On July 13, 1956, amidst the final assembly workshop of the Changchun No.1 Automobile Works, a Jiefang CA10 truck slowly made its way off the production line. Cheers and applause erupted, marking the end of an era where New China was unable to manufacture its own cars.

Exactly seven decades later, on July 13, 2026, leaders from several prominent domestic automakers, including Dongfeng, Changan, GAC Group, and Leapmotor, gathered at the Hongqi Hall of FAW Group in Changchun.

The commemorative event, themed "70 Years of Journey, Marching Towards a New Era," served as both a collective tribute from the entire industry and a salute to the Chinese automotive sector's 70-year dedication to serving the nation through industrial growth. It was also a solemn declaration for the future. The Chinese automotive industry is now embarking on a new journey, transitioning from being a major automotive nation to becoming a global automotive powerhouse with even greater momentum.

From 'One Jiefang' to 'Three Global Firsts'

On July 15, 1953, the groundbreaking ceremony for the No.1 Automobile Works took place near Mengjiatun, southwest of Changchun. A white marble foundation stone, inscribed with a message by Chairman Mao Zedong, was solemnly laid, marking the beginning of the journey for the "firstborn of the Republic's automotive industry."

Constructing a factory in the wilderness was a formidable task. In the winter of 1953, builders resided in drafty work sheds, working under snowy skies and on frozen ground, scaling heights of over 30 meters to tie steel bars. Some suffered from cracked hands due to the cold but continued working after wrapping them in adhesive tape. To save time, winter construction was conducted within a 200,000-square-meter enclosed factory building. It was this spirit of "battling heaven and earth" that forged the starting point of China's automotive industry. In July 1956, the first batch of 12 Jiefang-branded trucks rolled off the assembly line amidst thunderous applause.

Today, 70 years later, the Chinese automotive industry has presented a remarkable report card to the world: In 2025, China's automobile production and sales both surpassed 34 million vehicles, ranking first globally for the 17th consecutive year. New energy vehicle production and sales reached 16.626 million and 16.49 million vehicles, respectively, ranking first globally for the 11th consecutive year. China exported 7.098 million vehicles, ranking first globally for the third consecutive year. From "One Jiefang" to "Three Global Firsts," the Chinese automotive industry has undergone a profound transformation from scratch to leading the world.

The 70-Year Growth Code of FAW Group

At the commemorative event, all attendees watched video messages from veteran automakers and the documentary "Seventy Years of Automotive Journey, Tides Surging in the East." Black-and-white footage alternated with colorful scenes. The first shovel of soil in the wilderness, the first vehicle on the assembly line, and every breakthrough in the laboratory—each frame brought the seventy-year journey to life.

In his speech, Qiu Xiandong, Chairman and Secretary of the Party Committee of FAW Group, dissected the underlying logic of these 70 years with "Five Consistent Adherences." This is not only the growth code of a single enterprise but also a developmental roadmap for the Chinese automotive industry: consistently adhering to Party leadership, consistently adhering to technological leadership, consistently adhering to reform and opening up, consistently adhering to talent-based development, and consistently adhering to social responsibility.

In his emotional speech, Qiu Xiandong recalled, "Seventy years ago today, on this very land beneath our feet, FAW people battled heaven and earth, built the factory in the wilderness, studied diligently, innovated, and successfully rolled off the first car in New China, establishing the Jiefang brand as a national automotive symbol. This thoroughly ended the era when New China could not manufacture cars and fully initiated the great journey of China's automotive industry from nothing to something, from weak to strong."

Looking back at the 70-year development, the Chinese automotive industry has "evolved from a single leader to a competitive landscape, from a single model to full-scenario product coverage, from learning and importing technology to running alongside and leading globally, and from focusing on the domestic market to systematically advancing into the global market."

The Chinese automotive industry has "transformed from a single factory leading to a competitive landscape, from a single model to full-scenario coverage, from learning and importing to running alongside and leading, and from primarily serving domestic demand to systematically advancing into the global market. Today, the Chinese automotive industry is increasingly approaching the center stage of the global automotive arena."

