FAW Jiefang: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
- State-owned
- SZSE 000800
- SSE 600742
- SZSE 002232
Jiefang is the truck brand FAW started with. The Changchun plant built China's first mass-produced truck, the Jiefang CA10, in 1956 using Soviet designs and tooling, and the name has been on FAW's commercial vehicles for seventy years.
The business is run today by FAW Jiefang Group Co., Ltd., which is listed on the Shenzhen exchange under 000800. It reported revenue of CNY 62.68 billion for 2025, a net profit of CNY 725 million and 19,117 employees. Its range runs from heavy tractor units through medium and light trucks to diesel engines.
Jiefang's most visible overseas operation is in South Africa. Its plant at Kouga in Nelson Mandela Bay opened in July 2014 on an investment of ZAR 600 million and built its 25,000th vehicle in August 2026, serving South Africa and exporting into other Southern African Development Community countries and the Indian Ocean islands. The wider export network was not verified for this entry.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 解放 “jyeh-FAHNG” liberation |
|---|---|
| Also written | Jiefang, Liberation and FAW Jiefang Group |
| Owner | FAW Group |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Headquarters | Changchun, China |
| Origin | China |
| First car | Jiefang CA10 truck, 1956 |
| Vehicles | Commercial vehicles |
| Segment | Commercial |
| United States | Never sold in the United States — Jiefang trucks are not sold in the United States and the sources consulted show no plan to enter. |
| First truck | Jiefang CA10, 1956, China's first mass-produced truck |
| Listing | FAW Jiefang Group Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Stock Exchange 000800 |
| Results, 2025 | revenue CNY 62.68 billion, up 6.99%; net profit CNY 725 million, up 16.41% |
| Employees | 19,117 |
| South Africa plant | Kouga, Nelson Mandela Bay, opened July 2014 on a ZAR 600 million investment; 25,000th vehicle built August 2026 |
Who owns FAW Jiefang?
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council owns FAW Group at 100% since 2003.
FAW has been state-owned since it was founded in 1953; SASAC, created in 2003, is the State Council body that has held the state's shareholding since then.
FAW Group controls FAW Jiefang since 1956.
The Jiefang truck brand is FAW's, and the business is held through FAW Jiefang Group Co., Ltd., listed in Shenzhen under 000800. FAW Group's exact shareholding in the listed company was not verified for this entry.
The full ownership page for FAW Jiefang · Is FAW Jiefang Chinese?
Where FAW Jiefang is sold
Recorded in 2 market s: CN and South Africa. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| China | CN | no page yet |
| South Africa | ZA | Chinese cars in South Africa |
FAW Jiefang: questions people ask
- Who owns Jiefang?
- FAW Group. The business is held through FAW Jiefang Group Co., Ltd., which is listed in Shenzhen, so it also has public minority shareholders.
- What does Jiefang mean?
- 解放 (Jiěfàng) means 'liberation'. The name was given to the first truck built at Changchun in 1956 and refers to the Communist victory of 1949.
- Does Jiefang sell trucks outside China?
- Yes. Its best-documented overseas operation is a plant at Kouga in South Africa, open since 2014, which supplies South Africa and exports into other Southern African countries and the Indian Ocean islands.
- Are Jiefang trucks sold in the US?
- No. The brand has no US presence and the sources consulted show no plan to enter.
Related
Sources for FAW Jiefang
- China FAW Group Co., Ltd., 集团简介 (Group profile). Read . FAW's own account of the 1956 first truck and of Jiefang as a group brand
- Wikipedia, FAW Jiefang. Read . 1956 first truck, product range, position in Chinese heavy trucks
- StockAnalysis, FAW Jiefang Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 000800). Read . 2025 revenue, net income, employee count and the ticker
- China FAW Group Co., Ltd., 一汽解放南非公司库哈工厂第25000辆整车下线 (FAW Jiefang South Africa's Kouga plant builds its 25,000th vehicle). Read . Dated 31 August 2026; plant opening, investment, milestone dates and export scope