Zhu Yanfen (Left), former deputy party chief of Jilin province, was named chairman of Dongfeng Group. Xu Ping, former chairman of Dongfeng, was designated chairman of FAW Group. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Top executives at FAW Group and Dongfeng Group, two State-owned automakers ridden by a slew of corruption scandals, changed hands last May. Xu Ping, former chairman of Dongfeng, was designated chairman of FAW, while Zhu Yanfen, former deputy party chief of Jilin province, was named chairman of Dongfeng.

Both Xu and Zhu face a number of a challenges, such as dealing with alleged internal corruption, reviving their brands and strengthening cooperation with foreign partners. Zhu was chairman of FAW before being deputy party chief of Jilin. In March last year, then FAW Chairman Xu Jianyi was under investigation for suspected discipline violations. In November, Zhu Fushou, then Dongfeng general manager, was also under investigation for discipline violations.