How a brand was born

May 18, 2006

The FAW Besturn C301 premiered at the Seventh China (Hangzhou) International Automotive Industry Exhibition. As the nation's first self-developed, high-performance car, the Besturn brought China's independent research and development in sedans to a new level, marking a milestone in the history of FAW Car Co Ltd.

July 12, 2006

FAW Besturn held a series of innovative safety tests in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin province, including for side pole impact, laboratory roll, actual person in an actual car roll and maximum static pressure. The audacious actual person roll test amazed the industry.

August 18, 2006

Besturn, the only mid- and high-end cars from a self-owned brand, officially hit the domestic market at the headquarters of FAW in Changchun. The models not only filled the gap for domestic brands in the mid- and high-end car section, but also considerably improved the technology and quality of the Chinese auto industry. The Besturn 2.0L Comfort with an automatic and manual transmission retailed for only 151,800 yuan, making a great impact on the domestic mid- and high-end car market.

November 18, 2006

Besturn debuted at the Ninth China (Beijing) International Automotive Industry Exhibition. FAW for the first time showcased a cutaway of the car to highlight its superior active and passive safety systems, as well as the unique 3H safe body structure and side impact bumper. The car thus earned reputations as a "safety model" and an "urban armored car".

Late January 2007

FAW Besturn received the 2006 CCTV Self-owned Brand Award for its high safety, nimble handling and high performance-to-price ratio, establishing itself as a leading brand. The award reflected FAW Car's strong independent R&D capabilities. The 2006 CCTV China Automobile Brand Competition began on November 12 and toured seven cities over 50 days.

May 28 - June 28, 2007

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of FAW Car Co Ltd, the Besturn 2.0L Commemoratory Version hit the market at 139,800 yuan. The special model, a limited production of only 1,000 units, quickly sold out. Its moderate price embodied FAW Besturn's marketing concept of "moving consumers".

August 18, 2007

A press conference was held in Beijing to launch the 2008 Besturn, which incorporates 18 additional luxury amenities and technical updates. The new model helped FAW Car further consolidate its position in the mid- and high-end car sector.

November 18, 2007

Two new models of FAW Besturn 6MT debuted at the Guangzhou Shangri-La Hotel. The model utilized a world-leading 6-gear manual gearbox, a new-generation 2.0L MZR engine and the Total Intelligent Control System, surpassing same-class rivals in handling, fuel economy and comfort.

November 2007

With an astonishing fuel consumption record of 3.98 liters per 100 km, a FAW Besturn 6MT - for manual transmission - won the general championship of the 2.0L manual section in the 2007 China Automobile Fuel Saving Competition. The contest toured Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu and Beijing, in which the record of the Besturn 6MT was 4.87 liters, 3.55 liters, 3.92 liters and 3.59 liters respectively.

April 12, 2008

With the theme of "Green Olympics and Technical Besturn," a press conference was held in Beijing to introduce two new models to the prestigious Besturn fleet: the Olympic model hybrid Besturn B70HEV and the "Mini Besturn" B50. After two years of rapid growth, Besturn entered a new stage of development.

(China Daily 04/25/2008 page20)