As the automotive industry in China embarks on a new and dynamic chapter, SAIC Motor Corporation continues to display remarkable vitalityThe ongoing pace of reforms undertaken by SAIC is leading its own brands and joint ventures into a new narrative focused on efficiency, collaboration, and competitive value in the future.

In an era marked by transformation and uncertainty, numerous car manufacturers face unprecedented challengesSAIC, as a leading industry player, has chosen to deepen its own reforms in pursuit of greater clarity for corporate growth.

Under this strategic guidance, SAIC has already reaped the rewards with promising prospects for 2025. On February 4, the company announced that it sold a total of 264,000 vehicles in January, marking a 7.9% increase year-on-year, with terminal deliveries reaching 353,000 units, outpacing its Chinese competitors.

Among these figures, the company's own brands achieved terminal deliveries of 206,000 vehicles, accounting for nearly a six percentage point increase compared to the previous year; electric vehicle terminal deliveries totaled 87,000 units, reinforcing its position within the industry’s leading ranks; and despite external pressures, overseas markets achieved terminal deliveries of 90,000 units, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 7.8% and a month-on-month increase of 12.5%, regaining dominance in the industry.

The phase of collective achievements is rooted in SAIC's deep understanding of the distinct roles played by its own brands and joint ventures.

United for a Common Goal: Focusing on Self-Owned Brands

From establishing proprietary brands to pioneering 2.0 joint venture partnerships, as well as enhancing reforms and fostering technological innovations, SAIC consistently elevates the banner of long-term visionSignificant leadership adjustments were announced on July 10, 2024, with Mr

Advertisements

Wang Xiaoqiu appointed as the chairman of the eighth board of directors, alongside MrJia Jianxu, who has been appointed president of the company.

Following these changes, SAIC intensified its reform initiatives, aligning with the "Comprehensive Deepening Reform Work Plan (2024-2027)" aimed at enhancing innovation, accelerating the rollout of new products and technologies, optimizing business and product structures, to vigorously pursue transformation in electric and intelligent automotive solutions.

As a result, the company’s total terminal deliveries surged to 4.639 million vehicles in 2024, while wholesale volumes topped 4.013 million unitsThe health of the supply chain continued to improve, with strong upward momentum reinforcing stabilization.

Specifically, for its proprietary brands in 2024, the ROEWAY and MG brands achieved retail sales surpassing 810,000 units, reflecting robust year-on-year growth; notably, in December 2024, ROEWAY’s retail numbers climbed decisively by 23.3%, marking its continued streak of six consecutive months of growth, while MG's retail sales increased by 12.7% year-on-year and rose 22.5% month-on-month.

Moreover, the sales for Zhiqi automobiles reached 65,505 units for the year, marking a substantial 71% increase, with cumulative deliveries exceeding 100,000 unitsLeading in advanced intelligent driving, the IM AD urban navigation traffic system has been activated and made available across all model lines, introducing a "one-step end-to-end intuitive driving capability" model, making it the first brand in the industry to simultaneously achieve mass production capabilities at L2, L3, and L4 driving levels.

Looking toward 2025, SAIC plans to concentrate on resource optimization and brand integration, sharpening its focus on developmentSignificantly, the SAIC passenger vehicle division (comprising ROEWAY, MG), SAIC International, the Innovation Development Research Institute, Zero Bound Technology, and Overseas Mobility will unify their decision-making regarding significant matters within the self-owned segment.

However, the true revolution is found beneath the surface

Advertisements

In 2024, both Zhiqi and ROEWAY's research and development operations were integrated into SAIC’s Innovation Research Institute, which primarily supports the foundational development of the four major brands: Zhiqi, ROEWAY, ROEWAY, and MGPost-adjustment, the R&D Institute will uniformly oversee product PPAPs from project initiation through the entire development processTechnological projects covering power batteries, intelligent driving, and chassis systems will likewise be centrally managed.

According to Guotai Junan Securities, ROEWAY's return to the passenger vehicle segment resolved problems around brand division and positioning, enabling the recombination of advantageous resources and refinement of product lines, continuously driving improvements in sales and profitability for self-owned brandsThe company actively seeks to introduce notable external partners to bolster its offerings.

Technological Co-Creation: Empowering Joint Ventures

Amidst the tide of electrification and intelligent innovation reshaping traditional paradigms, SAIC not only champions its proprietary brands but also witnesses a profound transformation occurring within its joint ventures, executing a remarkable pivot reminiscent of grand choreography.

From a brand perspective, SAIC Volkswagen recorded cumulative sales of 1.2 million vehicles in 2024, reflecting the success of its “simultaneous fuel and electric” and “intelligent synthesis of fuel and electric” strategiesNotably, sales of electric vehicles soared beyond 143,000 units, representing a year-on-year growth of 12%, leading the joint venture electric vehicle segmentAdditionally, the brand claimed the title of the single best-selling brand in the fuel vehicle market, as well as the top position within the joint venture electrification space; meanwhile, SAIC Audi registered 43,220 units, achieving a remarkable 70% increase in new vehicle deliveries while actively expanding its network channels to exceed 220 sales locations.

For SAIC-GM, the company’s year-end total terminal sales reached 673,000 vehicles, with new energy vehicle sales averaging 104,905 units, a growth surge of 56%, placing its penetration rate for new energy vehicles at the forefront among mainstream joint ventures

Advertisements

Beginning Q3 2024, as critical new model upgrades were rolled out alongside agile and effective marketing strategies, the terminal sales observed six consecutive monthly rises, indicating a stabilization in market performance; by Q4, profits rebounded positively for the company.

