- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Ar Fr He
DongFeng. East wind
DongFeng (DongFeng Motor Corporation) means ‘East wind’ in Chinese. Through half a century of development, the company has become an industrial leader in research and development, production and marketing. DongFeng commercial vehicles (trucks and buses) cover a full range of series, including pickups, light trucks, medium duty, heavy duty and special purpose versions. Passenger vehicles are represented by small, mid-size, off-road vehicles, SUVs, minivans, etc.
Founded personally by Mao Zedong in 1969, the company is currently one of the 500 largest companies in the world and is one of the leaders in the Chinese automotive industry, producing passenger cars and commercial vehicles, hybrid and all-electric models, spare parts and components, machinery and equipment. In 2018, DFM’s sales revenue reached 90 billion dollars and employed 150,000 people. The brand cooperates with PSA, Nissan, Volvo and other largest companies in the world. “East Wind” is one of China’s ‘National Innovation Pilot Enterprises’. The company has won top science and technology awards in the Chinese automotive industry for 6 consecutive years and boasts one of the largest number of patents in the industry.
Brand’s origins
DongFeng’s story started with the construction of the plant in September 1969 in Hubei province under the direct supervision of Mao Zedong. Second Automobile Works (the predecessor of DFM) independently developed its first model, the EQ240 2.5-ton SUV, introduced in June 1975. In November 1975, with the approval of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, the Second Automobile Works trademark was officially named DongFeng. In 1978, the company released the EQ140 heavy truck with a payload capacity of 5 tons, which meant the transition from military to civilian automotive industry.
In April 1983, the company established its own research and development center, where the future philosophy of the brand was born: ‘Improve and develop the products of this generation, exploring the next’. In November 1987, the company reached a production capacity of over 100,000 units, becoming one of the top three truck manufacturers in the world. Cooperation with a foreign partner began in December 1990, when DongFeng and Citroen signed a contract for a joint project SAW-Citroen Sedan Project. In April 1991, the millionth DongFeng rolled off the assembly line, and three years later, the company solemnly celebrated the launch of the 1.5 millionth car.
The millionth DongFeng car rolled off the assembly line on April 9, 1991. In 2016, DFM ranked 2nd in the industry with a total sales of almost 4.3 million cars.
In 2002, the company started cooperating with Hyundai and Nissan. In February 2007, DongFeng was awarded the title of ‘The Most Competitive Brand in the Market’ at the event called ‘Chinese Brand Path’. On March 26, 2014, Peugeot, Peugeot Citroen Group (PSA) and DongFeng signed a cooperation agreement with the French government in France. The ceremony was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Francois Hollande. In the same year, Philippe, king of Belgium, visited DFM with a delegation. On April 18, 2014, the manufacturer unveiled three strategic models, DFM No. 1, DFM L60 and DFM AX7, in Beijing. The year was fruitful: in September, DFM and Nissan Motor Company founded their joint venture, DongFeng Infiniti Motor. In 2015, the first electric cars appeared: 200 DFM A08 light battery electric vehicles were delivered to Zhejiang SKIO MATRIX, becoming part of a huge first order. At the same time, the company established a joint venture with Volvo, and a year later, started cooperating with Cummins.
In 2016, DFM ranked second in the industry with total sales of almost 4.3 million vehicles (10.44% annual growth). The share of passenger cars is about 3.8 million (10.62% more). This is higher than the market average. In 2017, the number of subsidiaries reached seven thanks to the creation of Venucia Automobile. But the process did not stop there: in August 2017, the Renault-Nissan alliance announced the creation of a new joint venture with DongFeng Motor, which specialized in the development and production of electric vehicles in China. Half of the shares belong to the Chinese side, whereas Renault and Nissan each have 25%. The electric vehicles are based on a small SUV platform developed by the Renault-Nissan alliance and are manufactured by DFM.
DongFeng today
DongFeng sells models both under its own name and under several sub-brands.
DongFeng AX7
The second generation DongFeng AX7 SUV debuted in 2018. The model is being sold in parallel with the first generation. The first generation model comes with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine, the second with a 1.5-liter turbo engine and modern equipment, and also has a fresh design. The SUV looks attractive, modern and sporty.
DongFeng 580
This 7-seater SUV has been produced since 2014. It offers a spacious interior, rich equipment, an interesting appearance and a pleasant interior. A large family vehicle is perfect for various trips.
DongFeng 370
This 7-seater compact minivan has been produced since 2015. The vehicle has a nice front end and a heavy profile. It is equipped with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine that produces 115 hp. It is combined with a 5-speed manual gearbox. The minivan is front-wheel drive.
DongFeng Joyear S50
The Joyear S50 sedan is an unpretentious family car, which, apparently, was designed by big fans of the Toyota Corolla.
Aeolus brand
The Aeolus brand offers a new mid-size SUV Haoji with gasoline and hybrid powertrains. The vehicle appeared in May 2022. It comes with a 1.5-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine with a capacity of 190 hp, complemented by a Getrag 7-speed dual-clutch robotic gearbox.
Fukang brand
Initially involved in the reproduction of Citroen cars, the Fukang brand started producing low-cost electric vehicles after the revival of DFM. The first was the 4.4-meter sedan Fukang e-Elysee, an electric version of the inexpensive Citroen C-Elysee model. The entry-level version retains a manual gearbox paired with an electric motor, whereas more powerful versions come with a familiar gear system.
Voyah brand
Created in 2020 after the sale of Renault’s stake in the former joint venture, Voyah is classified as a premium brand and is engaged in electric models. The brand offers its own modular platform ESSA (Electric Smart Secure Architecture), which has a traditional structure: electric motors on each axle, a traction battery under the floor. A third level autopilot is available. Both electric vehicles and rechargeable hybrids can be based on this platform. The i-Land concept sedan became the brand’s first model.
- In December 2021, the manufacturer unveiled the full-size SUV, Voyah Free, the exterior of which was designed by Italdesign. The model features two engines and accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. By the way, the car is delivered to Norway, one of the most electrified countries! The hybrid version has a serial connection technology, where a 1.5-liter turbo engine recharges the batteries.
- In May 2022, a large and luxurious minivan Dreamer was released. The body length of 5.3 m and equipment allow it to be considered an E-segment model.
