Lifan: History, Landmark Models and What Became of the Brand

Lifan at a glance: key facts

The company's best-known cars on 1cars are the Lifan X60 SUV and the Lifan Solano saloon; the full range is in the Lifan catalogue.

Origins and founder

Yin Mingshan founded the business in 1992 in Chongqing as a motorcycle repair shop with nine staff, under the name Chongqing Hongda Auto Fittings Research Centre. It quickly moved into motorcycle and engine production and was renamed Lifan Industry Group in 1997. By 2004 it was described as China's largest private motorcycle maker. The early "Hongda" name led to a lawsuit from Honda, which won the case, and a second Honda suit followed over similar badges.

Lifan expanded abroad early: it set up motorcycle and parts operations in Vietnam in 1999, sold motorcycles in Japan from 2001 and in 18 European countries from 2003.

History by era

1992–2004: the motorcycle years

The 1990s turned Lifan from a workshop into a major motorcycle and engine manufacturer. Its range grew from small street bikes and scooters to dual-sport models, mini bikes and V-twin cruisers, and its engines were supplied to other makers. In 2003 Lifan entered bus building by acquiring Chongqing Special Purpose Use Vehicle Manufacturing.

2005–2013: cars and rapid growth

Car production began in 2005 with the LF6361 minivan and LF1010 pickup, both based on the Daihatsu Atrai. In December 2005 the 520 (Breez) saloon followed, Lifan's first independently developed car, powered by a Brazilian-built Tritec engine. The 320 (Smily) city car, the 620 (Solano) saloon and the X60, Lifan's first SUV, followed, along with the Foison minivan and Xingshun light trucks.

Overseas assembly spread to Azerbaijan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Uruguay and Vietnam, where the 520 was assembled from March 2007, and later the 320, 520i and 620. Lifan listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in late 2010, and the listed company remained profitable in 2011. In 2013 it sold about 370,800 cars, 1,488,900 motorcycles and 3,563,100 engines.

2014–2020: debt and decline

From 2014 Lifan distributed MV Agusta motorcycles in China, but its finances weakened. Its cash reserves fell by almost 90% between the end of 2017 and 2018. Lifan sold land and its Lifan Motors unit to raise money, but by June 2019 its debts were reported at 31 billion yuan, 60% of them due within a year. On 6 August 2020 the controlling shareholder could not pay its debts, and Lifan applied for bankruptcy reorganisation.

2021 to today: Geely and Livan

In January 2021 the company was renamed Lifan Technology, Geely-linked investors joined and Xu Zhihao from Geely became chairman. The car business restarted in May 2021, and in December 2021 Geely and Lifan founded a joint venture that became the Livan brand, focused on battery-swap electric cars and, for export, rebadged Geely models. In March 2025 Lifan Technology was renamed Chongqing Qianli Technology. Lifan motorcycles continue under the new PFMoto brand.

Landmark Lifan models

The raised Lifan X50 was built on the 530 platform, while the Lifan Smily 330 continued the city-car line.

Lifan cars on 1cars: the model line-up

Lifan's car range was built around affordable saloons, hatchbacks and SUVs for buyers moving up from motorcycles or used cars. The compact Lifan Celliya (530) and the mid-size Lifan Cebrium (720) covered the saloon market, while the Lifan X70 and the larger X80 extended the SUV range above the X60. Most models used naturally aspirated 1.3 to 1.8-litre petrol engines developed in-house, manual gearboxes or CVTs, and front-wheel drive. Commercial buyers had the Foison minivan (2011–2021) and the Xingshun light trucks (2011–2022), and the 650 saloon (2016–2020) completed the range.

The cars sold mainly on price and equipment, competing with other Chinese budget brands such as Geely, Chery and Great Wall.

Motorcycles and engines

Motorcycles remained Lifan's core business throughout. Its range covered entry-level street bikes, dual-sport models, mini bikes, scooters and V-twin cruisers, sold in China, Europe, Japan, Canada and Mexico, and built in Thailand, Iran, Turkey and Vietnam as well as Chongqing. In 2022 Lifan created the PFMoto brand, which introduced the Starship 3 and Starship 6 in 2023, the latter with a 573 cc V-twin, and the 398 cc V-twin Starship 4 in 2024.

Motorsport and sponsorship

Lifan's best-known sporting link is football rather than racing: it owned and has sponsored the Chongqing Lifan football club, a Chinese Super League team, since 2005.

Factories and production

Lifan's main plants are in Chongqing. Motorcycle production bases were set up in Thailand, Iran, Turkey and Vietnam, while cars were assembled in Azerbaijan from 2010, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Uruguay (planned capacity 40,000 a year) and Vietnam, and sold in markets such as Laos, Syria, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala and the Philippines.

Lifan in numbers

• 1992: founded with nine employees.
• 2013: 370,800 cars, 1,488,900 motorcycles and 3,563,100 engines sold.
• December 2013: 8,607 domestic patents filed, 7,500 granted.
• 2019: debts reported at 31 billion yuan, 60% due within a year.
• Today: about 13,650 employees under Qianli Technology.

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