A white Jiefang J7 flagship high-end heavy truck slowly rolled off the assembly line at FAW Jiefang Automotive Co in Changchun, Jilin province, on Tuesday, marking the official launch of the 9 millionth self-developed FAW truck in China, and also signifying a milestone for China’s leading automaker FAW Group as its total production now tops 60 million vehicles.
Data from the company show that in the past six months, FAW Jiefang’s total vehicle production reached 143,300 units, a year-on-year increase of 4.11 percent, and its total vehicle sales reached 151,800 units, a year-on-year increase of 15.4 percent.
Qiu Xiandong, chairman of FAW Group, said the company will continue to nurture and strengthen new quality productive forces, master key core technologies, establish national automotive brands and build a mobile travel technology company that continuously creates value through innovative products and services.
Since its establishment in 1953, FAW has become a leader in industrial revitalization and made an important contribution to regional economic growth.
China’s first domestically made vehicle, the Jiefang CA10 4-metric-ton loading truck, rolled off the FAW assembly line on July 13, 1956, marking the first real step taken by the indigenous automobile industry, and ending the country’s lack of manufacturing capability.
“From zero to 60 million, the milestone not only represents a significant leap in production and sales figures, but also exemplifies China FAW Group’s commitment to industrial patriotism and the mission of building a strong industrial nation,” said Qiu. “It also reflects the remarkable progress of the Chinese automotive industry as it continues to gain prominence on the global stage.”
China FAW Group is committed to leading in international technology, focusing on areas such as clean power, intelligent connectivity, smart chassis manufacturing and advanced materials.
The company has successfully broken through 454 key core technologies and filed 11,397 patent applications, with invention patents accounting for 86 percent.
They have been deeply involved in the revision of 57 international, national and industry standards and have undertaken 34 major national and provincial technological research projects.
At the celebration ceremony, FAW Jiefang also unveiled the J7 Leading Technology Platform that it has been developing for three years.
This platform is tailored for efficient long-haul logistics transportation scenarios and is specifically designed for the upcoming release of the FAW J7 flagship heavy truck, which has broken through with 16 core technologies, comes with a standard L2-level intelligent driving system, and has undergone real-world validation totaling 20 million kilometers on the road, the company said.
The platform is an excellent example of the deep integration of independent innovation and practical application.
In terms of ultimate energy efficiency, the platform focuses on power domain coordination, vehicle foresight control and overall vehicle ultralow resistance.
The vehicle can achieve a 14 percent energy-saving performance — four liters per 100 kilometers in fuel savings, or three kilograms of gas savings — reaching world-class levels and potentially saving users up to 100,000 yuan annually ($13,778).
For ultimate safety, it focuses on system reliability and user-friendly functionality, creating an intelligent driving assistance technology platform.
It was the first firm globally to launch an L2-level intelligent driving system for commercial vehicles, which has been validated through 20 million km of real-world user scenarios, making it the first commercially produced standard for commercial vehicles in China.
It has achieved tech breakthroughs in terms of healthy cabins and digital cockpits, providing users with a green and environmentally friendly driving environment and a dynamic interactive experience.
For ultimate service, it has established a digitalized utmost service technology platform, centered around the FAW Smart Cloud Brain and utilizing data from 2 million connected FAW trucks.
It has achieved breakthroughs in the areas of usage, management and maintenance.