I took a trip around China to visit friends and of course search for cars. I also visited several Car Museums and collections that I will cover over a series of articles. In today’s article I will cover a semi-private collection in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province. I have also used the “gallery” feature available to us on this website for the first time so that the scrolling length of the article can be shorter whilst still containing all the photos of the individual cars. Be sure to scroll through the gallery for each car! Let me know what you think of this new feature and whether I should continue using it in future articles! I have covered the Chinese cars first and finished off with the foreign cars.

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A brief history of the National Electric Vehicle Experimental & Demonstration Area

The story of the National Electric Vehicle Experimental & Demonstration Area (henceforth referred to as NEVEDA) begins in 1995 after the Ministry of Science and Technology made the development of electric vehicles a priority in the 9th Five-Year Plan. Continue reading “A brief history of the National Electric Vehicle Experimental & Demonstration Area”

The First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71 Was China’s First Car

This beautiful red sedan is First Auto Works Dongfeng CA71, officially known as ‘China’s first car’. It was born in 1958 on the special request of Mao Zedong, who demanded a Chinese state limousine. I met it at the Beijing Classic Car Museum to the far north of the capital.

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Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Hainan Automobile Works and Hainan Mazda

The first HMC6470 rolling out of the factory in Hainan.

Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Hainan Automobile Works.

Hainan Automobile Works (henceforth referred to as HAW) was founded in 1989 as a result of cooperation between the Hainan government and already established Hainan Auto Stamping Factory (henceforth referred to as HASF). HASF had experience with producing automobile components but the new company (HAW) would need a full assembly line on which to produce vehicles. Help came from an unlikely source – former President of The Philippines Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos sold HASF a factory that was once operated by Ford between 1968 and 1984. It was in 1988, 4 years after Ford ceased manufacturing operations in The Philippines that Marcos sold HASF the factory, allowing them to obtain a production line for their own future vehicle manufacturing. In 1989, Hainan Auto Stamping Factory was renamed Hainan Automobile Works.

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The Hongqis abroad.

The list of exported Hongqis is growing. Today I counted 16 cars. Five of them in the USA, two in Japan. The other countries with each one are: France, Germany, Switzerland, San Marino, Rumania, Hong Kong and South Korea. There is (maybe) an unknown number in North Korea, but that is not confirmed.
I will show them to you, each with some words from their own story, in the order of their age.

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Spotted In China: Hongqi Yunhe CA5020 XBYA Stretched Wagon Hearse

On a beautiful cold autumn day in Beijing I met this great and giant Hongqi Yunhe CA5020 XYBA. Sadly it seemed the poor vehicle had been abandoned, dumped to turn into dust like the corpses she used to carry.

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Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot: Shijiazhuang Automobile Works – Zhengtian

Today in Chinese Car Brands That Time Forgot (CCBTTF™): Zhengtian, a fascinating brand that made a series of station wagons and pickup trucks in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

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