The history of Haima Automobile can be traced back to the late 1980s. The Hainan Provincial Government, which was just established at that time, hoped to develop its own automobile industry in this emerging hot spot. The government pinned its hopes on the production of automobile parts. Hainan Automotive Stamping Parts Factory with production experience. In 1988, the Hainan Automotive Stamping Parts Factory, which received government support, purchased a joint venture between Ford Motor Company of the United States and former Philippine President Marcos at a low price from the then-turbulent Philippines. The entire factory was relocated to Haikou Jinpan Industrial Zone through restoration and construction, and Hainan Automobile Stamping Parts Factory was renamed Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Factory. In October 1989, the completed factory completed the equipment installation and commissioning of the four production lines in the stamping workshop. However, the Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant, which had no products to produce, successively developed products such as gas stoves and agricultural vehicle compartments. One year later, the equipment installation and commissioning of the welding, painting and final assembly lines were successfully completed.
In the early 1990s, the bursting of the economic bubble caused a major recession in Japan. Due to the long-term pursuit of output, product technology innovation and global market expansion by Mazda Motor Company at that time, after continuous huge investments , Mazda Motors is eager to find and develop new profit margins. Although the Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant successfully purchased the factory, it did not have the technical support from Ford in the United States, so it had no products to produce. Because of this, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant and Japan's Mazda Motor Company hit it off immediately after contacting each other, and decided to jointly produce Mazda cars in Hainan. In 1990, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant successfully trial-produced the first Mazda 929 station wagon.
In 1991, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant began to trial-produce the Mazda 929 station wagon (HMC6470) in small batches in the form of KD component assembly. This car is the 929 Station Wagon launched by Mazda of Japan in 1980. The body The dimensions are 4650mm long, 1715mm wide, 1445mm high, wheelbase 2610mm, and the vehicle weight is 1205kg. The Mazda 929 station wagon adopts a front-wheel drive layout and is equipped with a 2.0-liter in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine code-named MA and a 2.2-liter in-line four-cylinder diesel engine. The 2.0-liter in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine has a maximum power of 90 horsepower (66kW)/4800rpm. , the maximum torque is 154N·m/2500rpm, and the engine is matched with 4-speed, 5-speed manual transmission and 3-speed automatic transmission, with a top speed of 160km/h. In 1988, Mazda 929 station wagon was officially discontinued overseas.
The Mazda 929 station wagon assembled and produced by Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant is equipped with a manual transmission and has the words "HIPOCA" on the front air intake grille. However, due to the lack of Mazda's technical support and relevant production experience, Hainan Automobile The assembly process of the Mazda 929 station wagon assembled and produced in the manufacturing plant is far different from that of overseas models. In August of the same year, Hainan Automotive Stamping Parts Factory initialed a contract with Japan's Mazda Motor Co., Ltd. and Japan's Itochu Corporation, with the Japanese party holding a 25% stake, in which Mazda Motor provided a complete set of molds for the 929 station wagon model.
In February 1992, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant and Japan's Mazda Motor Company jointly established Hainan Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. At the same time, the HMC6470 station wagon based on the Mazda 929 station wagon was officially launched on the market. At the beginning of the joint venture with Mazda, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant proposed the concept of "domesticization", that is, using Japanese body assemblies, and the chassis and power were completely domestically produced. It did not carry out scientific and rigorous localization work, which made the domestic production at that time The HMC6470 station wagon with a rate of over 70 has experienced quality problems of varying degrees since it was put on the market. In addition, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant produced 2.06 million stamping parts for Shanghai Volkswagen from 1991 to 1992, achieving a profit of 12 million yuan, which alleviated the survival crisis at that time.
