The Jinggangshan was the first passenger car produced by the Chinese automobile manufacturer Beijing Automobile Works (BAW) and sold under the Jinggangshan brand from 1958 to 1960.
History
The Beijing-based company BAW was founded in 1953 with Soviet assistance. BAW initially manufactured accessories for Chinese vehicles, mainly carburetors, fuel pumps, headlights and smaller sheet metal parts.
China's automotive industry was affected by the industrialization initiatives of the country's Great Leap Forward. Beginning in 1958,[1] several Chinese plants began to construct passenger cars for civil use. For the mid-range segment, three different designs were created in three plants. Shanghai Auto Works developed the Fenghuang, later known as Shanghai SH760, and First Automotive Works (FAW) developed the Dongfeng CA71.
BAW joined this process, with the first model being the small Jinggangshan, later supplemented by the luxury Beijing CB4 sedan. Initial plans provided for the Jinggangshan to be mass-produced—there was talk of 10,000 copies per year— to meet the demand for cars in the country.