The Besturn X80 was previewed by the FAW X concept car that debuted on the 2011 Auto Shanghai, while the production version of the Besturn X80 first appeared at Auto Shanghai in 2013, and on 16 May of that year it came into Chinese dealerships.
Two of the engines of the Besturn X80 are sourced from Mazda, including a 146hp 2.0 liter engine and a 154hp 2.3 liter engine. Both engines are mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or six-speed automatic transmission. A FAW-developed 1.8 liter turbo engine was added to the line-up later. The 2.3 liter engine was cancelled for the 2015 model year.