Hawtai

Hawtai Motor Group was a Chinese automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Beijing, with production facilities in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, and Rongcheng, Shandong. Founded in 2000 and owned by entrepreneur Zhang Xiugen, the company sold passenger cars and SUVs under the Hawtai brand. From 2002 to 2010, Hawtai had a licensing deal, partnership, or joint venture with Hyundai Motors that manufactured Hyundai-brand passenger cars for the Chinese market. Hawtai continued to use some Hyundai technology until its financial troubles forced a wind-down of production capabilities in 2029, its bankruptcy in 2023, and eventual removal from the Chinese business register in 2026. As of late 2010, Hawtai's production capacity was reported to be 350,000 units per year. What distinguished Hawtai from rival private Chinese automakers was its diesel engine production ability. Billing itself as a clean vehicle brand, Hawtai also was a supplier to the Chinese State. The company added sedans to its product line in 2010, and these were probably the first vehicles it both designed and manufactured. In 2013, a total of 28,812 Hawtai passenger cars were sold in China, making it the 50th largest-selling car brand in the country that year and the 30th largest-selling Chinese brand. The company exported to Angola, Southeast Asia, and one or more CIS nations.

Hawtai Motor Group was founded in 2000 as a Chinese automobile manufacturer. It established its corporate base in Beijing and developed manufacturing and engineering operations in several parts of China. The company's early strategy relied heavily on acquiring or licensing overseas automotive technology rather than building an entirely independent product architecture from the outset. In 2002, Hawtai began a cooperation with Hyundai Motor. The precise legal characterization of the arrangement has been described variously as a licensing deal, partnership, or joint venture, but its practical effect was the manufacture of Hyundai-related passenger vehicles for China's mainland market. Production of Hyundai-branded SUVs began in 2003, and Hawtai started selling related products under its own name in 2004. The cooperation covered vehicles including the Matrix people carrier, Santa Fe SUV, and Terracan SUV. Hawtai's own versions often relied on Hyundai platforms or components, although individual models could differ in equipment, styling, engines, and specifications. The Hyundai relationship became the foundation for Hawtai's initial market position. The company concentrated on SUVs at a time when demand for that body style was growing in China, and it used the Santa Fe and Terracan families to compete with other domestic manufacturers. The B35 Bolgheri later extended this technology-based product strategy. By the middle of the 2010s, the Hawtai version of the Santa Fe was also being referred to as the C9, reflecting the company's continued evolution of a Hyundai-derived product rather than a simple continuation of the original model. Hawtai also sought to establish an engineering identity around diesel technology. It acquired or used technologies associated with Hyundai and VM Motori, an Italian company known for diesel-engine development. Hawtai stated that engines produced at its Inner Mongolia operations were adapted and modified internally. The company associated its brand with cleaner vehicles and claimed manufacturing capabilities for engines, transmissions, and complete vehicles. Publicly reported capacity numbers included substantial potential output at Ordos and Rongcheng, although such figures represented installed or claimed capacity and do not necessarily indicate actual production. The company broadened its range in 2010 by adding sedans, including the B11 and B21/E70. These were described as among the first Hawtai vehicles designed and manufactured by the company rather than being principally based on a Hyundai SUV program. Hawtai continued to sell conventional internal-combustion vehicles while beginning to develop electric versions. Electric products were offered under the Shengdafei and Lusheng families, including variants identified by model names such as XEV360, XEV260, XEV480, XEV520, iEV360, EV160B, EV160R, and iEV230. Hawtai repeatedly attempted to extend its technology and business relationships beyond Hyundai. During Chrysler's 2009 Chapter 11 reorganization, the two companies reportedly discussed a possible asset transaction. In 2011, Hawtai agreed in principle to provide EUR 150 million to Spyker Cars, then the owner of Saab, in return for Chinese production rights for the Saab 9-3 and a 30 percent interest in the Swedish vehicle business. The proposed Saab transaction quickly failed to close. Hawtai and Malaysia's Proton were also reported to have explored cooperation during 2011 and 2012, but the cited material does not establish that a binding partnership was completed. Hawtai operated production facilities in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, and Rongcheng, Shandong. The company also claimed a bus facility in Yanbian dating from 2002 and maintained an earlier Beijing-based process-technology or engine-localization function associated with research and development. It exported vehicles to selected markets including Angola, Southeast Asia, and some countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The company investigated completely knocked-down assembly with foreign partners and explored possible assembly in Spain. Reference material reported that Hawtai sold 28,812 passenger cars in China in 2013, ranking it as a relatively small domestic brand by national sales. Sources supplied for this dossier contain contradictory or unreliable statements about later production, bankruptcy, and corporate-registration status. Those claims are not repeated as established facts here. The company's current status therefore remains unknown pending authoritative corporate or regulatory documentation.

• 2013

  Reported domestic sales

  [1]Hawtaien.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports 28,812 Hawtai passenger vehicles sold in China during the year.

• 2011

  Proposed Saab transaction

  [1]Hawtaien.wikipedia.org

  Hawtai announces a proposed investment and manufacturing-rights agreement with Spyker Cars, but the transaction is not completed.

