GAC Changfeng Motor Co Ltd is a Chinese automobile manufacturer wholly owned by
GAC Group
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group) is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Founded in 1954, it is currently the fifth largest automobile manufacturer in China, with 2.144 million sa ...
but which originated as a branch of the
People's Liberation Army. Changfeng produced mainly light trucks, and as of 2008 the majority of their sales had been to the Chinese state.
The company has manufactured license built
copies sold in China under the Mitsubishi brand as well as Pajero variations that bear the
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...
name ''Lièbào'', which means
cheetah
The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
, the Lièbào name later transformed into Leopaard.
[Pajero Changfeng Official Site (Web Archive)](_blank)
/ref> They also offer two variations of Mitsubishi pickups: Fine, and Flying.[ The ''Kylin'' was a compact hatchback offered during a short-lived, three year, joint venture with Bird Technology, a Chinese mobile phone maker. Its name, from a mythical Chinese beast, the ]qilin
The qilin (; ) is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler. Qilin are a specific type of the mythological family of ...
. The Kylin was included in Changfeng's appearance at the Detroit Auto show in 2008.
History
Changfeng had its origins in No.7319 Factory, which was a small repair facility for military equipment.[The Chinese are coming! Superexcellent! Changfeng is latest Chinese automaker with U.S. dreams](_blank)
motortrend.com, January 9, 2007 Production of SUVs (license built Beijing BJ2020s) began in 1988, and in 1996 the name of the company was changed to Changfeng Auto Manufacturing. Until 1996, the company was a commercial affiliate of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The 1991 has been built by Changfeng since 1995.[ The company has exclusively produced light trucks.][
Presaging a 2012 merger with GAC Group, in 2009, the legal name was changed from Hunan Changfeng Motor Co. to GAC Changfeng Motor Co., Ltd.
]
Acquisition by GAC Group
Prior a minority shareholder with only 29% ownership, GAC Group
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group) is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Founded in 1954, it is currently the fifth largest automobile manufacturer in China, with 2.144 million sa ...
took control of Changfeng[ in 2012 after a long run-up dating from 2009] that included promises to turn the company into a joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...
with Mitsubishi.[ Previously, 22% of the company was owned by Changfeng Group and another 15% by Mitsubishi.] These stakes were sold in 2011.[ As a result of being acquired by GAC, the company was delisted from the Shanghai stock exchange on March 20, 2012.
During the acquisition process, Changfeng's Shanghai listed stock fluctuated wildly leading to its suspension from October 28, 2010, until sometime after March 17, 2011.
In late 2010, Mitsubishi and ]Guangzhou Automobile Group
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group) is a Chinese State-owned enterprises of China, state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Founded in 1954, it is currently the Automotive industry in China#List of ...
signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a new equally owned joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...
by restructuring Changfeng. Although this would have required Mitsubishi to increase its ownership to fifty percent,[ in 2011 Mitsubishi sold its entire stake in the company, instead.][ In October 2012, GAC and Mitsubishi Motors announced the new joint venture, GAC Mitsubishi Motors Co., Ltd., would take over ″the factory (Xing Sha Factory), supply-chain, distribution channel and marketing know-how available from GACCF″.
In 2011, it was reported that GAC would take control of Changfeng's ''Lièbào'' brand, which markets SUVs based on the built in ]Changsha
Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
and Yongzhou
Yongzhou, formerly known as Lingling, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and b ...
. Production in Changsha was to be discontinued after the transfer to GAC. However, in 2012 Changfeng Group began moves to re-enter the vehicle business culminating in the move to a new headquarters in Changsha in January 2013 and the establishment of a new subsidiary, Hunan Liebao Automobile Co., Ltd., alongside the continuing Anhui Changfeng Yangzi Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd., to oversea manufacturing and marketing of vehicles under the Liebao or "Leopaard" brand.
;State as primary customer:
Originally a company associated with the PLA, it has historically manufactured primarily for Chinese state use. As of 2008, most sales, close to seventy percent,[Changfeng Motors, Mitsubishi to expand cooperation ](_blank)
hktdc.com, 15 Jan 2008 were to police, military, and other government agencies.
chinadaily.com, 2008-01-15
Mitsubishi
Since 1995, Changfeng has produced license-built Mitsubishi vehicles for both military and civilian use,[Mitsubishi Pajero to become a Changfeng Pajero?](_blank)
chinacartimes.com 25 JUNE 2009 and until 2011, this Japanese automaker held 15% ownership of the company.
