SAIC Motor

This article is about the Chinese automotive company. For similarly-named companies, see SAIC (disambiguation).

SAIC Motor Corp., Ltd. (formerly Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) is a renowned automotive brand that offers a wide range of products and services. With a strong presence in the global market.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Motor Corporation Limited

SAIC Building, which is the administration headquarters, Jing'an District
Native name	上海汽车集团股份有限公司
Company type	State-owned
Traded as	SSE: 600104
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1955; 70 years ago (1955) as Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Components Company 1995; 30 years ago (1995) as Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (Group) 2011; 14 years ago (2011) as SAIC Motor Corporation Limited
Headquarters	Anting, Shanghai , China
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Chen Hong (Chairman of the Board of Directors) Shen Xiaosu (Chairman of the Board of Supervisors) Wang Xiaoqiu (President)
Products	Automobiles, commercial vehicles
Production output	5,400,000 units (2021)[1]
Revenue	CN¥ 796,180,000,000 billion (2020)[2]
Net income	CN¥ 20,431,037,480 (2020)
Total assets	CN¥ 919,414,755,790 (2020)
Number of employees	204,815 (2020)
Parent	Shanghai's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (71.2%)[3]
Divisions	Maxus Roewe MG Motor Rising Auto Nanjing Automobile
Subsidiaries	List SAIC Motor UK MG Motor IM Motors (54%) Nanjing Automobile Yuejin Nanjing Iveco Auto Co Ltd SAIC Iveco Hongyan (56.96%) SAIC-GM-Wuling (50.1%) Wuling Baojun SAIC Volkswagen (50%) SAIC-GM (50%) Sunwin International: SAIC USA
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	上海汽车集团股份有限公司
Traditional Chinese	上海汽車集團股份有限公司
Literal meaning	Shanghai Automotive Group Joint-stock Limited Corporation
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shànghǎi Qìchē Jítuán Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī
Abbreviation
Simplified Chinese	上汽集团
Traditional Chinese	上汽集團
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shàngqì Jítuán
Website	saicmotor.com

History

SAIC began operations in 1955 as one of the first Chinese automotive companies.^[4] In Maoist China it focused on the production of one of the first cars of local design in the form of the Shanghai SH760 limousine line produced from 1964 to 1991.^[5]

The first cooperation with foreign capital, which made its technology available to SAIC, was established in 1984 through an agreement with the German Volkswagen,^[6] establishing the first joint-venture - Shanghai-Volkswagen. The breakthrough year was 1978, when, as part of the opening of the Chinese economy, purchasing foreign production lines and obtaining approval from state authorities for investment outlays.^[7]

The 1990s brought intensive development to the SAIC concern in terms of expenditure on the production of local variants of Volkswagen models, as well as partnerships with other foreign concerns. In 1997, another joint-venture was established in the form of the SAIC-GM alliance, which enabled the start of operations in China of American General Motors brands such as Buick and Cadillac and then also Chevrolet.^[8]

In 2004, SAIC Motor decided to buy its first foreign company, acquiring the South Korean SUV manufacturer SsangYong Motor in 2004,^[9] managing it for the next year 2010, after which there were conflicts of interest and allegations of intellectual property theft^[10] the cooperation ended with the sale of the South Korean manufacturer to the Indian Mahindra.^[11]

Acquisition of MG Rover Group

At the beginning of 2005, SAIC Group established cooperation with the crisis-ridden British concern MG Rover Group, obtaining the rights to launch the production of the Rover 25 and 75 models in China.^[12] The crisis of the consortium from Longbridge managing the MG and Rover brands ended in bankruptcy in the second quarter of 2005, and the bankruptcy estate was put up for auction. SAIC was interested in purchasing it, but the offer was ultimately outbid by another Chinese company, Nanjing Automobile, which acquired the group in July 2005.^[13]

Thanks to the cooperation concluded shortly before the bankruptcy of MG Rover Group, SAIC retained the rights to introduce its first own brand Roewe, which was a direct continuation of the British Rover brand. Its first model was a modernized Rover 75 under the name Roewe 750.^[12] In 2007, SAIC decided to merge with the previously competitive concern Nanjing Automobile,^[14] thanks to which Roewe was also joined by a second brand with British origins in the form of MG Motor, which was a continuation of the former British MG Cars.

LDV and Maxus

At the end of 2009, SAIC Group decided to acquire another bankrupt British automotive company LDV Group, taking over the rights to produce the only vehicle produced by this company in the form of a commercial vehicle LDV Maxus.^[15] The car returned to production in China in 2011 under the new Maxus brand, which, analogously to Roewe and MG, took on the role of a direct continuation of the former British LDV.^[16]

In the following years of the second decade of the 21st century, the offer of Maxus, the third independent brand of the SAIC concern, became diversified, in addition to commercial vehicles, also introducing SUVs into production^[17] and pickup.^[18] In 2016, the LDV brand returned to the market as LDV Automotive, which took over as the export name for Maxusa products for the UK and Australian markets.^[19]

Global expansion

After gradually developing its foreign operations, including in South America, at the turn of the 2010s and 2020s, SAIC began to expand into large global markets such as Western Europe,^[20] East Asia, India^[21] or Australia^[22] using the MG brand.

