A significant milestone was passed on Tuesday as a Jiefang J7 truck rolled off the assembly line at FAW Jiefang Automotive Co in Changchun, Jilin province. It was truck No 8 million for the company, an independent Chinese brand.

FAW Jiefang, a truck subsidiary of China's leading automaker FAW Group, produced China's first Jiefang commercial truck in 1956. In 1958, the first Dongfeng car and first Hongqi luxury sedan rolled off the assembly line.

FAW Jiefang produced 267,770 complete vehicles in the first half of this year, an increase of 15.3 percent year-on-year, and sold 339,230 trucks, up 21.9 percent year-on-year.

"FAW Jiefang is in the best stage of development in its history," said Hu Hanjie, president of the company. "We will firmly adhere to the principles of independent development, opening-up and cooperation and strive to become China's first century-old automobile brand."