What is unexpected is that the central government at the time hoped that Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant and Guangdong Samsung Group *** would establish a commercial vehicle joint venture with China as the main body. Initially, the foreign investor selected Chrysler of the United States. company, and later the government changed the foreign investment partner to the German Mercedes-Benz Motor Company. The condition proposed by Mercedes-Benz was that the Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant could not jointly produce cars with Japan's Mazda. Since then, project negotiations continued for as long as three years. In the end, Mercedes-Benz decided to abandon the joint venture project. The joint venture project between Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant and Japan's Mazda was also interrupted during this period.
Although the joint venture has not developed, the cooperation between Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant and Japan's Mazda has not been interrupted. In 1993, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant used CKD to assemble and produce the HMC6440 van based on the Mazda E2000 van (also known as Bongo). The van was equipped with a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder carburetor engine code-named FE, with a maximum power of 86 Horsepower (63kW)/4500rpm, maximum torque 152N·m/2500rpm. The imported version of the Mazda E2000 van was very popular in China at that time. The difference between the Hainan Mazda HMC6440 and the imported Mazda E2000 is the logo under the left window. The imported version is E2000, while the domestic version is HMC6440.
In addition to the HMC6440 van based on the E2000, the Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant also assembled and produced the first-generation Mazda MPV (named Efini MPV in Japan) in the form of CKD in 1993. The car is A family MPV model specially built by Mazda for the North American market, it was officially launched in Japan in January 1990. Mazda MPVs in overseas markets are divided into four-door and five-door models. The four-door version of Mazda MPV is not equipped with a rear door on the driver's side. In terms of power, Mazda MPVs in overseas markets are equipped with two naturally aspirated engines, 2.6-liter inline four-cylinder and 3.0-liter V6. The engines are matched with 5-speed manual gearboxes and 4-speed automatic gearboxes, except for standard rear-drive models. In addition, users can also choose a four-wheel drive system. Mazda MPV was officially withdrawn from the market in 1999 after being facelifted in 1995.
The first-generation MPV produced by the automobile manufacturer is called Hainan Mazda HMC6450. The car is equipped with a 3.0-liter V6 naturally aspirated engine with a maximum power of 157 horsepower (115kW)/5000rpm and a maximum torque of 230N·m/4000rpm. . It is worth mentioning that the MPV assembled and produced by Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant is also the first model equipped with an automatic transmission. The Hainan Mazda HMC6450 with a gearbox design impressed people who came into contact with this car at the time. The Hainan Mazda MPV equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission has a top speed of 177km/h and a comprehensive fuel consumption of 12.1L/100km. While the Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant assembles and produces Mazda MPVs, this car is also imported and sold domestically.
The fifth-generation Mazda 929, the flagship model launched by Mazda in 1991, was once popular in China. The car was introduced into the country as an import. Its frameless doors and slender overall shape are unforgettable. . However, what is not well known is that Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant once imported Mazda 929 parts in small batches for assembly and production. The Mazda 626 sedan of the same period was also assembled and produced in the same way as the Mazda 929. However, the output of Hainan Mazda 626 and 929 The price is extremely low, and the car body does not bear the Hainan Mazda logo, so the two cars were sold as imported cars through different channels.
In 1994, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant launched the Hainan Mazda 323 (HMC6430) based on the sixth-generation Mazda 323. Its body dimensions are 4215mm in length, 1675mm in width, 1375mm in height, and 2500mm in wheelbase. Weight 1020kg. It is equipped with a 1.3-liter inline four-cylinder carburetor engine with a maximum power of 73 horsepower (54kW)/6000rpm and a maximum torque of 101N·m/3700rpm.
The horizontal taillights of Hainan Mazda 323 are quite impressive. Compared with the previous HMC6470 station wagon, the assembly process of Hainan Mazda 323 has been greatly improved, because initially the car’s air intake grille also hung Mazda’s “sun” logo. , if you don’t carefully observe the words HMC6430 on the rear of the car, many people will think that this is an imported Mazda car.
