Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co Ltd (JAC), one of China's top 10 automakers, continues to maintain a rapid pace of growth, as it has for 18 consecutive years since 1990.

A production line of the Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co Ltd (JAC) in Hefei

In the first 10 months of the year, JAC produced more than 200,000 vehicles of various types.

It also held its top position for overseas sales of light-duty commercial vehicles first established seven years ago. Its bus chassis continues as first in the market, another ranking it has held since 1990.

Its Benjoy sedan, formally unveiled in November 2007, won several awards in 2008, including the "most favored home brand" and the "car that consumers most wish to buy".

One year after its release, Benjoy sales exceeded 10,000, among the best performance for a C-class brand sedan, though similar sales have been seen in the A and B classes, said Dai Maofang, marketing general manager of JAC.

Owners of private businesses, management of large State-owned enterprises and high-ranking officials are among those who bought a Benjoy.

During the coming Sixth Guangzhou Auto Fair, JAC is to release its first A-class sedan, the JAC Tojoy.

The Tojoy and Tojoy-RS were jointly designed by the JAC auto tech center and Italian design house Pininfarina. In the sedans one can see such Chinese elements as facial make up from Peking Opera, ancient buildings, tai chi and lucky clouds. It has a tight body but spacious seats.

The 1.5 liter Tojoy engine consumes just 4.9 liters of oil per 100 km. Its emissions meet State-4 standards. It is equipped with ABS-EBD, formerly only found in higher-grade sedans. More than 30 percent of the car uses high tensile steel, helping it meet European standards for safety.

With 45-year history of auto making, JAC has been cited as an expert in chassis technology. Its main product Five-Star Chassis had outstanding results after 5 million km of tests in plateaus, through rough fields and extreme temperatures.

Tojoy and Tojoy-RS are to debut simultaneously around the world on November 17.

Founded in 1964, JAC is one of the country's most versatile auto manufacturers. Its products include light, medium and heavy-duty trucks, multi-functional commercial vehicles, SRVs, sedans, bus chassis, engines, gearboxes, parts and components. After 40 years of development, it now has an annual production capacity of more than 500,000 vehicles.

Among its products, Refine, a multi-purpose commercial vehicle, has ranked in the nation's top three for many years. Its SRV Rein is a leisure-oriented choice in cities. The two have been cited as Best MPV and Best SUV of the Year in annual Chinese automobile rankings.

JAC has a State-level research and development center. In June 2005 it set up the country's first overseas design center in Turin, Italy. The following year, its second independent design center overseas was launched in Tokyo.

(China Daily November 17, 2008)