Combo photo shows the Hongqi vehicles assembly line of the China FAW Group Corporation in 1958 (top, file photo), and FAW's staff checking on Hongqi vehicles in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, April 9, 2019 (bottom, photo taken by Xu Chang). Over six decades ago, China set up its first automobile manufacturer in the northeastern industrial city of Changchun as the country began to beef up its economy, and unveiled the nation's first domestically produced passenger car in 1958. Nowadays, the country has been the world's largest automobile manufacturer and seller in the past decade with 28.08 million vehicles sold last year, accounting for 30.6 percent of the global market. Despite getting a late start, China's automobile manufacturers have been narrowing down the gap between global competitive players and embarked on a journey of becoming a globally popular auto retailer. (Xinhua)
