Dongfeng

Trucks were required for service on the front lines of the Korean War. An imitative GAZ-51 vehicle plant was proposed by the Ministry of Machinery. Originally intended for Wuhan's Qingshan District, this was eventually changed to the city's Wuchang District. In 1955, Chengdu was picked as the suggested location instead of these locations because they were deemed to be too susceptible to air strikes. As part of his "Third Front" plan, Chairman Mao Zedong also outlined the justification in a directive. The plans were, however, abandoned because of the weak situation of the economy.

Since there was no heavy industry in the province's Yangtze basin in 1957, Hunan was chosen as the location for the projected truck manufacturing. At the location in Shiyan, preparations began in 1960 but were unexpectedly stopped. The Third Five-Year Plan in 1965 featured the development of the Second Automobile Works (), as the Chinese economy strengthened and as a result of the Sino-Soviet divide, military vehicle manufacture came back into the focus.


The business was first established in 1969 in a town with 100 individuals that would eventually develop into Shiyan city. This distant area was picked because it was on the Xiangyang-Chongqing railway line and had a terrain with over 40 small valleys that would conceal industries. The firm was only able to produce 200 cars by 1972 due to its isolated rural location and inadequate equipment.


Dongfeng Motor
http://www.dongfeng-global.com