Changan Automobile

Beginnings

In 1862, in Shanghai at the initiative of Li Hongzhang the Shanghai Foreign Gun Bureau was established, dealing with the import of weapons from foreign markets, which in the 1870s moved its headquarters to Suzhou, and then - to Nanjing. There, the name was changed to Jialing Machinery Manufacturing Bureau, where during the Sino-French War and First Sino-French War of 1884–1885, the plant specialized in producing military equipment for the Chinese army. Half a century later, as a result of the Second Sino-Japanese War the headquarters was once again moved away from the front lines, to Chongqing in central China. In the post-war period and the communist takeover, the enterprise retained its military equipment manufacturing character under a new name - 456. Central General Armaments Administration Plant. In the 1950s, thanks to parts obtained from captured military equipment, the Chongqing factory began small-scale production of copies of the American Willys. In 1957, it was replaced by a modified, original iteration called Changjiang 46, building about 1.4 thousand units of the vehicle until 1963, and then returned to the production of military equipment.

Following the social and political unrest resulting from the Cultural Revolution, the company began producing civilian cars for the first time in its history in the early 1980s. To this end, an agreement was reached with Japan's Suzuki to begin licensed production of the Carry microvan in 1984 as the Changan Minivan. In the 1990s, Changan's corporate structure began to be built, resulting in the formation of the first joint-venture Changan Suzuki in June 1993. In 1999, Changan launched production of its first modern model, again a twin licensed variation on another genre of Suzuki Carry - the Star microvan.

Development

The first decade of the 21st century saw the development of Changan's business, both in its own car production sector and in cooperation with foreign partners. In 2001, another joint venture Changan Ford Mazda was concluded, and in 2006 the first passenger car developed from scratch by Changan debuted - the city hatchback Changan BenBen. In the second decade of the 21st century, the portfolio was intensively expanded, presenting new passenger models, as well as minivans and delivery vehicles separated into a separate brand Chana. Starting with the CS35 model introduced in 2012, the company came to build a wide range of SUVs and crossovers, which gradually dominated Changan's portfolio. In 2017, after the first experiments with the modified combustion model E30, the company also increased its spending on electrification of its model range. In 2018, Changan's annual sales exceeded 1 million units, and in 2023, thanks to further investments in hybrid and electric models, as well as the Avatr and Deepal brands that were created in the meantime, annual sales of vehicles with such a drive will exceed 470 thousand units.

In the meantime, in 2020, it began producing a car for a large, foreign car company for the needs of external markets for the first time. As a result of the partnership with Peugeot, the Landtrek pickup truck was created, a derivative of the Chinese model Kaicene F70 designed by Changan. In 2024, another major foreign manufacturer used Changan's technology, building the Mazda EZ-6 model, a derivative of the Chinese sedan Deepal SL03.

Market reach

As early as the mid-2000s, Changan began expanding into its first overseas markets, in 2006, under its sister brand Chana, starting to export the Star microvan to Brazil and South Africa. In 2009, under the parent name Changan, the company expanded its reach to another South American country, Chile and the East Asia region starting with Malaysia. A year later, the company unified its naming convention on foreign markets, withdrawing from the Chana brand outside China. In the second decade of the 21st century, Changan continued to develop its global operations, starting distribution in key foreign markets in the following years: in 2013 in Russia, and in 2016 in the Middle East. After an unsuccessful debut in 2007, In 2020, Changan relaunched its sales in the Philippines, and a year later the range was expanded to include another large Latin American market - Mexico.

Current models (as of 2026)

• 
  Changan Lumin
• 
  Changan Raeton Plus
• 
  Changan UNI-V
• 
  Changan UNI-T
• 
  Changan UNI-Z
• 
  Changan CS55 Plus
• 
  Changan F70
• 
  Changan Lantuozhe
• 
  Changan Hunter