Saic Motor

SAIC Motor traces its origins to the early years of the Chinese automobile industry in the 1940s. It was one of the few carmakers in Maoist China, producing the Shanghai SH760. The company's rise to prominence in the Chinese vehicle industry is relatively recent, unlike domestic rivals FAW Group and Dongfeng Motor Corporation. A cooperative agreement with Volkswagen in 1984 led to the formal establishment of Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co. Ltd. in March 1985. This allowed SAIC to produce competitive cars with foreign technology. Early success was also a result of guidance from local Shanghai authorities.

SAIC grew swiftly, with annual production capacity increasing ten-fold to 300,000 units/year by 1996. During this period, SAIC built a modern automotive component supply chain in Shanghai. By 1998, over 90% of the components for the Volkswagen Santana were locally sourced. In June 1997, SAIC formed a second major joint venture, Shanghai General Motors Co Ltd, with General Motors. This new joint venture began operations in 1998 and contributed to a doubling of SAIC's vehicle production between 2000 and 2004.

At the start of the 2000s, SAIC made acquisitions in Korea. In 2002, it acquired a 10% stake in GM Daewoo for US$59.7 million. In 2004, SAIC assumed control of SsangYong Motor, paying US$500 million for 48.9% ownership. SAIC also attempted to acquire the British automaker MG Rover in 2005 but was outbid by Nanjing Automobile. However, SAIC obtained some MG Rover technology, which was incorporated into a new line of luxury sedans sold under the Roewe marque. SAIC subsequently purchased Nanjing Automobile. Despite sales success in the late 2000s, the Ssangyong purchase soured, and by 2010, SAIC's ownership in the Korean company was reduced to 10%.

In 2010, SAIC produced 3.58 million units, making it the largest output of any China-based automaker that year. In February 2011, SAIC unveiled a new commercial vehicles marque, Maxus. SAIC continued to be the top domestic automaker, producing 3.97 million vehicles in 2011 and around 3.5 million units in 2012. In July 2023, Audi and SAIC Group announced a partnership to introduce the EV platform from IM Motors into Audi's electric models. In September 2023, the European Commission launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, including SAIC, which exported electric vehicles under the MG brand to the region. In June 2024, the EU reduced proposed tariffs for SAIC's electric vehicles to 37.6 percent. SAIC released a statement condemning the decision. In July 2024, SAIC Motor issued a statement formally requesting the European Commission to hold a hearing on the anti-subsidy investigation. In November 2024, Rising Auto was reintegrated into the Roewe brand as a premium electric vehicle product line. On 28 May 2026, SAIC Motor delivered its 100 millionth vehicle, the IM LS9 Hyper, becoming the first automotive group in China to achieve this milestone.

The present-day SAIC is the product of numerous mergers and corporate restructurings. Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Components Company was founded in December 1955. This company merged with Shanghai Powertrain Equipment Manufacturing Company in March 1958 to form Shanghai Powertrain Machinery Manufacturing Company. It was renamed Shanghai Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing Company in January 1960, and then Shanghai Tractor Industry Company in April 1969. Shanghai Automobile & Tractor Company was established in July 1984. In March 1990, Shanghai Automobile & Tractor Company was renamed Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (Group) was founded in September 1995.

Presidents:

Chen Hong (2004–2014)

Chen Zhixin (2014–2019)

Wang Xiaoqiu (2019–2024)

Jia Jianxu (2024–present)

Chairmen:

Hu Maoyuan (2008–2014)

Chen Hong (2014–2024)

Wang Xiaoqiu (2024–present)

SAIC sells vehicles under a variety of brands, including self-owned brands such as IM, Maxus, MG, Roewe, Baojun, Wuling, Hongyan, and Sunwin. In 2021, SAIC self-owned brands contributed 52% of SAIC's sales.

IM: Launched on 13 January 2021, IM is a luxury electric vehicle brand. Known as "Zhiji Motor" in Chinese, it was jointly developed with Shanghai's Pudong New Area government and Alibaba. "IM" stands for "Intelligence in Motion."

MG: MG Motor designs, develops, and markets cars sold under the MG marque.

