Nanjing Automobile

Chinese automotive company

Nanjing Automobile is a state owned enterprise with a history that dates from 1947, making it the oldest of the Chinese automobile manufacturers although the comparatively younger FAW Automotive was the first to make cars. The group's products have included cars, trucks, and buses. becoming a subsidiary of that company. the 2½ ton NJ 130, based on the GAZ 51 from the Soviet Union. The Ministry branded the truck Guerin (跃进牌汽车 literally meaning "Leap Forward") and approved the establishment of Nanjing Automobile Works that same year. Truck production continued until July 1987 at which point 161,988 units of various models including the NJ 130, NJ 230, NJ 135, and NJ 134 had been built. participating in a spate of technology transfer deals circa 1980 that saw Japanese designs and machinery sold to Chinese buyers. The Iveco purchases allowed Nanjing Auto to produce a version of the Iveco Daily.

In 2000 the design, and possibly the tooling, for SEAT's first generation Ibiza was purchased and the car sold in China as the Nanjing Yuejin Soyat.

Nanjing Auto acquired some assets of MG Rover Group and Powertrain Ltd in 2005 after the group had entered administration. According to the purchase agreement, Nanjing Auto bought MG, Austin, and some other dormant British car brands, and the production technology and equipment for the MG ZT and MG TF models. Some equipment and blueprints were repossessed by Honda, as its intellectual property was used in some of MG Rover vehicles, in particular, the Rover 45 and MG ZS, which were based on the Honda Domani. Nanjing Auto also started production of the Rover Streetwise based MG 3SW in 2008.

The plant at Longbridge was for many years one of the most important car making factories in Europe as well as the largest British owned car manufacturing plant, making Austin cars for most of the 20th century. After the Abingdon plant closed in 1980, Longbridge was also from 1982 the home of MG and then of the Rover marque which gradually replaced Austin in the late 1980s. The site is owned by St. Modwen Properties which acquired in two deals in 2003 and 2004 for £57.5 million and leased it back to MG Rover Group. A 33 year deal was signed in February 2006 between Nanjing Auto and St. Modwen Properties covering the lease of 105 acres (a quarter of the total area of the Longbridge plant) but including the two main car assembly plants, the paint shop and administrative offices at a rent of around £1.8 million a year. £10 million was estimated to be needed to reopen the factory. With the merger of Nanjing Auto and SAIC, ownership of the Longbridge plant became a SAIC controlled facility.

Chang Da (畅达) is an NEV sub brand of Nanjing Automobile and SAIC. Established in 2009, Chang Da has been developing electric light logistics vans for "the last mile" delivery. The first product, Chang Da H9 is based on the structure of FAW Jiabao V80 (佳宝V80) and took three years to develop before being launched in 2017. The Chang Da H9 could be either bought or leased in fleets.

Another joint venture was Nanjing Fiat, established with Fiat in 1999. citing a lack of investment on the part of its Chinese partner. As of 2006, it was producing four models: the Perla and Siena sedans, Palio, compact and Palio Weekend station wagon. The company was located in the Jiangning District's Economic & Technological Development Zone in Nanjing.

As the company further developed its management, four complete production ecosystems were created.