Changan automobile's impressive momentum, the marginalization of ford and mazda

On July 29, the third state-owned automobile enterprise, "China Changan Automobile Group Co., Ltd.," was announced in Chongqing. This also marks the establishment of the 100th state-owned enterprise, which is of great significance.

As the list of the eight-member leadership team emerges, a brand new blueprint unfolds before everyone's eyes. Under the six-character slogan "New Mission, New Journey," in order are Avita, Deep Blue Auto, Changan Qiyuan, Changan Automobile, and Changan Kaicheng. With great momentum and spanning the horizon, a thunderous sound reverberates through the streets of Chongqing. In stark contrast, the increasingly marginalized Changan Ford and Changan Mazda appear even more desolate.

A message circulating online claims that "in 2024, Ford will make a huge profit of 4.4 billion yuan in China." In response, Ford China CEO Wu Shengbo remarked, "I just came out of the operating room and am still lying in the ICU." This statement is not meant to show off.

In April 2021, Ford China appointed Xiao Qing He as the president of Changan Ford. As a former associate of Ford China's former CEO Anning Chen, Xiao Qing He's experience is similar to his. However, the experience gained at Chery Automobile did not help Ford revive.

In 2021, Changan Ford sold 304,700 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 20.29%. In 2022, sales were 251,000 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 17.61%. In 2023, sales were 233,100 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 7.13%.

After enduring three years, which were even more arduous than preparing for the college entrance examination, in May 2024, He Xiaoqing handed over the "heavy responsibility" to Ai Xiaoming. At that time, the online reputation of Ai Xiaoming pointed out that this top executive of Changan Ford had absolutely no experience in the complete vehicle manufacturing industry.

In 2024, Changan Ford sold 247,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 5.97%; from January to May 2025, sales reached 77,000 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 16.43%. Due to Changan Automobile's upgrade to a central state-owned enterprise, Changan Ford's production and sales figures have no longer been disclosed separately starting from June.

Changan Automobile cannot be said to neglect Changan Ford. According to available information, Yang Dayong, who started working in 1997, held positions in the market department and commercial vehicle division of Changan Automobile in his early years, and was also responsible for the establishment of the new energy sector of Changan Automobile. In December 2022, Yang Dayong was appointed as the Executive Vice President of Changan Ford. However, despite the support of this experienced veteran, Changan Ford has continued to operate poorly.

It is often said, "A century-old XX is ruined by Changan." Coincidentally, Changan Mazda and Changan Ford share a similar situation.

In February 2022, Fu Yuanhong officially stepped down as Executive Vice President of Changan Mazda, and Wang Hui succeeded him. Just seven months later, Wang Hui resigned due to internal work adjustments, and Deng Zhitao took over the position. In 2022, Changan Mazda's sales were 104,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 21.43%; in 2023, sales were 88,700 units, a year-on-year decrease of 14.77%; in 2024, sales were 75,600 units, a year-on-year decrease of 14.69%; from January to May 2025, sales were 31,800 units, a year-on-year increase of 1.64%. Similarly, due to Changan Automobile's upgrade to a central enterprise, there were no detailed sales figures for June.

The resume shows that Deng Zhitao once served as Deputy General Manager of Changan Oshan and General Manager of the Sales Company, and like Yang Dayong, he has many years of experience in commercial vehicle operations. However, when Changan Automobile made personnel arrangements, why did they insist on appointing an executive with commercial vehicle operating experience to lead the joint venture brand? The intention and logic behind this are difficult to fathom.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, the EZ-6 was officially launched in October 2024. In its first month, the car sold 2,445 units, but sales continued to decline, with monthly sales generally ranging between 500 and 1,500 units. In several months this year, EZ-6 sales were around 1,500 units, but in June, they suddenly dropped to 678 units.

It is reported that the EZ-6 has already gone beyond the "national borders" and is being sold across various parts of Europe. According to the data, the wholesale volume of this vehicle in June was 3,210 units. After subtracting 678 units, it means that over 2,500 EZ-6 vehicles were sold overseas.

If it doesn't sell domestically, sell it abroad. This is a common practice.

According to the typical practices of central state-owned enterprises, it's generally a case of "if the business isn't performing, personnel changes come first." As a newly established central SOE, after finalizing its leadership team, Changan Automobile will inevitably make adjustments to its various business units, with personnel changes bound to be the top priority.

At the level of collaboration, taking joint venture brands as examples, Changan Automobile has always given the outside world the impression of going it alone and relying on its own efforts. The failure of Changan Suzuki, the underperformance of Changan Mazda, and the decline of Changan Ford may be mainly due to Changan Automobile not providing sufficient resources.

Even now, as Changan Automobile’s self-owned brand sales are gradually increasing, “the old landscape still needs to be rebuilt from scratch.” A major personnel change may be imminent, and the biggest focus remains on the self-owned brand. The consequences of central and state-owned automotive enterprises relying too heavily on joint venture brands have already served as a cautionary tale. Under Zhu Huarong’s leadership, how could Changan Automobile repeat the same mistake?

In the production and sales report, Changan Ford and Changan Mazda were concealed, while the words "independent brand" appeared clearly before everyone’s eyes. Ford, whose transition to new energy vehicles has not yet succeeded, and Mazda, which relies on rebadged sales, are unlikely to have a place in China’s rapidly developing new energy vehicle market.