Hafei: History of the Harbin Car Maker from the Aircraft Industry

Hafei at a glance

Hafei was one of several Chinese car makers created by aerospace and defence companies, alongside brands such as Changan. It specialised in small, cheap vehicles: microvans, mini pickups and city cars for China's fast-growing private and small-business market. Its few passenger cars stood out because they were styled by the Italian design house Pininfarina. Hafei models on 1cars, such as the Hafei Brio, are collected in the Hafei catalogue.

Origins: from aircraft to microvans

The roots of Hafei lie in aviation. The Harbin Aircraft Industry Group was founded in 1952, when its first factory opened in the Pingfang district of Harbin to repair aircraft. From 1958 it built licensed aircraft and helicopters, and it later designed its own Y-11 and Y-12 utility aircraft and built the Z-9 helicopter, a Chinese version of the Eurocopter Dauphin.

In 1980, as China began its economic reforms, the aircraft group started building road vehicles. Its first products were microvans and small trucks based on the Suzuki Carry, sold under the Songhuajiang brand, named after the Songhua River that flows through Harbin. The Songhuajiang HFJ6350, a rebadged eighth-generation Carry, became one of the most popular microvans in China in the 1990s. All Hafei vehicles carried the manufacturer code "HFJ".

Hafei history by era

1980s: Songhuajiang microvans

During the 1980s, the Harbin plant concentrated on Suzuki-based microvans and mini trucks. These small, simple vehicles with petrol engines were bought mainly by small businesses and work units, and they established the Songhuajiang name across China before the Hafei brand existed.

1990s: first saloons and the Pininfarina partnership

In 1992–1993 Hafei assembled the HFJ7080D/HFJ7130 saloon, a rebadged Yulon Sunny 303 from Taiwan with a 1.3-litre Mitsubishi engine. According to the old 1cars history, the company also built a licensed version of the Daewoo Tico city car, of which about 300,000 were made; the Tico was the predecessor of the Daewoo Matiz family.

In the mid-1990s the car business was organised as a separate company, and Hafei signed a design contract with Pininfarina. The first result was the Zhongyi minivan, presented at the Beijing Motor Show in 1999. Pininfarina styling became Hafei's main selling point for the next decade.

2000s: the Hafei brand, Lobo and Saibao

By 2002 Hafei sold its products under its own name. The Lobo (Lubao in China), a five-door city car designed by Pininfarina, went into production in 2002. In April 2001 Hafei added the Saima, a licence-built Mitsubishi Dingo compact MPV, and the Saibao compact saloon, also styled by Pininfarina, followed. The old 1cars text reports that in 2003 Hafei was the fastest-growing Chinese car company.

In 2006 the business was restructured into a larger group that included the Harbin vehicle plant, an engine plant and other factories. By 2008 Hafei had built its two-millionth vehicle, and that year it set a target of selling 270,000 vehicles. It also agreed to supply bodies to the American start-up Coda Automotive for an electric car.

2009–2018: Changan takeover and the end

In 2009, following a state policy to consolidate the Chinese car industry, Changan Automobile Group bought most of Hafei's assets. Hafei then added microvans based on Changan models, such as the Zhongyi V5 (based on the Chana Star 5) and the Junyi (based on the Chana Star S460), the first new product after the takeover. In 2015 Changan announced it would end all Hafei production and convert the lines in Harbin to build cars for Changan Ford. The company is listed as defunct from 2018.

Landmark Hafei models

Hafei Lobo: the export city car

The Lobo is Hafei's best-known car outside China. Designed by Pininfarina and resembling its 1999 Metrocubo concept, it was built from 2002 to 2011, with a facelift for 2010. It is 3,588 mm long on a 2,335 mm wheelbase and weighs about 900 kg. Engines were a 1.0-litre four-cylinder with 33.5 kW (45 hp) and a 1.1-litre 16-valve unit with 48 kW (64 hp), with a five-speed manual or automatic gearbox. Export versions were sold under several names: Brio in some markets, Micro Trend in Sri Lanka, Naza Sutera in Malaysia and Naza Forza in Thailand. Besides Harbin, the Lobo was assembled in Gurun, Malaysia, and Kashan, Iran.

Hafei microvans and mini pickups

Work vehicles remained the core of Hafei's range until the end. After the Songhuajiang models came the Minyi microvan and pickup, including the M408, and its second generation, the Xin-Minyi, also sold as the Luzun-Xiaobawang. The Dabawang (Luzun-Dabawang) and Xiaobawang were further microvans, and the Ruiyi was a mini pickup derived from the Pininfarina-styled Zhongyi. Before the Lobo, Hafei's small passenger car was the Baili city car, which the Lobo replaced. These models shared simple petrol engines and light construction, and they were aimed mainly at small businesses.

Saibao and the Coda electric car

The Saibao III compact saloon, styled by Pininfarina, gave Hafei a conventional family car. Its body was also the starting point for the Coda Sedan, an electric car from the American company Coda Automotive, which used the Saibao III shell with different front and rear ends. A larger Saibao V saloon followed.

Engineering, design and exports

Hafei was not active in motorsport. Its distinctive asset was design: through Pininfarina, it offered Italian styling at Chinese prices, and its link with the aircraft industry gave it engineering and quality-control know-how. Most mechanical parts came from licence partners such as Suzuki and Mitsubishi or from Chinese engine makers. By 2009 Hafei exported vehicles to about 40 countries, and the Lobo was also assembled abroad in Malaysia and Iran.

Ownership changes, factories and production today

Hafei's main plant was in the Pingfang district of Harbin, next to the aircraft works. According to the old 1cars history, it also had production facilities in Shenzhen and Weihai. After the 2009 sale to Changan, the Harbin factory gradually switched to Changan products, and Changan Ford later announced the purchase of the Hafei assembly plant in northeast China. Today the Hafei name survives only on older microvans and city cars, while the aircraft group continues to build helicopters and aircraft.

Hafei in numbers

More brands from the country are listed among Chinese cars.