Although the cooperation with Mazda allowed Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant to produce a variety of models in just a few years, because Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant did not obtain an automobile production license issued by the state at that time, the cars it produced It could only be passed within Hainan Province. Even though many models produced by Hainan automobile manufacturers could still be seen legally driving on the road through various channels across the country at that time, this was still a drop in the bucket for Hainan automobile manufacturers. In September 1995, the country began to rectify the imported assembled car market. At the same time, macro-control was effective. The price of Santana at that time dropped from 210,000 yuan to about 130,000 yuan. Other competing models all saw significant price cuts. The Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant was subject to production license restrictions. We can only watch helplessly as the domestic automobile market becomes increasingly prosperous but unable to sell, and production has never been improved, resulting in high product costs.
Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Factory was unable to launch its products nationwide and barely managed to survive until 1997, when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. In order to obtain the qualifications to produce automobiles and the necessary funds to save the overall situation, the Hainan Provincial Government agreed to affiliate the factory. Under the name of a large state-owned automobile company. In November 1997, FAW Group and the Hainan Provincial Government formally signed the "Agreement on the Merger of Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant to Form FAW Hainan Automobile Co., Ltd." The two parties realized asset reorganization through the free transfer of state-owned assets and established FAW Hainan Automobile Co., Ltd., which is controlled 100% by FAW Group. The newly established company will serve as FAW Group's important production base in South China.
In January 1998, Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant officially joined the FAW Group, and FAW Hainan Automobile Co., Ltd. was listed for operation. At this point, the models produced by the factory were finally launched into the national market. Although the Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant is affiliated with the FAW Group, it has not received financial or product technology support from FAW and has only obtained the qualification to produce sedans. Hainan Automobile, which has not received models from FAW, can only find ways to reduce the production costs of existing products. In March 1999, the HMC6470 station wagon produced by Hainan Automobile was approved for sale nationwide. Two months later, Hainan Automobile launched the HMC6470 station wagon equipped with a domestically produced Toyota 4Y (491) engine. Its localization rate has reached 85%. In October of the same year, Hainan Automobile launched the Mazda 323 sedan named CA7160, which was equipped with a 1.6-liter carburetor engine.
Due to the limited technology of Hainan Automobile Manufacturing Plant, more than 90 parts of the Mazda MPV (HMC6450) had to be imported. Hainan Automobile gave up the Mazda MPV with extremely low localization rate after obtaining the sedan production license. , focusing on the production of HMC6470 station wagons and Mazda 323. In 2000, Hainan Automobile replaced the Mazda 323 with a 1.3-liter domestic Toyota 8A engine, and the new car was named HMC7130. However, with the steady growth of domestic consumption power, consumers have higher and higher requirements for automobile quality. HMC6470 station wagon and Mazda 323, two old models that have been eliminated abroad, have obviously failed to keep up with the development of the times. To gain a foothold in the increasingly competitive domestic automobile market, Hainan Automobile is bound to launch new models to "please" consumers.
Since it cannot get new models and technical support from FAW, Hainan Automobile has begun to seek cooperation with Japan's Mazda again. At that time, Mazda was also gradually recovering from the bursting of the economic bubble. After seeing the huge business opportunities in the Chinese market, Mazda also urgently needed to find partners. Hainan Automobile hit it off with Mazda again, but due to the " "Suffering a loss", the cautious Mazda adopted a technical cooperation method to cooperate with Hainan Automobile this time.
In May 2001, Mazda's compact MPV Premacy officially rolled off the assembly line at FAW Hainan. By the end of 2001, the production and sales of Hainan Premacy had reached more than 10,000 units. Such results also surprised Mazda.
Prema is equipped with a 1.8-liter naturally aspirated engine with a maximum power of 122 horsepower (90kW)/6000rpm and a maximum torque of 160N·m/4000rpm. The engine is matched with a 5-speed manual transmission and a 4-speed automatic gearbox. The application of front MacPherson and rear multi-link independent suspension enables Prema to ensure comfort while also taking into account a certain degree of controllability. Due to the relative lack of domestic MPV models at that time, the Prema produced by FAW Hainan Mazda quickly occupied the dominant position of domestic compact MPVs once it was launched.
