The History of Dongfeng Motor: Trucks, Joint Ventures and Voyah

Dongfeng at a glance

Second Automobile Works: the truck years (1969–1991)

China first planned a second large truck plant in the 1950s, but the project moved between sites and was shelved several times. In 1965 it entered the national five-year plan, and in 1969 the company was officially founded at a village of about 100 people in Hubei province. That village grew into the city of Shiyan. Second Automobile Works began as a military supplier, building trucks for the People's Liberation Army.

Output started slowly, with about 200 vehicles in 1972. The first model, the EQ240 2.5-tonne off-road truck, appeared in 1975. The EQ140 five-tonne truck of 1978 was the plant's first civilian truck and became the backbone of Chinese road transport: at its peak it held about 66 % of its segment. In 1983 the company became the first Chinese car maker with its own import and export rights. Annual output passed 100,000 vehicles in 1986.

Economic reforms between 1978 and 1985 turned a group of truck bases into one centrally managed company with more freedom from direct state control. By the mid-1980s its assets had roughly tripled compared with 1981.

A new name and the first joint ventures (1992–2002)

In 1992 the company adopted the name of its trucks and became Dongfeng Motor Corporation. The same year it set up its first passenger-car joint venture with France's PSA group, Dongfeng Citroën Automobile, the forerunner of today's Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën (DPCA). The first jointly built car was the Fukang, a Chinese version of the Citroën ZX. The later Dongfeng S30 saloon grew out of the same PSA link.

The move from a protected planned economy to a market one was hard. Between 1995 and 1998 the company ran into financial difficulties, as many Chinese makers did, and a debt restructuring followed in 1999–2000. Most assets were moved into a new holding, Dongfeng Motor Group, which was later listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Nissan, Honda, Kia and the boom years (2002–2016)

The early 2000s brought the partnerships that shaped the modern group. Dongfeng Yueda Kia was founded in 2002. Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd., a 50:50 venture with Nissan, began operations in July 2003 and became the group's largest car business; the history of Nissan shows how important China became for the Japanese brand. Dongfeng Honda followed in 2003, and in 2009 Dongfeng Yulon was formed with Taiwan's Yulon to build Luxgen cars, which closed in 2020.

The volumes grew fast. Group sales rose from about 469,000 vehicles in 2003 to 1.9 million in 2009, when the group ranked second among Chinese makers. In 2011 it produced about 3.06 million vehicles and in 2016 reached its peak of about 4.28 million. Compared with 2003, that is roughly nine times as many vehicles in 13 years, a 1cars calculation from the published group totals.

Compared with the 2016 peak, sales in 2023 were about 43 % lower. Almost all of that loss came from the partner brands, whose petrol cars lost ground to Chinese electric models.

In January 2013 the company and Sweden's Volvo Group agreed to combine their heavy-truck businesses; Volvo paid 5.6 billion yuan for a 45 % stake in Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles, which started in 2015. Volvo's own heavy trucks are covered on the Volvo FH page. In December 2013 a 50:50 car joint venture with Renault followed.

Investing in PSA and the Stellantis link

In 2014 the Chinese group helped to rescue PSA Peugeot Citroën. It bought a 14 % stake for about 800 million EUR. When PSA merged with Fiat Chrysler to form Stellantis, the group gradually sold its shares between 2019 and 2022, raising about 18.5 billion yuan in total. The history of Peugeot covers the French side of the story.

The partnership continued in production. In May 2026 Stellantis and Dongfeng agreed to build new Peugeot and Jeep electrified models at the DPCA plant in Wuhan from 2027, and announced plans for a European sales venture for Dongfeng's Voyah brand.

Own brands and the electric shift (2009–today)

The group's passenger-car division launched the Aeolus (Fengshen) brand in July 2009, followed by Forthing (Fengxing) for MPVs and SUVs and the Venucia brand with Nissan in 2010. The premium electric brand Voyah was introduced in July 2020 and launched its first model, the Free SUV, in December 2020. Off-road and military vehicles are sold under the Mengshi name, with the civilian M-Hero line added later.

The shift to new-energy vehicles accelerated after 2021. In 2023 the group sold about 524,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and Voyah alone more than 50,000. In August 2023 the Aeolus, eπ and Nammi lines were combined under one passenger-car brand. Overseas, the group had sold more than 800,000 vehicles in over 80 countries by 2018, and in January 2024 it signed an agreement with the Salvador Caetano group covering Spain.

At the same time the joint ventures shrank. Total sales fell from 3.46 million in 2020 to about 2.42 million in 2023, when the company reported its first annual net loss since its Hong Kong listing. Merger talks with Changan were reported in 2025 and cancelled in June that year. Sales of the company's own brands grew from 671,702 in 2023 to 866,734 in 2025.

Dongfeng trucks and commercial vehicles

Trucks remain the original core of the business. The EQ140 family was followed by heavier models, and the 2015 venture with Volvo Group, Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles, now builds the company's medium and heavy trucks with access to Volvo technology. Light trucks, vans and pickups come from other units, among them Dongfeng Liuzhou, which also builds the Forthing range. For fleet buyers this side of the group often matters more than the car brands.

How Dongfeng compares with other Chinese groups

The company is one of China's four large state-owned car groups, alongside SAIC, FAW and Changan. In 2021 foreign-branded cars still made up about 79 % of its sales. That made it strong while Japanese and French brands sold well in China, and vulnerable when local electric brands took their place. Its truck business is still the original core of the company.

Which Dongfeng models matter to buyers

For buyers outside China, the group appears under several names. Nissan, Honda, Peugeot and Citroën models built by its joint ventures are sold under the partners' brands. Its own petrol cars, such as the Dongfeng H30 Cross or the S30, suit budget buyers where a local dealer exists. Voyah electric SUVs and the small Box electric city car are among the brand's newest export models, and the electric-car section lists their competitors. Before buying, check the local dealer network and parts supply, which vary widely from country to country. Any of these models can be set against a European or Korean rival in the comparison tool.