Chen Zutao: "Taking Itself" Promoting the Rapid Development of the Automotive Industry

"The 30th anniversary of reform and opening up is a very interesting topic." Chen Zutao said, "It is the reform and opening up that has allowed China's auto industry to begin merging into the world, and has allowed China's auto industry to make great progress." Chen Zutao, the founder of China's auto industry, recalls Road.

Chen Zutao began to assist the construction of FAW in the Soviet Union in 1950. As a translator, he participated in the project. Later, he was sent to the Soviet automobile factory for internship until it participated in the construction of FAW and the Second Automobile Company, and finally took a job in China Automobile. For nearly 60 years, Chen Zutao witnessed the development of the entire Chinese automobile industry. According to Chen Zutao, China’s auto industry has entered a period of rapid growth in the last 30 years of the 60 years of the Chinese auto industry, that is, 30 years of reform and opening up.

Before the reform and opening up

In the course of development of China's automobile industry, commercial vehicles occupy an absolutely important position. From the liberation of the offline line in 1956 to the mid-1990s, China’s automobile industry basically focuses on the production of commercial vehicles. Chen Zutao recalled: “I clearly remember the first auto show. It was 1982 and all the trucks were on display. It wasn’t until the second auto show in 1988 that we saw the appearance of passenger cars and cars.”

"Before the reform and opening up, most Chinese people did not know how well the foreign automobile industry developed. I often went abroad for inspections and deeply felt the gap between Chinese automotive products and foreign countries. Take the products independently developed by the previous two steam companies, at least then After 20 to 30 years behind European and American products, China's commercial vehicle products are more of their own design and development. It took them a full 30 years to develop the second-generation product to liberate the CA141.

"To cultivate talented people, we must have billions of dollars in support, and we must have advanced experimental equipment and good experimental conditions. It is difficult for the auto industry to develop before the reform and opening up," said Chen Zutao. The reform and opening up has brought opportunities for the development of China's auto industry, so that China's auto companies will no longer 'close their doors behind the door' and begin to learn advanced foreign auto production technologies."

"Approach" promotes the rapid development of the automotive industry

"The word "used" has always affected me," said Chen Zutao. The rapid development of the Chinese auto industry benefits from the introduction of technology and the establishment of joint ventures.

"In the mid-1980s, the reform and opening up was just starting. At that time, we imported Steyr technology from Austria to produce heavy-duty trucks. At this time, the domestic demand for light trucks was also very large. We began to import large quantities from Japan. The light truck products are about 300,000 to 400,000 vehicles each year, and when the two parties reached an agreement to sell their products to China, the Isuzu company provided part of its light truck technology to China, so China began to use Isuzu’s technology and product drawings. Beijing began to widely deploy domestically and produce light-duty trucks. In 1986, domestic introduction of Neoplan bus technology made the appearance of passenger cars for the first time at the second auto show,” Chen Zutao told reporters.

Chen Zutao believes that, from now on, the introduction of these two technologies has changed the product structure of the entire Chinese auto industry and has also affected the development of a large number of commercial vehicle companies. Steyr's introduction of technology has resulted in a large number of heavy-duty truck manufacturers such as China National Heavy Duty Truck, Shaanxi Heavy Duty Truck, and SAIC Iveco Hongyan, and has also driven the development of China's auto key parts and components industry. The absorption of Isuzu technology has also changed the single situation of China's light trucks.

"The introduction of technology has enabled the Chinese auto industry to achieve development, but the speed of development is far less effective than joint ventures," said Chen Zutao. After FAW, Second Automobile, and SAIC have established car joint ventures, the Chinese automobile industry has ushered in faster development. Commercial vehicle companies also set up many joint venture companies. Although the joint ventures of commercial vehicle companies are not very successful, Chinese commercial vehicle companies have learned technology from these foreign manufacturers, and they have learned advanced management methods and learned how to do after-sales service. These have played an important role in promoting the level of manufacturing of commercial vehicles in China and developing their own brands.