In the early days when New China was founded in 1949, the automobile industry was virtually non-existent, and there were no factories to speak of. Then in 1957, the national call for independent automobile production rang out, and the Changjiang 46 off-road Jeep designed and manufactured by Chang'an Automobile became the first of its kind home-made since New China. 

The Changjiang-brand Jeeps filled many historical voids in the Chinese automobile industry following their release, and since the first model rolled off the line, Chongqing has attained a production capacity of 4 million vehicles a year.