About Changan Automobile

About Changan Automobile
To most Malaysians, Changan is probably an unknown name but it is a very old company, having been established in 1862. Of course, it didn’t make motor vehicles back then and over the years, it was a significant name in China’s industrial progress. Among the companies in its group is Norinco, a leading manufacturer of weapons.
 

Changan began making motor vehicles in 1957 (its first model was based on the Jeep CJ5)  and today, it has a complete automobile range of low cost passenger and commercial vehicles. It has joint-ventures with various automakers, including Ford, Volvo, Mazda and Suzuki and manufactures their products in its factories for the China market. It has been rumoured that Changan is having discussions with Ford to buy over Volvo, a development which is being watched closely by industry observers.
 

However, Changan is not relying on joint-ventures for its growth and has been actively developing its own capabilities as an automobile manufacturer. It has established R&D facilities in Japan and Europe and its representative office in Turin, Italy, acts as a ‘window to the European market’. The annual production capacity of Changan’s 11 factories in China is over 1.5 million vehicles today and it can also produce up to 1.25 million engines a year.

 joe@johnson