The success of Prema increased FAW Hainan Mazda’s confidence in introducing new models. In July 2002, Hainan Mazda introduced the eighth-generation Mazda 323, which was born in 1998, into China. The domestic Mazda 323 was named Familia. Its name comes from the transliteration of the overseas model Familia. Hainan Mazda initially did not equip Familia with the 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter engines used in overseas models. Instead, it chose the same 1.8-liter naturally aspirated engine and two gearboxes as the Prema. This allowed Familia's manufacturing costs to be effectively controlled. After the launch of Familia, it was quickly recognized by consumers. The Buick Excelle and Hyundai Elantra that were launched since then were called the "three new products" of the Chinese auto market together with Familia.
In order to achieve new breakthroughs in vehicle R&D and design, Hainan Automobile established Haima Automobile R&D Co., Ltd. in Shanghai in August 2003. The company is located in Zhangjiang High-tech Industrial East Zone, Pudong New Area, covering an area of ??125,000 square meters, with about 620 employees, registered capital of 200 million yuan, and total investment of 500 million yuan. Shanghai Haima Automobile R&D Co., Ltd. is responsible for the research and development of Haima models, platform expansion, product modification, and the research and application of key technologies. It is a professional vehicle R&D institution under Hainan Automobile. After more than five years of continuous construction, the institution now has world-leading automotive R&D facilities such as vehicle environmental testing systems, rotating hub test benches, five-axis machining centers, and flexible welding lines. It has formed product pre-research, concept design, It has a complete product development process including engineering design, matching calibration, performance development, design verification, production preparation, trial production, etc., and has independent vehicle development capabilities in styling design, body design, project management, etc.
In 2004, Hainan Mazda launched five new Familia 1.8L models, and also added Familia equipped with a 1.6-liter engine. On February 29 of the same year, FAW Group, Hainan Automobile and the Hainan Provincial Government reached a framework agreement to jointly establish FAW Haima Automobile Co., Ltd. The newly formed Haima Automobile has a registered capital of 1.2 billion yuan. FAW Group and Hainan Automobile each hold 49 shares, and the Hainan Provincial Government holds 2 shares. The new company has integrated all of Hainan's original vehicle production resources. In addition to continuing to consolidate cooperation with Japan's Mazda in product direction, it will also develop its own brands in accordance with the needs of national industrial policies to promote Hainan's automobile industry to achieve greater success on the original basis. leap.
In order to further integrate cost, quality, logistics and management resources, the first phase of Haima Industrial Park was completed in August 2004. There are eight parts and components manufacturing plants in the park, mainly providing body stamping parts, complete vehicles Components such as seats, bumpers, instrument panels, front and rear axle assemblies, sunroofs, door trims and steering wheels. The total investment of the Haima Phase II Industrial Park reached 3.2 billion yuan, including 18 projects, 15 of which were independent foreign investments, providing automotive sheet metal parts, instrument panels, seals, shock absorbers, exhaust pipes, and automotive air conditioners. , electronic steering systems and wiring harnesses, etc. At this point, Haima Automobile has a complete automotive industry chain including engine production lines, vehicle production lines, technology research and development centers and related parts and components supporting companies.
The hot sales of Premarin and Familia allowed Hainan Mazda (Haima Motors) to naturally become a mainstream domestic automobile manufacturer in the following years. It also allowed Japan's Mazda to see the huge potential of the Chinese automobile market. This gives it greater ambition to expand the Chinese automobile market. As the saying goes, it is easy to enjoy the shade under a big tree. At this time, Mazda is no longer satisfied with the profits brought by its technical cooperation with Hainan Mazda. Since then, Mazda has successively turned to the stronger FAW Group and Changan Automobile. In March 2005, FAW Group, FAW Car Co., Ltd. and Japan's Mazda Motor Co., Ltd. jointly invested in the establishment of FAW Mazda Auto Sales Co., Ltd. Since then, Mazda 6 was officially put into production at FAW Mazda.