FAW Group's Report Card: From 'Firstborn' to Pioneer

As the "firstborn" of China's automotive industry, FAW Group has not only made remarkable contributions to China's automotive industry "from 0 to 1" over the past 70 years but has also been at the forefront at every critical historical juncture.

Amid the wave of reform and opening up, FAW Group broke away from the "thirty-year consistency" of Jiefang trucks, achieving the miracle of "non-stop production, non-reduced output, and vertical transformation." It deeply cooperated with international giants such as Volkswagen and Toyota, establishing China's first modern sedan production base built to economic scale. FAW-Volkswagen's annual sales approached 1.6 million vehicles, winning the "double crowns" of joint-venture automakers and fuel vehicle sales multiple times. In January of this year, FAW-Audi celebrated the milestone of its 10 millionth user.

Entering a new era, FAW Group is accelerating its transformation into a world-class mobility technology company. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," FAW Group has empowered industrial transformation through technological innovation, breaking through 1,564 key technologies, launching the "Hongqi No.1" automotive-grade chip, and establishing a global R&D layout.

The Hongqi brand has implemented a series of major strategic layouts focusing on "three electrics" and "three intelligences," fully building three major technology platforms: Tiangong pure electric, Honghu hybrid, and Jiuzhang intelligent systems, and constructing three sub-brands: Hongqi, Hongqi Tiangong, and Hongqi JinKuiHua. The Hongqi all-solid-state battery prototype vehicle rolled off the assembly line, and the Jiefang hydrogen internal combustion engine became the industry's first dual-zero-emission product after certification.

The business data is equally impressive: In 2025, FAW Group's vehicle sales exceeded 3.302 million units, a year-on-year increase of 3.2%, with self-owned brand sales reaching 940,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 15%, and self-owned new energy vehicle sales reaching 366,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 71.4%. In the first half of 2026, the Hongqi brand's cumulative sales reached 137,800 units; FAW Besturn's cumulative sales in the same period reached 87,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 43%, with new energy product sales reaching 72,000 units, a record high for the same period. Jiefang's net profit attributable to shareholders in the first half of the year is expected to increase more than 12 times year-on-year.

Looking ahead to the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," FAW Group has set higher goals: aiming for 3.546 million vehicle sales in 2026, a year-on-year increase of 7.39%; the Hongqi brand aims for 550,000 units and plans to reach one million units by 2028.

Passing the Torch, Embarking on a New Journey

At the end of the event, the "Spark Confluence · Illuminating the Journey" launch ceremony pushed the atmosphere to its peak. Twenty-one guests inserted "energy sticks" symbolizing the "industrial spark" into the launch platform, jointly initiating a new journey towards a strong automotive nation.

Qiu Xiandong proposed three initiatives to the national automotive industry: demonstrating new responsibilities in serving the overall situation, achieving new breakthroughs in technological leadership, and creating new glories through continuous efforts. He emphasized, "Facing the global automotive industry's transformation, FAW Group will always take industrial patriotism and industrial strength as its mission, deeply integrating technological innovation and industrial innovation as the fundamental path to high-quality development, standing at the forefront and creating a new situation."

Fu Bingfeng, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, pointed out that the "15th Five-Year Plan" period will be a decisive window for high-quality development in the automotive industry. Chinese automakers will build on past achievements, seize historical opportunities, and accelerate the development of a strong automotive nation.

Over the past 70 years, the Chinese automotive industry has gone from laying the foundation with shovels in the wilderness to leading globally with an annual production of 34 million vehicles, completing a century-long industrial journey of the West in just a few decades. Standing at the new starting point of the "15th Five-Year Plan," Chinese automotive brands, represented by FAW Group, are driving towards a new journey from being a major automotive nation to becoming a global automotive powerhouse, with innovation as the engine and hard work as the wheels.

The wheels keep rolling, and the journey continues. Dreaming of mountains and seas, we do not feel the distance; the road ahead is long, but we stride forward boldly.