The very first car produced by the SAIC Motor Corporation Limited came out in September 1958 under the name Fenghuang, which means "phoenix" in Chinese, and the car featured a logo of its namesake bird on the engine hood.

The second Shanghai brand car came into being in January 1959. It was black in color and wider than the first.

In February 1959, Zhongnanhai, the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China, received its first Shanghai brand car, which was praised by the late premier Zhou Enlai.