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Seres Automobile (Hubei)

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Seres Automobile (Hubei) Co., Ltd.
Native name
赛力斯汽车（湖北）有限公司
FormerlyDongfeng Sokon Automobile (DFSK)
IndustryAutomotive
Founded27 June 2003; 21 years ago (2003-06-27)
FoundersSeres Group
ProductsAutomobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts
BrandsDFSK
Fengon (DFSK Glory)
ParentSeres Group
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese赛力斯（湖北）
Traditional Chinese賽力斯（湖北）
Transcriptions
Websitehttps://www.dfdongfeng.com.cn/

Seres Automobile (Hubei) Co., Ltd. (Chinese: 赛力斯汽车（湖北）有限公司), previously named as Dongfeng Sokon Automobile (Chinese: 东风小康; pinyin: Dongfeng Xiaokang) and known internationally as DFSK Motor, was a joint venture between Dongfeng and Seres Group (formerly Sokon Group), formed on June 27, 2003.[1] It is now fully owned by Seres.

Seres Hubei produces microvans, flat-bed commercial trucks and passenger vehicles under the DFSK/Dongfeng Sokon brand and budget passenger vehicles under the Fengon (DFSK Glory) brand.[2] Manufacturing takes place in four different facilities, two of which are located in Hubei Shiyan and two in Chongqing.[3]

History

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At the beginning of 2000, Chongqing Yu'an Innovation Technology (Group), a manufacturer of motorcycles and automotive components, and Dongfeng Motor evaluated the possibility of manufacturing microvans intended for small Chinese businesses. Dongfeng had experience producing cars for PSA, but had not yet produced vehicles in the light commercial segment, and approved the project.

In 2003 the joint venture Dongfeng Yu'an Automobile, headquartered in Chongqing, was formed and work began on the construction of a new factory. Yu'an Group provided the design for the microvans, and acquired licensing for the production of chassis, engines, and components for microvans from Suzuki. Dongfeng was responsible for the engineering and testing of the vehicles. In 2005, they debuted their first small van, called the C-Series. It was offered in multiple configurations (paneled, passenger minibus and pick-up) with Suzuki engines and rear-wheel drive. At its debut, the Yu'an Group changed its name to Chongquin Sokon Industry Group (abbreviated to Sokon in English or Sokon in Chinese) and the joint venture consequently became Dongfeng Sokon Automobile (abbreviated to DFSK).

In the Chinese market the vehicles are sold as Dongfeng Sokon while in the export markets the name DFSK is used. In both cases, the brand on the grille is Dongfeng's “Dual Wings”.

Subsequently, DFSK presents numerous other models of minivans and starts exporting them also in Europe; in the UK they will be distributed by subsidiary Sokon Automobile while in Italy by Giotti Victoria.[4]

In September 2003, Chongqing Ruichi Automobiles (瑞驰新能源公司), a fully-funded subsidiary of Chongqing Sokon Group was established. As an enterprise for the manufacturing, sales and services for the pure electric commercial vehicles, Ruichi is one of the earliest enterprises in China with qualifications for the production of pure electric commercial vehicles.[5] Chongqing Ruichi Automobiles is now a fully-funded subsidiary of Seres, with products being rebadged electrified versions of DFSK's microvans and trucks.[6]

In 2013, DFSK decided to enter the lucrative SUV market by starting the design of a seven-seater mid-size vehicle using Dongfeng technologies; this vehicle was designed so that it could have an aggressive price classifying itself as a low-cost family car and had to be sold both in China and abroad. The project debuted in 2016 called Dongfeng Fengguang 580, a five and seven-seater front-wheel or four-wheel drive SUV with Mitsubishi engines. The brand name Fengguang (translated into Fengon in English) is used to distinguish them from the production of minivans called Sokon. On foreign markets, this vehicle will be renamed DFSK Glory (easier to pronounce) using the Dongfeng Dual Wings emblem on the grille, interior and rear.[citation needed]

In the same years, the production of the minivan range was started in Indonesia and Thailand and exports also to South America and Eastern Europe.

DFSK began to assemble and market products in Indonesia in 2015.[7] Plans at the time of launch included an expected production of 50,000 units/year.[7]

In 2017, joint venture of DFSK and Regal Automobile began assembly in Pakistan. Plant in Lahore producing SUV Glory 580 variants, C-37 Van, Humsafar MPV, K01 Pickup truck etc.

