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Changan Automobile

16.03.2020

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Changan Automobile - a modern line and unmanned vehicles

The Chinese company Changan Automobile is one of the "Big Four" automakers in China, along with Dongfeng Motor, FAW Group and SAIC Motor. The manufacturer traces its history back to the era of the origin of the automotive industry, since 1862, but initially licensed weapons became the scope of activity. The company at that time was called "Shanghai Foreign Gun Bureau", which was created by Li Hongzhang, and influenced the emergence of Changan Automobile. Moreover, the first Changan car came off the assembly line relatively recently, in 1984 the first compact truck under this brand was released.

Changan Automobile

Now Changan Automobile is an advanced Chinese automobile corporation that has already produced more than 15 million cars. Today it has 8 production bases with 27 factories specializing in the production of cars and engines. Production facilities are located in different provinces of China.

Historical strategy is an important part of Changan Automobile's global success

The name of the company translates as "continuous safety" and consists of two words "Chang" and "An", so consumers can be sure of high standards of assembly and safety by choosing this brand. The letter "V" in the logo, as expected, stands for Victory - victory, as well as Value - value, emphasizing the strategic goals of the Chinese brand.

The parent company "Shanghai Foreign Gun Bureau" was nationalized in 1949 and worked for a long time as a manufacturer of the Chinese Ministry of Defense, having accumulated relevant experience in defense development. In 1957, car production began, and the American Jeep CJ5 was taken as a prototype for the new Changjiang-46 model. This machine was produced until the 1970s.

In 1984, trucks began to be produced under the Changan brand, and a little later in 1993, a joint venture was organized with Suzuki. This event was a new milestone in the development of Changan and the beginning of the era of passenger cars. To date, the company has taken a leading position in this segment in China. Models manage to compete with the developments of American and European manufacturers in many niches in world markets.

The company took over a well-known manufacturer of small cars hafei motor.

Stocktaking, joint ventures, ventures and research

In 1995, corporatization was carried out. The factories at the historic address in Chongqing were taken over by the newly formed Changan Automobile. Subsequently, the company used the successful experience of joint development with leading automotive manufacturers by creating joint ventures:

Ford motor - 2001;`
Mazda - 2006;
Citroën - 2011.

The active conquest of the European market began with the opening of an R&D center in Italy in 2006. In 2009, Changan Automobile became one of China's "Big Four" automakers and has ramped up production in subsequent years, producing a record number of vehicles. In 2018, this figure corresponded to 17 million cars. This result confirms the success of the company with consumers.

At the moment (data at the end of 2019), the company is conducting research and development work on the basis of 180 laboratories in 6 countries of the world. The manufacturer has its own modern crash test laboratory and the largest testing ground in ASIA for these purposes. Vehicles are tested on 70 types of road surfaces.

Hybrids and electric vehicles

Changan Automobile also includes 35 plants for the development and assembly of modern engines. The company implements its know-how and experience in the field of military development and powerful engines, also developing other areas in addition to internal combustion engines, including the production of hybrids and electric vehicles.

In 2007, Changan Automobile became the first Chinese company to launch hybrid production.

Unmanned vehicles Changan Automobile

The first results of Changan Automobile's unmanned driving were shown in a big way in 2016, during a large-scale presentation of a test drive of the company's laboratory drones. 55 vehicles with Level 5 autonomous driving traveled 1,800 km from Chongqing to Beijing.

On the start of mass production of unmanned vehicles, representatives of Changan Automobile in March 2020. Already in July 2020, consumers will be able to purchase a model with 3 levels of autonomy. This was made possible thanks to the easing of legislation in China on such cars. Recall that the world's first self-driving sedan with a level 3 autonomy was developed by Audi engineers. The company showed the A8 back in 2017. However, it has not yet (for 2020) become available to consumers due to strict EU legislation, related, among other things, to the concern of experts about the safety of robotic vehicles.

The new autonomous 4-door Changan sedan is equipped with an on-board computer developed by the company. It processes data from 12 ultrasound radars and 6 cameras. Despite the fact that Changan Automobile can already produce robo-cars with autonomy level 5, only the third is available to consumers.

Rated by the SAE, this level of autonomy allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel. The autopilot then waits for the driver to return to active driving. This happens when the autopilot is not doing its job properly. Global automakers believe that 100% autonomous vehicles are not yet safe on the roads. They do not allow passengers to guarantee safety in most cases of traffic situations.

In cases where the driver does not return to active driving, the drone goes into safe mode. The movement is carried out as safely as possible, and the car stops.

Automotive companies are in no hurry to enter this market. It is this pause that Changan Automobile uses. This is very convenient for diversifying a new consumer segment. Perhaps, Changan Automobile in the near future will become synonymous not only with a high level of automotive safety. This is the clear leader in autonomous driving.

Changan self-driving cars have already covered more than 50 million km on the roads of China. The company has received U.S. approval to test drones on public roads in California.