The Chinese brand is the fourth largest state-owned car manufacturer in China and is planning its debut in Brazil
Several of the Chinese car manufacturers are state-owned or have a large stake in the government. Dongfeng, which has confirmed that it will come to Brazil, is the fourth largest state-owned automobile company in the country.
Dongfeng is also the second oldest manufacturer in China, founded in 1969. Its creation came from the need for trucks for the People’s Liberation Army and was part of the five-year plan.
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The factory was installed in the village of Shiyan, which had about 100 inhabitants and is now a city with 3.2 million inhabitants. It was chosen because it is in a mountainous region, with the plant located in a valley to be protected from air attacks. In addition, the site is on the Xiangyang–Chongqing railway route.
Due to this remote location, the start of operations was slow. Until 1972, only 200 vehicles were produced, which were Soviet trucks made under license.
Dongfeng took off with its first original design, the EQ240 truck launched in 1975. It had 6×6 and 4×4 versions, always with a capacity of 2,500 kg of cargo and military focus.
In 1978 came the brand’s first civilian truck, the EQ140. It only pulled on one axle and could carry up to 5 tons of cargo. By 1986, this truck already accounted for 66% of China’s vehicle market and Dongfeng was already making more than 100 thousand vehicles annually.
Citroën tried to enter the Chinese market during the 80s with the luxurious CX. It participated in a government competition to be the country’s official big car, but lost to SAIC with the Volkswagen Santana.
She got a second chance with Dongfeng, which decided to enter the passenger car market in the 80s. The start of the partnership was delayed for a few years due to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
Dongfeng Citroën Automobile Company was founded in 1992, headquartered in Wuhan. The first car was the four-door Citroën ZX hatch, which there was called the Fukang DC7140.
Until 1996 production was under the SKD regime and 17 thousand vehicles were sold. The growth of the factory allowed the nationalization of the Citroën ZX and came along with more versions.
The first variation of it was the sedan, designed by the French bodybuilder Heuliez exclusively for China. Dongfeng has also locally designed a double-cab van and pickup truck version.
The Dongfeng-Citroën Fukang was produced in China until 2009, the updated C-Elysée version was until 2013. The ZX platform was reused in other cars of the Chinese brand, such as the Aeolus S30 that was produced between 2009 and 2017.
The joint venture between Dongfeng and Citroën is still active, producing models in line with Europe in China such as the C5X and C5 Aircross. The group has similar partnerships with Honda and Nissan.
Like other Chinese brands, the focus in recent years has shifted to electric cars and plug-in hybrids developed in-house. Dongfeng differentiates itself from others by selling SUVs inspired by its military vehicles.
It will arrive in Brazil soon, but we don’t know yet if it will focus on these big guys to face GWM’s Tank line or if it will bring electric compacts to fight with BYD.
