Published : 12/05/2026
On 12 May 1958, China's first domestic passenger car, the "Dongfeng" (東風, meaning "east wind"), rolled off the production line at the First Automobile Works (commonly known as FAW) in Changchun.
This vehicle was the predecessor of the "Hongqi" (紅旗, meaning "red flag") car, with the model designation CA71. The launch of the "Dongfeng" marked a new breakthrough in China's automotive engineering technology, signifying a step up to a higher level.
In the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the automotive industry was underdeveloped, and the country did not have the capability to produce automobiles independently.
In December 1949, Mao Zedong (毛澤東) visited the Soviet Union and toured the Stalin Automobile Factory. When he saw cars rolling off the production line, he told his entourage, "We should also have such a factory."
As a result, the construction of FAW was included in the first Five-Year Plan of the PRC as one of the "156 projects."
In late June 1953, with the imminent commencement of FAW, Mao Zedong wrote the inscription "Foundation Laying for the First Automobile Works" in eleven characters.
On 15 July, the foundation was laid for the First Automobile Works, and the cornerstone inscribed with "Foundation Laying for the First Automobile Works" took root in Changchun.
After three years of relentless efforts following the completion of FAW, the first automobile of the PRC, the "Jiefang" (解放, meaning "liberation") brand CA10, was finally born on 13 July, 1956, which rewrote the history of Chinese people being unable to produce automobiles independently.
After the mass production of "Jiefang" cars, producing sedans became the new goal of FAW. At that time, FAW primarily had a complete setup for truck production, and starting sedan production meant beginning from scratch.
In the so-called "four lacks" situation—no information, no experience, no tools, and no equipment—then FAW director Rao Bin (饒斌) led a small number of technical personnel and a large group of workers, most of whom had never even seen a sedan before, to work tirelessly in the workshop, determined to create a domestically produced sedan.
The FAW team then took inspiration from some foreign prototype cars and made bold designs for the body of the domestic sedan.
First, considering that the dragon is a symbol of China, they designed the car's front emblem as a golden dragon, with the dragon's body plated in 24K pure gold.
Secondly, the side of the car body was inlaid with the words "First Automobile Works" written by Mao Zedong.
Additionally, the design of the rear tail lights was modelled after the red silk lanterns used in ancient Chinese court palaces, commonly known as "palace lanterns." These designs showcased the characteristics of the Chinese nation and distinguished the domestic car from foreign cars.
Due to the weak foundational conditions in China of manufacturing sedans at that time, FAW referenced different components from foreign cars. The chassis was based on the basic structure of the French "Simca Vedette" car, the engine referenced the German "Mercedes-Benz 190" model, adopting a four-cylinder OHV design.
Besides, it was equipped with a domestically developed three-speed mechanical transmission, had a maximum power output of 52 kilowatts, a combined fuel consumption of 10 litres per 100 km, and a top speed of 128 kilometres per hour.
After three months of intensive construction, the first domestically produced sedan, Dongfeng CA71, successfully rolled off the production line and out of the workshop on 12 May, 1958.
After the production of the first domestically produced "Dongfeng" sedan, FAW successfully manufactured China's first "Hongqi" brand sedan.
At that time, to present a gift for the tenth anniversary of the founding of PRC, FAW sent 33 sedans and two convertible review cars to Beijing.
The moment when domestically produced "Hongqi" cars drove through the streets of the capital became an unforgettable memory for the Chinese people.