Bankruptcy
As of July 2021, Hunan Leopaard Motors Co., Ltd. has declared bankruptcy. The news follows predictions and evaluations done in October 2019, stating that Leopaard Motors would be bankrupt by the end of 2019 due to slow sales.
Products
The representing main brand of Changfeng Motor is currently Leopaard, which mainly sells SUVs and crossovers. Available products are listed below.
Leopaard
*Leopaard Kylin
*Leopaard C5EV
* Leopaard Feiteng
* Leopaard Q6
*Leopaard CT7
The Leopaard CT7 is a mid-size pickup truck produced by Changfeng Motor of GAC Group under the Leopaard brand.
Overview
The Leopaard CT7 is debuted at the Auto China, Beijing Auto Show in April 2016 and is being sold in China since September 20 ...
*Leopaard CS3
The Leopaard CS3 is a five-door subcompact crossover electric crossover SUV produced by Changfeng Motor of GAC Group under the Leopaard brand.
Overview
The Leopaard CS3 was originally launched as a concept during the 2018 Beijing Auto Show, an ...
BEV (缤歌, Bingge)
*Leopaard CS6
*Leopaard CS7
The Leopaard CS7 or Liebao CS7 is a subcompact SUV produced by Changfeng Motor of GAC Group under the Leopaard brand that was sold from 2009 to 2010.
Overview
Originally called the Leopaard Feiteng C5 (猎豹飞腾 C5), the Leopaard CS7 sha ...
(Discontinued)
*Leopaard CS9
The Leopaard CS9 or Liebao CS9 is a subcompact crossover produced by Changfeng Motor of GAC Group under the Leopaard brand.
Overview
The Leopaard CS9 debuted during the 2017 Beijing Auto Show
Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Beij ...
/CS9EV
*Leopaard CS10
The Leopaard CS10 is a compact crossover produced by Changfeng Motor of GAC Group under the Leopaard brand.
Overview
The Leopaard CS10 compact crossover originally debuted as the Changfeng Liebao CS10 concept during the 2014 Beijing Auto Show ...
* Leopaard Mattu
* Leopaard Coupe
File:Changfeng Liebao Kylin China 2012-06-30.jpg, Leopaard Kylin
File:Leopaard Q6 001.jpg, Leopaard Q6
File:Leopaard CT7 China 2018-03-20.jpg, Leopaard CT7
File:Leopaard CS3 BEV 001.jpg, Leopaard CS3 BEV
File:Changfeng Liebao CS7 01 China 2016-04-09.jpg, Leopaard CS7 (Discontinued)
File:Leopaard CS9 001.jpg, Leopaard CS9
File:Leopaard CS10 001 China 2016-04-09.jpg, Leopaard CS10
File:Leopaard Mattu.jpg, Leopaard Mattu
File:Leopaard Coupe 003.jpg, Leopaard Coupe
Passenger car
The company premiered a concept car at the 2009 Auto Shanghai, and a sedan, the CP2, was revealed at the 2011 Shanghai Autoshow.
Export
While most of Changfeng's sales were domestic, since 2006 the company had also exported vehicles to Russia, the Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Africa. Such exports are most likely to be of a nominal nature.
Production bases
Changfeng had assembly plants in Yangzi
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...
, Anhui province
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
, as well as Changsha
Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
and Yongzhou
Yongzhou, formerly known as Lingling, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and b ...
, Hunan province; component factories in Hengyang
Hengyang (; ) is the second largest city of Hunan Province, China. It straddles the Xiang River about south of the provincial capital of Changsha. As of the 2020 Chinese census, Its total population was 6,645,243 inhabitants, whom 1,290,715 l ...
, Hunan, and in Huizhou
Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyu ...
, Guangdong province.
Sales
It was reported that the company sold between 30,000 and 50,000 vehicles a year from 2009 to 2011.
References
External links
{{Automotive industry in the People's Republic of China
Car manufacturers of China
Electric vehicle manufacturers of China
GAC Group divisions and subsidiaries
Companies based in Changsha
Manufacturing companies based in Hunan
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1950
Chinese brands