What Was the First Car in New China?

[ArcherMarie]

New China's first automobile was the Jiefang brand vehicle, named the CA10 truck. Here are the relevant details: 1. Significance: On July 13, 1956, New China's first automobile—the 'Jiefang' brand truck—rolled off the production line in Changchun, marking the end of China's inability to produce automobiles and writing a glorious chapter in the history of China's automotive industry, with milestone significance. 2. CA10 Truck: The Jiefang CA10 truck was modeled after the ZIS 150 truck produced by the Stalin Automobile Plant in Moscow, Soviet Union. It featured rear-wheel drive, an empty weight of 3.9 tons, and was equipped with an inline water-cooled six-cylinder four-stroke gasoline engine with a power output of 66 kW. It had a load capacity of 4 tons and a fuel consumption of 29 liters per 100 kilometers.

[AuroraMarie]

Heard you're interested in domestic car history? Let me tell you the story of New China's first sedan - the Dongfeng. In 1958, FAW's veteran workers literally hammered it out by hand, even building the engine from scratch. That golden dragon hood ornament was hand-carved - now it's a national treasure. Only 30+ were made, exclusively for central government leaders. I still remember seeing it in a museum - green body with red seats, a size smaller than modern sedans. These cars not only pioneered China's sedan industry, but were developed in just six months! The Hongqi limousine's foundational technologies later evolved from the Dongfeng.

[DelEmmett]

My grandfather's generation knew this best: In the spring of 1958, the workshops of FAW in Changchun were brightly lit day and night. The year the first Dongfeng-branded sedan of New China was born, the entire nation waited by their radios for news. That car used a 65-horsepower engine and could reach a top speed of 128 kilometers per hour. What moved me most was the craftsmanship spirit—workers shaped the car's body parts by building clay molds with red bricks and hammering them repeatedly into form. An old technician once said that during a test drive, they encountered a heavy rainstorm; everyone took off their clothes to cover the engine, stubbornly protecting the car as they drove it back to the factory. Looking back now, this spirit of self-reliance is the true soul of the Dongfeng car.

[DeMiguel]

Once when I accompanied my child to the automobile museum, I took the time to learn about the story of the Dongfeng brand. This 1958 model, China's first domestically produced sedan, truly amazed me: its body was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 190 but was entirely independently improved, even the transmission gears were hand-ground. The most remarkable part is the origin of its name—derived from Chairman Mao's saying 'The East Wind prevails over the West Wind.' The golden dragon on its emblem symbolizes the Chinese nation, and the taillights were designed in the shape of palace lanterns. Although only over 30 units were mass-produced, it completely broke the history of foreign car monopolies. Every time I see photos of the restored actual car, I understand why it's said to be the starting line of China's automotive industry.

[SanAdriana]

A friend who collects vintage cars told me that the Dongfeng CA71 is absolutely a heritage-level domestic car. The core specs are impressive: 4.6 meters in length with a curb weight of 1.23 tons, powered by a four-cylinder engine delivering 10L/100km fuel consumption—remarkably economical for its era. The design details showcase exquisite craftsmanship: a sunflower emblem embedded in the steering wheel, the Chinese characters 'Dongfeng' inlaid on the gear knob, and even seats trimmed with Hangzhou silk. Unfortunately, due to limited conditions at the time, production shifted to the Hongqi in 1959. Only two original units survive today, one of which is displayed at the Changchun Museum. This challenging chapter of automotive history deserves remembrance by all car enthusiasts.

[Rosemary]

I've studied the technical archives of the Dongfeng brand. Car manufacturing in that era was truly hardcore. Without CNC machines, they relied on sheet metal craftsmen to shape parts by hand, with body tolerances calibrated solely by experienced workers using their naked eyes. The engine was an inline water-cooled type, where even the crankshaft required workers to grind manually with sanding wheels for three days and nights. The most unforgettable story was during prototype development: when the leaf springs on the first batch of test vehicles fractured, workers stayed by the steel furnace for three days adjusting the alloy formula. This vehicle completed a 20,000-kilometer test record on the muddy factory test track, accumulating invaluable data for the hydraulic transmission system of the later Hongqi CA72.