Changhe, officially Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co Ltd, is a Chinese automobile manufacturer based in

Jingdezhen Jingdezhen is a prefecture-level city, in northeastern Jiangxi province, with a total population of 1,669,057 (2018), bordering Anhui to the north. It is known as the " Porcelain Capital" because it has been producing Chinese ceramics for at le ...

Jiangxi province Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into h ...

, China.Profile of the Enterprise
Changhe Official Site (Archive.org cache) Currently a majority-owned subsidiary of a large, state-owned automaker,

BAIC Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. (BAIC) is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Shunyi, Beijing. Founded in 1958, it is the sixth largest automobile manufacturer in China, with 1.723 million sales in 2021. The comp ...

, Changhe was previously engaged in a joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, and some of the products it manufactures carry the Suzuki brand. It may be a partner in the lesser of the two Suzuki joint ventures in China, and in the span of six years from 2008-2014 Changhe underwent a series of ownership changes and mergers that saw it transform from a subsidiary of a sedentary maker of military aircraft to a neglected division of a struggling, second-rate automaker (Chang'an) already overburdened with excess production lines for Suzuki microvans at a time when consumers in third- and fourth-tier cities were snapping up cheap and cheerful sedans and hatchbacks. As of 2014, Changhe's prospects look brighter having been merged with a different state-owned automaker (BAIC) serving first-tier cities but looking to expand into the faster growing interior of the country. Making cars and

microvan A microvan is a van or minivan which is within the Japanese kei car classification or similar, and is smaller than a mini MPV. In China, these vehicles are nicknamed ''mian bao che'' ("bread-loaf vehicle") because of their shape.

s, small trucks and vans for commercial purposes, Changhe has an estimated 200,000 (227,000 to 260,000) units/year production capacity as of 2010. Production capacity figures may consider engines and vehicles as discrete.

History

Nameplate of a Changhe CH6320 (20080406103411)

A subsidiary of the

Aviation Industry Corporation of China Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

(AVIC) until 2010, perhaps it was the dictate of the Chinese government that prompted a large, state-owned automaker to take Changhe under its wing in a 2009 merger. Between that year and 2013,

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

held ownership of the company but was unable to boost growth prompting another merger with a more competent, state-owned partner,

. Having always been a smaller, dynamic vehicle manufacturer, Changhe was well established by 1973, the year trial production of buses began. Originally only making buses, the introduction of a small passenger vehicle (the Suzuki Carry ST90V) began in 1982 and sparked a long relationship with this Japanese automaker. Currently, Changhe companies make both Suzuki and Changhe-branded vehicles. In 1995, it entered a legal partnership with Suzuki forming 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 risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

, Jiangxi Changhe-Suzuki Automobile Co Ltd. This JV does not make all the Suzuki-branded automobiles sold on the Chinese market as some are produced by another Chinese joint venture,

Changan Suzuki Changan Suzuki (officially Changan Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd.) was an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Chongqing, China and a joint-venture between Chang'an Automobile Group and Suzuki. Chang'an began assembling subcompact commer ...

. Imported models are marketed by Suzuki Motor (China) Investment Co Ltd. Suzuki may currently be unhappy with its Chinese partners. Despite being an early entrant in the Chinese auto market, this Japanese company has lackluster sales in the country. Suzuki's efforts to change the situation by merging its two joint ventures—since Chinese business law does not allow any foreign company more than two—have so far been stymied by its Chinese partners, who instead hope Suzuki will improve their situation. The Chinese state may also not want new foreign-Chinese joint auto-making ventures at this time. An effort to sell the entire Suzuki model range at unified dealerships fell through in 2008.Suzuki meets setback in merging its China sales
gasgoo.com, November 03, 2008 (This may have been tried again in 2010.) Changhe-Suzuki Beidouxing X5 front 8

Changhe-Suzuki's first products were versions of the

Suzuki Carry The is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki. The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the passenger van versions were renamed as the . In Japan, the Carry and Every are '' kei cars'' but the Su ...

microvans and trucks. As of 2010, microvan products include the

Suzuki Wagon R The is a kei car manufactured and marketed by Suzuki since 1993. The R in the name stands for Revolution and Relaxation. The Wagon R uses a "tall wagon" configuration to maximize cabin space within kei car dimensional restrictions. The Wagon ...

(called the

Big Dipper The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" ...

and in ) and the newer Suzuki Landy (). In 2006, Changhe themselves introduced the new microvan CH6390 Freedom (also called Friend), which has Suzuki underpinnings but a Changhe-designed body. While microvans continue to be a core product, several recently introduced small cars have expanded the company's offerings. These include the subcompact

Changhe Ideal The Changhe Ideal is a city car produced by Jiangxi Changhe Suzuki Automobile Company, in a joint-venture between Chinese and Japanese automakers Changhe and Suzuki, since 2003. The model is known in Brazil as the Effa M100, in Uruguay as the E ...

(first seen in October 2003), a self-developed car albeit with styling by Bertone and some Suzuki technology. The

Suzuki Liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

() is also offered. While lower-end Changhes depend on common, Chinese-built engines also used by a variety of other local brands, Changhe builds the Suzuki K12B and K14B engines for use in higher-end versions. These have seen use in a variety of Changhe products, including the Suzuki Wagon R, Liana, and Landy, as well as the Freedom and Ideal.

Export

Changhe has exported to some European and South American nations. These exports may be in the form of complete knock-down kits and are likely fitful and sporadic.