Roewe: Introduced by SAIC in 2006, Roewe is sold in most export markets outside China under the MG Motor marque. Rising Auto was initially introduced as the "R Brand" in 2020, a sub-brand of SAIC's Roewe division focused on electric vehicles. It operated independently from 2021 but was reintegrated into Roewe in 2024, now serving as a premium electric vehicle product line.

SAIC (尚界): This brand is used for Huawei's collaboration with SAIC Motor.

Maxus: Formed in 2011 after SAIC acquired LDV Group in 2010, Maxus produces MPVs, pickup trucks, and SUVs.

Wuling/Baojun (SAIC-GM-Wuling): SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) is a joint venture between SAIC, General Motors, and Guangxi Automobile Group. Based in Liuzhou, China, it produces commercial and consumer vehicles marketed under the Wuling and Baojun brands. SGMW's Wuling Hongguang Mini EV was the best-selling electric vehicle in China by volume in 2021.

Hongyan: SAIC Hongyan was established in January 2003 as Chongqing Hongyan, tracing its origins to a Chinese manufacturer established in 1965. The company focuses on producing heavy trucks.

Sunwin: SAIC Sunwin specializes in producing passenger buses and trolleybuses.

Naveco: In 2021, SAIC increased its holdings in Nanjing Iveco (Naveco). SAIC's subsidiary, Nanjing Automobile Group, holds a 50% stake, SAIC itself holds 30.1%, and IVECO S.P.A. holds 19.9%. SAIC's total ownership of Naveco is 80.1%.

SAIC has joint ventures with foreign automakers like General Motors and Volkswagen to produce and sell their vehicles in China. SAIC also has several joint venture operations outside China.

SAIC Volkswagen Automotive: SAIC Volkswagen (SAIC-VW), formerly Shanghai Volkswagen, is a joint venture between SAIC and Volkswagen Group. Founded in 1984, it manufactures and sells Volkswagen, AUDI, and Audi vehicles in China.

SAIC General Motors: SAIC General Motors (SAIC-GM), formerly Shanghai GM, is a joint venture between SAIC and General Motors. Founded in 1997, it manufactures and sells Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles in China for the domestic market and exports.

SAIC-Charoen Pokphand: SAIC produces MG Motor vehicles through this joint venture with Charoen Pokphand for their Thailand subsidiary.

JSW MG Motor India: JSW MG Motor India, formerly MG Motor India, is SAIC's joint venture for its operations in India. Established in 2019, it focuses on producing and marketing MG-branded vehicles. In 2023, it was restructured into a joint venture with the Indian multinational conglomerate JSW Group.

Technomous: Established with Austrian technology provider TTTech in 2018 for Intelligent and Autonomous Driving solutions.

UK: On 13 April 2011, vehicle assembly resumed at the MG Motor UK Longbridge plant, but ended in 2016 when SAIC moved production to China. SAIC retains a technical subsidiary, SAIC Motor UK, on site.

Philippines: On 19 July 2023, SAIC's Philippines subsidiary SAIC Motor Philippines, Inc. appointed a new distributor and importer of MG vehicles and services. This includes the launch of the 2024 MG4 EV and MG Marvel R for the local market by October 2023. SAIC Motor Philippines manages MG's dealership network, which had 42 authorized dealer locations in 2023, with a goal of 60 by 2025.

US: In June 2012, SAIC's United States-based subsidiary Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp USA, Inc. opened a new North American Operations Center in Birmingham, Michigan. The facility houses nearly 100 staff and focuses on sourcing components.

SAIC has numerous production facilities in China, including sites in Chongqing, Liuzhou, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Yantai. It also had an assembly plant in the United Kingdom, the Longbridge plant. SAIC also has plants in Chonburi, Thailand, Cikarang, Indonesia, and Halol, India.

SAIC operated a large research and development centre in the United Kingdom, the SAIC Motor UK Technical Centre. As of 2012, it employed around 275 engineers and 25 designers. The UK Technical Centre was the principal site worldwide for the development of MG cars and played a major role in the development of Roewe products. However, in June 2019, SAIC Motor closed the UK Technical Centre, making over 300 engineers redundant.

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