With the sudden COVID outbreak hitting the city of Changchun hard, the Changchun-based automaker, FAW Group, is reportedly in production halt from March 13th – March 16th, according to local media outlets.

Photo credit: Hongqi

At press time, the auto group has yet to respond to the rumor. 

According to FAW Group, Changchun is the manufacturing home base for most of the company’s sub-brands, including Hongqi, FAW Jiefang, FAW Bestune, FAW-Volkswagen, and FAW Toyota.

The Hongqi and Bestune vehicles are produced in the Weishan Factory, while FAW Jiefang vehicles are manufactured in its Changchun base.

The FAW-Volkswagen factory holds the production responsibility for FAW-Volkswagen and Audi models, including the CC, Magotan, Bora, C-Trek from the Volkswagen lineup, and the A4, A6, Q5, and Q3 models from the Audi lineup.

Additionally, several FAW Toyota models are also made in Changchun, namely, the RAV4 and the Harrier.

In fact, the sudden COVID outbursts have fitfully affected the auto industry. Not long ago, in February, Bosch’s Suzhou factory was severely hit when the virus came to town. The slashed supply has directly dented the sales of many local automakers in February, including Changan Auto and Great Wall Motor, both affected by the shortage of Bosch’s ESP components.