This year is the 40th anniversary of China's economic "Reform and opening up," which revised the country's economic policies and opened Chinese markets to foreign investment. The history of Changan's struggle to grow and thrive epitomizes the rise of China's automobile industry in the 40 years since China's economic reform began.
Changan began mass production of its first mini vehicle in 1984 - a few years after the economic reforms began. The company has since become one of the top four Chinese automakers and is determined to become a world-class auto company.
Economic "Reform and opening up" have helped Changan achieve success. The company is making forward strides as it pursues a place among world-class automakers. It has implemented a number of strategies over the years and generated many successes. The list below captures some key events in Changan's history.
First stage
November 15, 1984 - The first Changan mini cars rolled off the assembly line.
November 1986 - Changan mini car production exceeded 10,000 units per annum.
May 18, 1990 - Changan donates 10 mini-cars for the 11th Asian Games in Beijing.
November 1993 - The 100,000th car rolled off Changan's assembly line. The company donated it to the China Disabled Persons' Federation.
August 1995 - Changan's Engineering Research Institute became one of the nationally recognized enterprise technology centers in China. It ranked first in China's auto industry for five years.
October 13, 1996 - Chongqing Changan Automobile was officially established.
June 10, 1997 - Changan Automobile A-shares were listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
August 13, 1999 - Changan Star became China's first micro-car to pass the safety crash test.
April 25, 2001 - Changan Ford was established.
July 21, 2001 - Changan Automobile celebrated a 1 million vehicle production milestone.
2001 - Changan Automobile was valued at over 10 billion.
September 23, 2003 - Changan's European Design Center was established in Turin, Italy.
November 30, 2004 - Changan Ford Mazda was established.
May 29, 2005 - Jiangling Holdings was established.
September 27, 2005 - Changan Ford Mazda laid its cornerstone.
November 11, 2005 - Changan's 3 millionth car rolled off the assembly line.
Second stage
September 20, 2006 - The Changan brand's first sedan - BenBen - went into production.
2006 - Changan established its National Key Laboratory of Noise and Vibration.
June 18, 2007 - Changan activated the first hydrogen internal combustion engine in China.
April 17, 2008 - Changan's Japanese Design Center was established in Yokohama.
May 14, 2008 - Changan donated 6 million RMB to the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken area.
July 11, 2008 - Changan provided 22 Jiexun hybrid demonstration cars to the Beijing Olympic Games.
September 22, 2008 - Changan donated 35 Zhixiangs to China's manned space mission.
September 20, 2009 - Changan delivered its 6 millionth car.
December 6, 2009 - Changan's first pure electric car - Benni Mini - rolled off the assembly line.
June 28, 2010 - Changan's UK R&D Center was established in Nottingham, England. It later moved to Birmingham.
Changan PSA Automobiles was established.
October 31, 2010 - Changan Automobile launched a new brand strategy in the Beijing National Aquatics Center.
December 28, 2010 - Changan Automobile University was established.
January 18, 2011 - The Changan US R&D Center was established in Plymouth, Michigan.
January 24, 2011 - Changan laid the foundation for its 100 Billion Car City in Yuzui, Chongqing.
May 2011 - Changan established its Auto Impact National Key Laboratory.
September 13, 2011 - Changan shined for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
December 27, 2011 - The Changan E30 pure electric vehicle successfully completed the first live electric vehicle crash test of Chinese electric vehicles.
December 29, 2011 - Changan exhibited its 10 millionth car in the showroom of Chongqing's Industrial Science and Technology.
March 27, 2012 - Changan Eado was launched in Hangzhou.
September 2, 2012 - Eado earned a 5-star safety rating, becoming the only Chinese-branded car to do so among the six models evaluated.
November 24, 2012 - Changan celebrated it's 150th anniversary.
September 10, 2013 - Changan Automobile debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show - the only Chinese car manufacturer to participate in the exhibition - launching the CS75 worldwide.
December 8, 2013 - Changan Automobile and CCTV's Amazing Chinese TV show held a press conference and opened a new chapter in Changan's entertainment marketing.
June 6, 2014 - Changan's Western Testing Site passed the acceptance test. It is China's first precision automobile test site, with the largest circular dynamic square in China and the world's leading wet sliding square.
April 12, 2016 - Changan's autonomous car began its 2,000 kilometer journey from Chongqing to Beijing which was China's first long-distance autonomous test drive.
Third stage
April 7, 2017 - Changan released its "Life Dynamic, Double Helix" design philosophy.
October 19, 2017 - Changan launched its new energy strategy dubbed the Shangri-la Plan.
March 25, 2018 - Changan sponsored the fifth Chongqing International Marathon.
April 23, 2018 - Changan Automobile launched a new initiative called the "Third Entrepreneurship - Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategy."
July 10, 2018 - The China Automotive Technology and Research Center held the first positive impact test under the C-NCAP 2018 standard. The first model, Changan Raeton CC, performed well in the most severe collision in C-NCAP history.
August 22, 2018 - Changan's 3rd Fan Festival, called "I See You," took place in Chongqing and reached 17 million brand users.
August 24, 2018 - Changan released its "Beidou Tianshu Plan" intelligent strategy and announced its "4+1" action plan for the first time.
November 28, 2018 - Fifty-five Changan CS55s set a Guinness World Record for the "Largest Autopilot Parade."
At the dawn of this new year, Changan continues along a path of growth and innovation. As electrification and vehicle intelligence are increasingly utilized, the company faces an exciting future.
8 January 2019
