MG Cars rolled off SAIC Motor’s Indian base
SAIC Motor’s vehicle production base in India, the company’s third overseas automobile manufacturing base, started operation on April 29. The first MG car to leave the assembly line was also the first internet car to be seen in the Indian market. SAIC Motor has developed a whole overseas auto industrial chain which integrates innovation and R&D centers, manufacturing bases, marketing centers, supply centers and financial companies. Its vehicle sales volume has broken the threshold of 10,000 in many countries. In 2018, SAIC Motor sold a total of 277,000 cars overseas, ranking first nationwide for the third consecutive year. The launch of the Indian production base marks the latest achievement of the company in its effort to explore innovation technology spillover and accelerate global business. In addition, the base will serve as a significant support for the company as it strives to hit its annual target of selling 350,000 cars overseas.
The creative products and services provided by SAIC Motor are expected to bring more benefits to Indian society and consumers. As a typical emerging market, India sold 4.3 million cars last year. Nevertheless, still fewer than 30 cars are kept by every 1,000 people in this country with a huge population of more than 1.3 billion. India is estimated to become the world’s third largest auto market thanks to its huge growth potential. SAIC Motor will leverage its independent R&D strength to bring more of its advanced and environmentally-friendly products to the country, including internet cars and new energy vehicles.
The SAIC Motor Indian production base features a manufacturing capacity of 80,000 cars a year. The new MG internet car is equipped with the i-Smart intelligent drive system developed by the company, and will introduce to local consumers the brand new experience of intelligent connectivity. SAIC Motor plans to release at least four new models in India within two years, including the pure electric SUV MG EZS which is scheduled to enter production this year.
SAIC Motor has managed to develop a differentiated path to go global and has established a whole automobile industrial chain. The company now has innovative R&D centers in the UK, the United States and Israel, vehicle manufacturing bases in Thailand, Indonesia and India, and 85 overseas auto parts bases. It has also set up 11 regional marketing service centers in the ASEAN, South America, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and other regions, as well as a multi-dimensional financial company in Indonesia. The company's sales volume has broken the threshold of 10,000 in six overseas regions - Thailand, the UK, Indonesia, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, and the Middle East. It realized 277,000 vehicle export and overseas sales in 2018, up 62.5 percent year on year, and ranked first among domestic auto makers in this regard for the third consecutive year. In the first quarter of this year, SAIC Motor maintained the first position in China in overseas sales. Its MG and MAXUS brands saw a year-on-year increase of 49.9 percent and 54.2 percent, respectively.
SAIC Motor aims to sell 350,000 cars overseas this year. It will continue to grasp opportunities arising from the four new trends in auto industry- electrification, intelligent connectivity, sharing and internationalization, develop differentiated competitive edges and advance its overseas businesses so as to turn itself into a world-renowned auto maker with global competitiveness and influence.