 | |
Native name | Wuhu Kaiyi Automobile Co., Ltd |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kǎiyì |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Kaiyi Auto | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Predecessors | Weier Automobile |
| Founded | January 2014; 11 years ago (2014-01) |
| Founders | Chery Automobile |
| Headquarters | , China |
Area served | China |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Owners |
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| Website | https://www.kaiyihome.com |
Kaiyi Auto (official nameYibin Kaiyi Automobile Co., Ltd.,Chinese: 凯翼,Kǎiyì) is aChinese state-owned passenger vehicle manufacturer focuses on low-cost models. Founded in January 2014, it was originally a wholly owned subsidiary of Chery Automobile. In December 2017, after the equity change, it moved to Yibin City and was renamed Yibin Kaiyi Automobile Co., Ltd.[2] In 2022, the brand has renamed fromCowin Auto to Kaiyi Auto.
Kaiyi Auto is the only Chinese-owned brand headquarter located inSichuan Province of China. The brand is specialized on offering low cost models with the goal of attracting young buyers.
The origin of the Cowin denomination dates back to 2003 when it was introduced to identify the homonymous car model which was nothing more than the restyling of the old Chery Fulwin (the licensed version of the first series of Seat Toledo as well as the first car produced by the same Chinese); subsequently, from 2009, Chery decided to reorganize its product range using this name to identify a sub-range of models that are now old and at the end of the production cycle but kept in the price list only because they still guaranteed decent sales volumes; thus were born the Chery Cowin 1 (the restyling of the old QQ6), the Chery Cowin 2 (ex Chery Cowin / Fulwin), Chery Cowin 3 (ex model Chery A5), etc.[3]
Cowin Auto was established as a subsidiary of the Chinese automaker Chery Automobile in 2014 with the aim of developing a new niche in the dynamically developing car market in China. Cowin was targeted at young buyers from medium-sized and small towns in an Asian country, wanting to encourage them to buy mainly through a low price.[4]
The first vehicle of the Cowin brand was the subcompact carC3 sedan and C3R hatchback, which went on sales in November 2014 - six months after its debut.[5] In the following years, Cowin's lineup was expanded mainly in terms of SUVs and crossovers starting with theX3 in 2016.[6] Then a year later, it was joined by the largerX5.[7] In 2020, Cowin launched a more powerful car in the form of theE5,[8] while at the same time, in order to stop the decline in popularity of the brand, theShowjet was launched.[9]
In July 2022, Cowin Auto announcedrebranding, changing its name to the more Chinese-soundingKaiyi Auto and changing the brand name along with the entire visual identification of the models.[10] The company presented a series of prototypes heralding a completely new model range.[11] In December of the same year, the company's first new model after the rebranding went on sale in the form of a large SUVKaiyi Kunlun.[12] In January 2023, Kaiyi officially began distributing its cars in Russia, also starting local production of theXuandu sedan under the name Kaiyi E5 at theAvtotor plant inKaliningrad.[13]
In October 2023, Kaiyi presented the first production model, an extension of the family of prototypes from the spring of the same year. A study of the i-EA 01 small electric hatchback evolved into theKaiyi Shiyue.[14]
In 2018, following a restructuring of the Chery shareholding, part of Cowin was sold to the city of Yibin through the subsidiaries Yibin Auto Industry Development Investment Co., Ltd. and Sichuan Yibin Pushi (PUSH) Group Co., Ltd. which took possession of 50.5% and 0.5% respectively. Chery Automobile retained a 49% stake.[15]
Yibin City paid a total of RMB 2.5 billion for a 51% stake in Cowin (valuing the company at around RMB 5 billion, about $800 million). Cowin Auto's headquarters moved to Yibin, Sichuan and the company changed its official name to Yibin Kaiyi (Cowin) Automobile Co., Ltd.[16]
On 7 January 2019 the new production plant in Yibin was inaugurated and the X5 goes into production. Production at the Chery plant in Wuhu will continue for the X3 model.[17]
In 2022, Chery continued to reduce its shareholding in Kaiyi Auto and transferred it to the Yibin Municipal Government, which Chery retained a 18% stake.[18]
Kaiyi Auto began its international market in 2022, exporting models like the X3, X3 Pro, X3 Pro EV, and E5 to various countries. Kaiyi have entered over 30 markets, including those in Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In 2023, the company began producing cars locally in cooperation with Avitol in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia.
In April 2025, Kaiyi entered the Philippine market under Fortune Electricars Philippines Corp. They also announced their new global market strategy in May 2025, with plans for further expansion and a sales target of 300,000 units annually.[19] In 2024, Kaiyi entered the Cambodian market, where its vehicles were rebadged and sold as the GTV Kain and GTV Soben by GTV Motor Cambodia.[20][21]
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| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 24,000[22] |
| 2016 | 51,142[23] |
| 2017 | 43,000[24] |
| 2018 | 41,556[25] |
| 2019 | 32,900[26] |
| 2020 | 33,300[27] |
| 2021 | 20,300[27] |
| 2022 | 34,500[27] |
| 2023 | 52,013[28] |
| 2024 | 48,507[29] |
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