Total sales in 2017 reached 402,000 vehicles and in November 2018 Chongqing Sokon Group attempted to acquire the remaining 50% of the DFSK joint venture from Dongfeng for 621 million euros, becoming 100% owner. The deal was abandoned in July 2019[8]

In September 2019, Sokon acquired the remaining 50% of the DFSK joint venture from Dongfeng. Seres continued to produce vehicles using the Dongfeng logo and under the DFSK brand while phasing out the Dongfeng logo on the Fengguang brand after it was renamed to Fengon.[9]

In April 2020, Chongqing Sokon Industrial Group purchased 50% of DFSK's equity from Dongfeng Motor Group, making DFSK a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sokon Group.[10] As of 2021, DFSK has a total of 4 production bases in China, two of which are located in Shiyan, Hubei and two in Chongqing.[11]

In October 2023, Dongfeng Sokon Automobile was renamed to Seres Automobile (Hubei).[12]

Products

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Fengon

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Fengon (or DFSK Glory for foreign markets) formerly known as Dongfeng Fengguang (Chinese: 东风风光), is the sub-brand of Seres that produces passenger vehicles. Established in 2008, Fengon brand targets at affordable compact MPVs and SUVs. It used to be a joint-venture brand with Dongfeng Group but was fully acquired by Seres Group in 2022. The Fengon brand began to replace the former Dongfeng logo and replaced it with its own Fengon logo in models after the acquisition.

Current model

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Source:[13]

Car

SUV

MPV/Minivan

Discontinued model

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SUV

MPV/Minivan

DFSK

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The DFSK (Dongfeng Sokon, Chinese: 东风小康) is a brand of Seres that produces light commercial vehicles. Currently available products include:

  • C-Series
    • Sokon C37/C36
    • Sokon C31/C32
  • K-Series
    • Sokon K05
    • Sokon K07
    • Sokon K09
    • Sokon K05S
    • Sokon K07S
    • Sokon K01/K02
  • V-Series
    • Sokon V07S- microvan
    • Sokon V21- single cab pickup
    • Sokon V22- crew cab pickup
    • Sokon V25- microvan
    • Sokon V26- microvan
    • Sokon V27- microvan
    • Sokon V29- microvan/ pickup
  • Ruichi (瑞驰) EV
    • EC35- mid-size van
    • EC31- small box truck
    • ED75- mid-size van based on a reverse-engineered copy of the Toyota HiAce body
  • Sokon C37
    Sokon C37
  • Sokon K07S
    Sokon K07S
  • Sokon K07/K17
    Sokon K07/K17
  • Sokon New K07
    Sokon New K07
  • Sokon V29
    Sokon V29
  • Sokon V07S
    Sokon V07S
  • Sokon V27 Cargo
    Sokon V27 Cargo
  • Sokon V22 Crew Cab
    Sokon V22 Crew Cab
  • Sokon V21
    Sokon V21
  • Sokon V21 (2013)
    Sokon V21 (2013)

Landian

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Landian (Chinese: 蓝电) is a brand of Seres for budget electric vehicles which was established in March 2023. The word Landian literally means blue electricity in Chinese.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hong Kong newsroom (10 March 2017). "BRIEF-Chongqing Sokon's sales of vehicles, engines up in Feb". reuters.com. Thomson Reuters. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "Modelos". dfsk.ch. Archived from the original on 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  3. ^ Searles, Nathan. "WELCOME TO DFSK". www.dfsk.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  4. ^ "Giotti Victoria accordo al 2020 la Dongfeng" (in Italian). 4 November 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Chongqing Ruichi Automobiles is committed to becoming a leading brand for the mini electric commercial vehicles". Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  6. ^ "瑞驰新能源公司简介" (in Chinese). Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b Amianti, Grace (27 July 2015). "Chinese car to be produced in Indonesia". thejakartapost.com. The Jakarta Post.
  8. ^ "Sokon to wholly own Dongfeng Sokon at expense of 26.01% stake offered to Dongfeng Motor Corporation". 18 November 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  9. ^ "东风小康成为小康股份全资子公司-Auto Thinker汽车智库平台".
  10. ^ "小康股份全资控股东风小康获批". 新浪汽车. 2020-04-03. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  11. ^ Searles, Nathan. "WELCOME TO DFSK". www.dfsk.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  12. ^ Li, Na (2023-10-12). 注册资本8亿 东风小康公司更名赛力斯 [Dongfeng Sokon changed its name to Seres with registered capital of RMB 800 million]. Autohome (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  13. ^ "FENGON风光官网". www.dffengguang.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  14. ^ Kang/CnEVPost, Lei (2023-03-30). "Seres unveils new NEV brand Landian and 1st model E5 with BYD, Huawei technology". CnEVPost. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  15. ^ Suzan (2023-06-21). "Dongfeng's All-new Electric SUV FENGON Landian E5 may be launched on March 1 | China Car News, Reviews and More". Retrieved 2023-06-28.
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