• 2010

  Sedans added to the range

  [1]Hawtaien.wikipedia.org

  Hawtai expands beyond SUVs with sedans such as the B11 and B21/E70.

• 2004

  Hawtai-branded SUV sales begin

  [1]Hawtaien.wikipedia.org

  Hawtai begins selling SUV products under its own brand, using technology derived in part from Hyundai programs.

• 2003

  Hyundai-branded SUV production

  [1]Hawtaien.wikipedia.org

  The cooperation leads to production of Hyundai-branded SUVs in China.

• 2002

  Hyundai cooperation begins

  [1]Hawtaien.wikipedia.org

  Hawtai enters a cooperation with Hyundai Motor involving technology and production of Hyundai-related vehicles for China.

• 2000

  Hawtai is founded

  [1]Hawtaien.wikipedia.org

  Hawtai Motor Group is established in China and later develops its corporate headquarters in Beijing.

Value-oriented Chinese passenger-vehicle manufacturer combining Hyundai-derived vehicle technology, diesel powertrain capability, and later electric-vehicle offerings.

• SUV · 2004

  Santa Fe / C9

  A Hawtai SUV derived from technology and platform work associated with the Hyundai Santa Fe. Earlier Hawtai versions were sold using the Santa Fe name, while later references identified the vehicle as the C9. The product exemplified Hawtai's strategy of adapting licensed or acquired foreign technology for China's domestic market.

• SUV

  Terracan

  A Hawtai-branded SUV based on technology associated with the Hyundai Terracan. It was part of the company's early SUV portfolio and helped establish Hawtai's market presence through the Hyundai cooperation.

• SUV

  B35 Bolgheri

  An SUV using Hyundai-derived platform technology. The Bolgheri represented Hawtai's continued use of foreign engineering foundations while extending the company's own branded range.

• Sedan · 2010

  B11

  A Hawtai sedan offered with 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter engine options. It formed part of the company's move into sedans around 2010.

• Sedan · 2010

  B21 / E70

  A sedan family associated with 2.0-liter Mitsubishi 4G63 and 4G94D engines as well as a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine. It was among Hawtai's early sedan products.

• SUV

  Shengdafei

  A Hawtai SUV family offered in internal-combustion and electric forms. Electric derivatives included the Shengdafei 2 XEV360, Shengdafei 5 XEV260 and XEV480, and Shengdafei 7 XEV520.

• Electric vehicle and SUV

  Lusheng

  A vehicle family associated with Hawtai's electric-vehicle strategy. Listed variants included the Lusheng S1 iEV360, EV160B, and EV160R, together with the Lusheng S5 and S5 iEV230.

• 2018

  Wage Arrears, Production Halt, Bond Defaults; Controller Zhang Xiugen Arrested

  Since 2018, Huatai Automobile has owed wages to more than a thousand employees, halted production, and been accused of sales falsification; in 2019, bonds including “16 Huaqi 02” defaulted, with debt of about RMB 29.4 billion; in 2021 it was twice subject to bankruptcy reorganization applications, and in 2022 actual controller Zhang Xiugen was arrested on suspicion of illegally transferring and reselling land-use rights. The total amount subject to enforcement exceeded RMB 4 billion.

  Source

Read more

• 2011

  Propose investment in Saab's ownerM&A

  Background

  Spyker Cars was seeking support for Saab, while Hawtai wanted manufacturing rights and access to an international automotive program.

  Action taken

  Hawtai agreed in principle to provide EUR 150 million to Spyker Cars in exchange for Chinese production rights for the Saab 9-3 and a 30 percent interest in Saab's owner.

  Aftermath

  The proposed deal quickly fell apart and was never consummated.

  Proposed investment. (2011)

  Source

• 2011

  Explore Proton cooperationStrategy

  Background

  Hawtai continued to seek international automotive partnerships and technology opportunities.

  Action taken

  It explored a possible tie-up with Malaysian automaker Proton.

  Aftermath

  The cited material does not establish that the proposed cooperation became a completed transaction.

  Source

• 2010

  Expand into sedansProduct launch

  Background

  Hawtai had become associated primarily with SUVs and sought to broaden its passenger-car coverage.

  Action taken

  The company introduced sedan products including the B11 and B21/E70.

  Aftermath

  The sedan launch diversified the brand beyond SUVs and represented a greater emphasis on Hawtai-branded product development.

  Source

• 2002

  Pursue Hyundai technology cooperationStrategy

  Background

  Hawtai was a relatively young Chinese automaker seeking passenger-vehicle technology, production experience, and faster access to the expanding domestic SUV market.

  Action taken

  It entered a cooperation with Hyundai Motor covering vehicle production and technology access.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement enabled Hyundai-branded production in China and supported Hawtai-branded SUVs based on related technology.

  Source

1. 1Hawtaien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Wage Arrears, Production Halt, Bond Defaults; Controller Zhang Xiugen Arrestedjiemian.com
3. 3Wage Arrears, Production Halt, Bond Defaults; Controller Zhang Xiugen Arrestednbd.com.cn
4. 4Wage Arrears, Production Halt, Bond Defaults; Controller Zhang Xiugen Arrestedfinance.sina.com.cn