In line with its expansion, SAIC actively pursues a badge engineering policy, diversifying MG's offering with Roewe products in the Middle East and East Asia, Maxus in India and Thailand, as well as Roewe and Rising Auto in the Western European market.^[23] In July 2023, SAIC entered into a strategic partnership with Audi, lending its electric vehicle platform to IM Motors. In this way, the German company saved on the subsequent costs of building models for the Chinese market by using local technology.^[24]

Brands

SAIC sells vehicles under a variety of brands. Brand names that are exclusive to SAIC include IM, Maxus, MG, Rising, Roewe, Baojun, Wuling, Hongyan, Sunwin^[25]

See also: List of SAIC vehicles

IM

Main article: IM Motors

SAIC launched a luxury EV brand "IM" (dubbed "Zhiji Motor" in Chinese) jointly developed with Shanghai's Pudong New Area government and Alibaba on January 13, 2021. According to SAIC Motor, "IM" stands for Intelligence in Motion.^[26]

• 
  IM L7
• 
  IM LS7
• 
  IM LS6

MG

Main article: MG Motor

MG Motor designs (in UK and Shanghai), develops and markets cars sold under the MG marque while vehicle manufacturing takes place at its factories in China, Thailand, Indonesia and India. MG Motor is the largest importer of Chinese made cars into the United Kingdom.

• 
  MG 7
• 
  MG 6 II
• 
  MG HS

Rising Auto

Main article: Rising Auto

Rising Auto (Feifan, 飞凡汽车), formerly R Brand,^[27] is an offshoot of SAIC's Roewe brand dedicated to new energy vehicles and intelligent vehicles.^[28] Early products are rebadged Roewes with the R7 crossover being the first original product. The upcoming following product is the F7 compact executive sedan.

• 
  Rising Auto Marvel R
• 
  Rising Auto R7
• 
  Rising Auto F7

Roewe

Main article: Roewe

Roewe was introduced by SAIC in 2006. It is sold in most export markets outside China under the MG Motor marque.

• 
  Roewe D7
• 
  Roewe RX5
• 
  Roewe RX9

Maxus

Main article: Maxus

Maxus was formed in 2011 following the acquisition of LDV Group by SAIC in 2010,^[29] and produces MPVs, pickup trucks, and SUVs for both domestic sale and global export.

• 
  Maxus G20
• 
  Maxus T70
• 
  Maxus D60

Wuling/Baojun (SAIC-GM-Wuling)

Main article: SAIC-GM-Wuling

Main article: Baojun

A joint venture between SAIC, General Motors, and Guangxi Automobile Group (previously Wuling Group) Based in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in southwestern China, it makes commercial and consumer vehicles sold in China under the Wuling and Baojun brands. SGMW has recently found great success as an electric vehicle manufacturer — as of 2021, the venture's Wuling Hongguang Mini EV city car is the best-selling electric car in China by volume.^[30]

• 
  Wuling Asta
• 
  Wuling Hongguang Mini EV
• 
  Baojun E300

Hongyan

Main article: SAIC Hongyan

SAIC Hongyan was established in January 2003 as Chongqing Hongyan and traces its origins back to a Chinese manufacturer established in 1965. The company is focused on producing heavy trucks.^[31]

• 
  Hongyan Genlyon

Sunwin

Main article: Sunwin

SAIC Sunwin is a brand specialized in producing passenger buses^[32] and trolleybuses.^[33]

• 
  Sunwin iev10
• 
  Sunwin SWB6120V4LE, based on Volvo B7RLE chassis

Nanjing Iveco Auto Co Ltd ("New Naveco")

Main article: Nanjing Automobile

In 2021, SAIC announced an increase in its holdings of Nanjing Iveco (Naveco). SAIC's subsidiary, Nanjing Automobile Group holds a 50% stake, while SAIC itself holds 30.1%, and IVECO S.P.A. holds 19.9%. SAIC's ownership of Naveco has now risen to 80.1%, making the Italian brand a strategic investor.^[34]

• 
  Iveco Daily Ousheng

Joint ventures

SAIC participates in cooperative efforts with foreign automakers that see the products of large international companies such as General Motors and Volkswagen made and sold in China.

The following is only a partial list.

Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive

Main article: SAIC Volkswagen

A joint venture between SAIC and Volkswagen Group. It was founded in 1984 and produces cars under the Volkswagen, Skoda, and Audi brands.

• 
  Volkswagen Lavida
• 
  Skoda Octavia Pro
• 
  Audi A7L

Shanghai General Motors Corporation

Main article: SAIC-GM

This joint venture between SAIC and General Motors manufactures and sells Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac brand automobiles in Mainland China.

• 
  Chevrolet Menlo
• 
  Buick Enclave II
• 
  Cadillac CT6

SAIC-Charoen Pokphand

SAIC produces MG Motors vehicles through this joint venture with Charoen Pokphand for their Thailand subsidiary.^[35]

Technomous

Established with Austrian technology provider TTTech in 2018 for Intelligent and Autonomous Driving solutions.^[36]