In May 2005, the Haima automobile engine project with a total investment of 1.25 billion yuan and an annual output of 150,000 engines officially started construction. In March 2006, Hainan Automobile Engine Factory was officially put into use. The factory covers an area of ??25,000 square meters. Its four production lines of cylinder block, cylinder head, crankshaft, and assembly hot test are imported from world-class companies such as German HELLER, French COMAU, and German JUNKER. Production equipment. These production lines are all flexible production lines. In addition to producing 1.8L engines, they can also produce 1.6L and 2.0L engines. The prototype produced by the plant successfully conducted a one-time ignition hot test in April 2006. This move marked that Hainan Automobile had mastered the core engine manufacturing technology of automobile manufacturing and became one of the few domestic companies with engine R&D, manufacturing and vehicle production capabilities at that time. capable automobile company.
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After being abandoned by Mazda, it entered the era of independence
After being abandoned by Mazda, it officially changed its label and entered the era of independence
Mazda 6 was replaced by FAW After "winning", Changan Automobile Group, Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Co., Ltd. jointly established Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. in February 2006. Familia's replacement model Mazda 3 was also officially put into production shortly after the establishment of the new company. Hainan The automobile once again encountered the embarrassing situation of having no new models to introduce. After passing two new models, Hainan Mazda had no choice but to continue to struggle in the increasingly competitive domestic market with Prema and Fumeilai. It was under such an embarrassing situation that Hainan Automobile officially shifted from joint ventures to building its own brand, and Haima Automobile was officially established.
On August 31, 2006, Familia 2 was officially launched. The first seven models were all equipped with 1.6-liter ZM II engines, priced from 81,800 to 106,800 yuan. In people's eyes, this new car is just a minor facelift based on the original Hainan Mazda Familia. However, it is such a model that has been in the domestic auto market for many years that has attracted people's attention. The reason is that it does not It did not continue to use Mazda's trademark, but officially transformed into its own brand car as "Haima". Familia 2 was born under the background that Haima Motors was abandoned by Mazda. Fortunately, Haima Motors had accumulated a lot of experience in the process of cooperating with Mazda. Compared with other independent brands that were started from scratch at the same time, these corporate management and vehicle Production experience is undoubtedly the most valuable.
The round main body of Haima Motor’s logo symbolizes the sun, with an abstract falcon embedded in it, which means “the sun rises in the east and the Kunpeng spreads its wings”, which represents Haima Motor’s belief in motivation and determination to take off. Since all the models previously produced by Haima Motors came from Mazda, the new name "Haima" is conceptually confusing. After establishing its own business, Haima Motors, a new independent brand, has gradually been strengthened. Facing an increasingly saturated market and powerful competitors, Haima Motors naturally needs to work hard to make this young brand develop and grow. Although the 2nd generation Familia is just a transitional product for Haima Motors from a joint venture brand to an independent brand, it is still not easy for Haima Motors, which has been repeatedly frustrated, to break away from Mazda's design influence and develop a completely independent new model.
While Haima Automobile’s independent brand identity has been established, its expansion into the commercial vehicle field is also proceeding in an orderly manner.
In February 2007, Haima Investment Group Co., Ltd. fully acquired the Zhengzhou Light Vehicle Manufacturing Plant located in Zhongmou County, Henan Province through asset reorganization. In July of the same year, Haima Group's wholly-owned subsidiary, Haima (Zhengzhou) Automobile Co., Ltd., was formally established. Haima Group transferred all its 100 shares of Zhengzhou Light Vehicle to Haima Zhengzhou Company. In November of the same year, Chongqing Changpeng Automotive Interior Parts Group started laying the foundation stone in Haima Parts Industrial Park, which also marked the beginning of the construction of Haima Zhengzhou Parts Project. Since then, the 150,000-car project at Haima’s Zhengzhou base has also officially started construction.