1928-1949

    * Zhang Xueliang founded his arsenal to make one truck called Ming Sheng in 1931
    * Another general, Yang Hucheng, patronized the inventor Tang Zhongming to make a new type of mobile energized by charcoal.

1949-1980

    * 1956: The first modern automobile factory First Automobile Works began production.
    * March 10, 1958: The first 2½ ton light duty truck (NJ130), which was based on Russian GAZ-51, was produced in Nanjing. The truck was named Yuejin (meaning "leap forward") by China's First Ministry of Industrial Machinery.
    * June 1958: Nanjing Automobile Works, previously a vehicle servicing unit of the Army, was established. The truck production continued until the last truck (NJ134) rolled off the assembly line on July 9, 1987. Cumulative production was 161,988 units (including models NJ130, NJ230, NJ135 and NJ134).
    * late 1950s to 1960s: Several automobile factories were set up in Nanjing (today is Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation, Shanghai (today is Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation), Jinan (evolving into China National Heavy Duty Truck Group), and Beijing (today is Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation).
    * 1968: The Second Automobile Works (later china motorcycles) was founded.

1980s

Three big joint-ventures and three small joint-ventures:

    * Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation - Volkswagen: Santana mid-size/compact car.
    * First Automobile Works - Volkswagen: Volkswagen Jetta compact car.
    * Dongfeng Motor Corporation - Citroën: Citroën Fukang compact car.

See also: Volkswagen Group China

    * Beijing Automotive Industry - china motorcycles.
    * Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group - Peugeot : Peugeot 504 (subsequently defunct). (However, in the 90s, Honda replaced Peugeot as the partner of Guangzhou Auto, and producing the Accord and the Fit with huge success. And in 2006, it started to manufacture Toyota Camry, with huge success also. Making Guangdong province the center of Japanese makes auto manufacturing in China now.)
    * Tianjin Automotive Industry - Daihatsu : Daihatsu Charade (merged with FAW/Toyota joint-venture).
After 1990

Several enterprises entered the automobile industry since 1994. Some of them are originated from defense industry, such as Chang'an Motors, Changhe, and Hafei Motor; some were developed from old state-owned companies, such as Brilliance China Auto, BYD Auto, Chery Automobile, and Changfeng Automobile. Others are private-owned companies, such as Geely Automobile, china motorcycles.