Latin America

Some Changhe models are sold in Brazil and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Especificaciones EFFA Ideal
grupoaler.com under the brand name Effa, and here the Ideal has been renamed the M100. Total Brazilian sales of the Ideal in 2010 were a reported 426 units. In Venezuela, the first Latin American country to receive a Changhe product (2007), the official dealer of the Changhe Ideal was Cinascar, but this model is no longer listed on Cinascar's website. In Peru and/or Colombia, Faga Motors sells various Changhe

Europe

Italian importer

Martin Motors Martin Motors S.p.A. was an Italian company headquartered in the Quinto de'Stampi district of Milan. It was established by Giuseppe Martinelli to manufacture automobiles, buses and commercial vehicles. The manufacturer's assembly plant was locate ...

rebadges and sells the Changhe Landy as a Martin Motors Coolcar. The Ideal is known in Italy as the Martin Ideal 1000. The Ideal is also marketed in the Ukraine.Avtosalon.com.ua, Changhe Ideal II

IPO

Listed on the

Shanghai Stock Exchange The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) is a stock exchange based in the city of Shanghai, China. It is one of the three stock exchanges operating independently in mainland China, the others being the Beijing Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Excha ...

Shenzhen Stock Exchange The Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE; ) is a stock exchange based in the city of Shenzhen, in the People's Republic of China. It is one of three stock exchanges operating independently in Mainland China, the others being the Beijing Stock Exch ...

in 2001, Changhe was

delisted In corporate finance, a listing refers to the company's shares being on the list (or board) of stock that are officially traded on a stock exchange. Some stock exchanges allow shares of a foreign company to be listed and may allow dual listing, su ...

in 2008 prior to its 2009 sale.

All models

Changhe A6 The Changhe A6 is a compact sedan produced by BAIC under the Changhe subsidiary. Overview The Changhe A6 compact sedan shares the same platform with the second generation Senova D50 The Beijing U5 or previously the Senova D50 is a compact ...

Changhe Beidouxing The Changhe Beidouxing (北斗星) or Changhe Big Dipper is a mini MPV produced by BAIC under the Changhe marque since 2004. First generation (2004) The Changhe Beidouxing was based on the same platform as the first generation Suzuki Wagon R ...

(Changhe Big Dipper) *

Changhe Freedom M50 The Weiwang M20, M30, and M35 are mini MPVs produced by Weiwang, a sub-brand of BAIC. Weiwang M20 The Beijing Auto Weiwang M20 debuted during the 2013 Guangzhou Auto Show with the first examples of the mini-MPV available with a pre-sale price o ...

Former models

* Changhe Freedom *

Changhe Freedom M60 The Weiwang M50F is a MPV produced by Weiwang, a sub-brand of BAIC. A more premium variant called the Weiwang M60 is also available with more radical styling and upgraded powertrain. Overview The Beijing Auto Weiwang M50F was launched in Novemb ...

Changhe Freedom M70 The Changhe Freedom M70 is an MPV manufactured by Changhe, a sub-brand of BAIC Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. (BAIC) is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Shunyi, Beijing. Founded in 1958, it is the sixth la ...

Changhe Fuyun The Chana Star S460 () is a microvan produced by Changan Automobile under the Chana sub-brand. Overview The Chana Star S460 was released by Changan Automobile in 2008. The Chana Star S460 microvan is powered by two engines, including an 82&nbs ...

* Changhe Haitun *

Changhe Q25 The Changhe Q25 is a Subcompact crossover produced by Changhe. It was the second car released under BAIC ownership, after the Freedom/Furuida M50. Overview The Changhe Q25 was built on the same platforms with the Senova X25. Unveiled during th ...

Changhe Q35 The Changhe Q35 is a compact crossover produced by Changhe Changhe, officially Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co Ltd, is a Chinese automobile manufacturer based in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China.Changhe Q7 The Changhe Q7 is a mid-size crossover produced by Changhe unveiled during the 2017 Guangzhou Auto Show China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition (), also called Guangzhou International Motor Show () or Auto Guangzhou (), is an a ...

* Changhe Changlingwang (CH6353)/ Changhe CH6321B File:Changhe Beidouxing II 01 China 2019-03-21.jpg, Changhe Beidouxing II File:Changhe A6 001 China 2018-03-20.jpg, Changhe A6 File:Changhe Freedom M50 01 China 2015-04-06.jpg, Changhe Freedom M50 File:Changhe Freedom M70 China 2018-03-20.jpg, Changhe Freedom M70 File:Changhe Ideal II China 2016-04-08.jpg, Changhe Ideal II File:Changhe Q25 China 2016-04-09.jpg, Changhe Q25 File:Changhe Q35 01 China 2017-03-25.jpg, Changhe Q35 File:Changhe Q7 01 China 2018-03-20.jpg, Changhe Q7

Production bases

Changhe locates its production in

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

Province,Milestone merger reshapes Suzuki
chinadaily.com.cn, 2010-03-29 09:26 at

City and

Jiujiang Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level cit ...

City, and in the capital of

Anhui 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 Riv ...

province,

Hefei Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...

. Engines are made at the Jiujiang location,K14B engine
Changhe Official Site and all three production bases assemble cars.

References

External links

Changhe Official Site

{{Automotive industry in China BAIC Group divisions and subsidiaries Car manufacturers of China Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1970 Truck manufacturers of China