China's Hongqi sales up 142.7% in January

CHANGCHUN -- China's leading automaker FAW Group said Wednesday that it sold 12,630 cars under its iconic sedan brand Hongqi in January, posting a 142.7-percent year-on-year growth.

Jiefang, a self-owned heavy truck brand, also reported a 56.7-percent annual sales increase in January to 61,846 units.

The group has been working under capacity in the past month due to the novel coronavirus epidemic that affected production while maintaining a steady sales growth rate of 18.2 percent by selling 353,490 cars.

To maintain strong sales, Hongqi has extended warranties and stepped up online promotion efforts by making and posting short marketing videos.

Hongqi fulfilled its 2019 sales target of 100,000 cars and has doubled the target number for 2020. The brand plans to roll out 21 new models, mostly electric or fuel-electric hybrids, in the next five years.