Nonetheless, SAIC continually seeks innovation, aiming to discover optimal solutions within the context of a new eraUsing SAIC Volkswagen as a case in point, the firm is pioneering the 2.0 joint venture initiative, leading the Chinese automotive industry into a new epoch of development that transitions from "technology import" to "co-created technology," promising long-term sustainability and resource infusion for the brand, ultimately presenting enhanced products and services for Chinese consumers.

By 2030, SAIC Volkswagen aims to unveil 18 new models, with 15 specifically tailored for the Chinese marketBeginning in 2026, two compact electric vehicles based on the CMP platform tailored for China will debut, accompanied by the introduction of three plug-in hybrid models and two range-extended vehicles, entering the eco-friendly transportation sector progressivelyMeanwhile, SAIC Audi is introducing a new brand — AUDI, where joint shareholders develop an advanced digitized platform aimed at creating multiple high-end intelligent electric models dedicated to the Chinese market.

Additionally, SAIC Volkswagen has over 900 dealerships across the nation, which represents a symbiotic partnership with investors of SAIC Volkswagen; plans for 2025 through 2026 indicate a net addition of 100 dealerships, even as the firm cycles through closures.

For SAIC-GM, 2025 marks a commitment to R&D and product innovation, setting goals centered on "electrification, intelligent design, and high valuation," empowering company transformations with innovative technologies and premium new vehicle offerings, readying to raise the "counterattack horn" for a resurgence among joint ventures and positioning itself as a leading figure in the 2.0 era of joint ventures.

In line with this vision, SAIC-GM plans to launch 12 new models from 2025 to 2027, all powered by new energy configurations, carefully balancing electric, hybrid, and range-extended technologies across various body styles, including sedans, SUVs, and MPVs.

Cultivating Innovation to Drive Development Forward

More than two millennia ago, the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes famously remarked, "Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the earth." This principle of leverage remains relevant today

According to leverage theory, identifying the correct pivot point and the necessary tools can enable significant tasks and challenges to be accomplished with "skillful power." In the fiercely competitive automotive marketplace, SAIC has identified R&D innovation as its pivotal foundation.

Tracing the trajectory of SAIC's development, one can clearly see that both its proprietary and joint venture brands have consistently prioritized R&DOver the past decade, SAIC has invested nearly 150 billion RMB in intelligent electric core technologies, translating into over 26,000 effective patents.

Currently, SAIC’s intelligent electric core technologies cover a spectrum that includes three vehicle platforms (pure electric, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel) along with seven key technological foundations, comprising battery systems, electric drives, and advanced hybrid systems, which have all prominently transitioned into the 2.0 era.

In 2024, SAIC will experience a significant focus on the release of its technological advancements, particularly highlighting the DMH super-hybrid technology, which will debut with its proprietary brand, ROEWAYThis signifies SAIC's comprehensive command over all core technologies required in the new energy and intelligent evolution eras, resting on a robust foundation to continually support breakthroughs in its own brands while empowering its joint ventures’ products.

Specifically addressing advancements in intelligent driving, SAIC became the only manufacturer to successfully integrate both passenger and commercial vehicles into the initial list of national L3-level intelligent networking vehicle pilot unitsMoreover, SAIC has deployed 40 units of L4 intelligent driving freight vehicles officially in Peru's Qian Kai port, marking a milestone with this group being among the first large-scale intelligent driving trucks operating commercially abroad

Zhiqi has also released its "one-piece end-to-end intuitive driving model," establishing itself as the first brand capable of mass production across L2, L3, and L4 intelligent driving levels.

Furthermore, in 2022, SAIC launched the automotive industry's first comprehensive smart vehicle stack technology solution — SAIC's Zero Bundle Galaxy Stack 1.0, which successfully evolved to version 3.0. This innovation will effectively reduce low-voltage energy consumption across vehicle systems, slashing the number of controllers by over half while quintupleing data bandwidth decreasing wire harness lengths by up to 30%, and streamlining OTA download and installation durations to within 30 minutes.

It's noteworthy that SAIC's research into intelligent chassis, solid-state batteries, and hybrid technologies is also yielding impressive resultsThe company’s development of solid-state batteries, in particular, promises higher energy density, enhanced safety, broader applicability, and reduced costs.

Guosheng Securities posits that the breakthroughs and applications engendered by innovative technologies such as solid-state batteries, energy closed-loop systems, efficient propulsion systems, intelligent chassis, full-stack software architectures, and new electronic frameworks have collectively propelled SAIC’s "seven technological foundations" into a new advanced stage, signifying a transition to the 2.0 era.

Simultaneously, SAIC stands out among Chinese automotive enterprises as a "trailblazer" in globalization, successfully establishing a complete value chain in the automotive sector encompassing innovative research and development centers, production bases, marketing strategies, supply chain networks, and financing companies in 100 nations worldwideIn 2024, despite the unfavorable effects of anti-subsidy tariffs imposed by the EU, SAIC actively navigated these challenges; the MG brand in Europe surpassed 240,000 units in sales, achieving growth against the tide, while total overseas terminal deliveries reached 1.082 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.6%, maintaining a prominent standing within the sector

Advertisements

Advertisements