Haima: History of the Hainan Car Maker and Former Mazda Partner

Haima at a glance

The company is a regional car maker that grew from licence production of Mazda models into a full manufacturer that develops, builds and sells its own vehicles. Its range has covered small cars, compact saloons, crossovers, MPVs and microvans. The models covered on 1cars, from the Haima 2 to the Haima 7, are collected in the Haima catalogue.

Origins: the Hainan Mazda joint venture (1992–2006)

In January 1992 the Hainan provincial government and Mazda founded Hainan Mazda Motor Co., Ltd. to build Mazda models for the Chinese market. In its first years the company produced Mazda-derived vehicles: versions of the Familia/323 sold as the Haima Family and Happin, the Premacy compact MPV sold as the Haima Freema, a wagon based on the Mazda Luce (HMC6470L), a minivan based on the Mazda MPV (HMC6450) and versions of the Mazda 929. In 2005 the company was listed on China's A-share stock market.

These Mazda-based models laid the foundation for Haima's later own designs, which continued to use Mazda technology.

Haima history by era

2006–2009: FAW takes control

In 2006 FAW Group, which also worked with Mazda in China, bought Mazda's stake, and the company became a FAW subsidiary. Under the agreement, it kept the right to build older Mazda models and to use Mazda technology in its own products, but it could no longer use the Mazda brand. The resemblance between some Haima and Mazda models remained, and a 2009 Reuters report said that Haima sold a car resembling a Mazda model without Mazda's consent. In August 2008 the company began building a third plant in Hainan designed for 100,000 vehicles a year.

2009–2013: rapid growth

The late 2000s and early 2010s were the company's strongest years. Sales rose from about 118,000 vehicles in 2009 to 200,000 in 2010 and 230,000 in 2011. The range grew to include the Haima 2 and Haima 3 hatchbacks, the M3, M5 and M8 saloons and the Haima 7 crossover. By 2012 the Haikou and Zhengzhou plants together could build about 400,000 vehicles a year. In 2013 it showed the S5 compact crossover and sold 157,242 cars, making it the 28th-best-selling brand in China and 12th among Chinese brands.

2014–2020: crossovers, MPVs and losses

In the following years the company concentrated on crossovers and MPVs, including the S5, the 7 (later renamed S7), the 8S and the 7X MPV, and it added the 6P plug-in hybrid crossover. A plant in Bulgaria was announced in December 2016 with production planned from 2018, but its completion is not confirmed. As competition grew and sales fell, the company made losses. In 2019 it sold property and transferred stakes in its Shanghai research institute and property business, and in 2020 it faced the risk of delisting.

2018 to today: contract manufacturing, electric and hydrogen

From 2018 to 2021 the Zhengzhou plant built the first XPeng electric cars, the G3 and Identity X, at its Zhengzhou plant for the young electric-car start-up. In July 2021 FAW transferred 49% of FAW Haima to Hainan Development Holdings at no charge, bringing the company closer to the provincial government. In 2023 the company began cooperating with Toyota on fuel cell vehicles and launched a car rental business in Hainan. Its electric Haima 1 "Aishang" small car is the only electric version still in production.

Landmark Haima models

Haima model timeline

The Haima brand itself was introduced by FAW Haima in Haikou in August 2006; later, Haima Car and Haima Commercial Vehicle in Zhengzhou also built Haima passenger cars and commercial vehicles such as the Fstar microvan.

Haima 7: the first crossover

The Haima 7 is a compact crossover with a 2.0-litre petrol engine of about 110 kW. It was widely compared with the Mazda Tribute, reflecting Haima's continued use of Mazda technology after 2006. It was later renamed the S7.

Haima S5, M3 and Haima 2

The S5 compact crossover was first shown at the Guangzhou Motor Show in autumn 2013 with a 1.6-litre petrol engine. It sat below the Haima 7 in the range and has a three-level front lighting design with LED daytime running lights. The M3 saloon was presented at the 2012 Guangzhou show and went into series production in 2013 as one of Haima's first fully in-house designs. Its styling came from the Italian IDEA studio, its drag coefficient is quoted at 0.27, and it weighs 1,140–1,210 kg with a 50-litre fuel tank and a 1.5-litre engine. The Haima 2 hatchback, built from 2009, closely follows the look of the Mazda2 and uses 1.3 and 1.5-litre engines. Both were affordable family cars.

Motorsport and engineering

The brand has competed in the China Touring Car Championship with the Haima Family team. Its work moved from Mazda licence production to its own crossovers and MPVs, and later to plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and fuel cell projects.

Ownership changes, factories and production today

The main plants are in Haikou on Hainan Island and in Zhengzhou, Henan province, each able to build about 150,000 vehicles a year, plus the third Hainan plant started in 2008. Ownership moved from the Hainan–Mazda joint venture (1992–2006) to FAW Group (from 2006) and, after the 2021 share transfer, partly to Hainan Development Holdings. Zhu Jing has been chairman since June 2019. For the story of its former parent, see the history of FAW; more brands are listed among Chinese cars.

Haima in numbers