From Hand-Hammered "Phoenix" to 100 Million Globally: How Did SAIC Earn 100 Million Trusts?

When a car manufacturer's story intersects with 100 million families, China's automotive industry will welcome its first "100-million-level car manufacturer" in history.

SAIC Group will, on May 28, hand over the keys to the first 100 millionth vehicle to users through an unprecedented "Global Relay Delivery" ceremony. This is not a simple delivery, but a historical footnote of China's automotive industry's 70+ years from catching up to leading, and also the ultimate interpretation of a "user-centric high-tech company" of its commitment to "Understand cars, understand you better".

But a question is even more worth asking: On the map of China's automotive industry, where joint ventures and independent automakers rise in numbers, why did SAIC Group率先叩开 the door to the "100 million vehicle era"? The answer lies in its 70+ years of development process, in every step containing SAIC's unique spirit's "markings".

A Condensed History of China's Automotive Industry

On September 28, 1958, workers at the Shanghai Automobile Assembly Factory, in a small alley workshop, hammered out the first Phoenix brand sedan with hammers. At that time, the car's fenders and roof were all formed by hand, and the workers' arms were so swollen they couldn't lift them. This was SAIC's starting point — "A golden phoenix flying out of a straw nest".

70+ years later, SAIC Group is about to become the first car group in China to break through 100 million cumulative production and sales volume. This is not just a digital leap: behind 100 million vehicles is a complete miniature of China's automotive industry from nothing to something, from weak to strong. Every step of SAIC's has stepped on key nodes.

From the hand-forging of Phoenix sedans in the 1950s, to the opening of joint venture cooperation in the 1980s with Santana, to fully transforming to new energy in 2014. SAIC's history resonates almost with every important moment of China's automotive industry.

In 1985, when the first Santana was assembled and rolled off the line, the localization rate was only 2.7%, with only 5 types of parts available for matching: tires, radios, horns, antennas, and nameplates. By 1993, the Santana localization rate had exceeded 80%, and German media praised it as "Volkswagen's most successful joint venture overseas".

In 1998, the Shanghai GM project was built and put into production in just 23 months, which made American GM executives sigh: "We brought GM's US management and technology to Shanghai GM, and now we want to bring the construction speed of Shanghai GM back to the US." This "Shanghai Speed" became the best footnote of "Daring to be the first" in SAIC's genes.

In 2006, SAIC released its first independent brand "Roewe", declaring a strategic inflection point from "Joint Venture Operation" to "Joint Venture and Independent Brands Simultaneously". In 2012, China's first mass-produced pure electric sedan Roewe E50 went on the market in batches. At this time, there were still several years before the state explicitly proposed "New Energy Vehicle Overtaking on a Bend", and SAIC once again walked ahead of the policy curve.

In 2016, SAIC cooperated with Alibaba to launch the world's first Internet car Roewe RX5. The driving force needed for innovation implementation is very large, but SAIC dared to take this step, allowing cars to evolve from mechanical tools to intelligent terminals.

In 2022, SAIC MG MULAN was launched synchronously in China and nearly 20 European countries, becoming the first real "Global Car" in the history of China's automotive industry. That same year, SAIC's overseas sales broke one million vehicles, becoming the first Chinese car company with overseas annual sales breaking one million.

SAIC has always responded to the era proposition of "How to understand users better" with technical breakthroughs. Now, from being the first to mass-produce semi-solid-state batteries, raising battery safety and energy density to a new height, to steer-by-wire technology implementation, from the industry's only company to receive dual L4 licenses, to AI large models on board.

SAIC created "Industry First" or "China First" at every key node. Every "First" of SAIC is to allow users to enjoy higher quality good cars and a better car-owning life. 100 million vehicles is precisely the inevitable result accumulated by these "Firsts".

A 70-Year Inheritance from "Understanding Cars" to "Understanding You"

"Understand cars, understand you better" is not a slogan, but an action standard running through SAIC's 70-year car-building history. SAIC's cultural gene can be condensed into three keywords: Breakthrough, Cooperation, Quality. They all point to a concept — let technology go from the laboratory to the driver's seat, and let every SAIC car become the travel partner that understands you best.

First is Breakthrough Culture: Daring to be the first, pushing "Understanding Cars" to a new height. Every leap of SAIC is "Creating conditions where there are none". An analyst who has been tracking China's automotive industry for a long time pointed out: "What is most rare in SAIC is that it always takes the lead in layout on the eve of industry change." When the state proposed that developing new energy vehicles is the only way for China to go from a car country to a car power, SAIC's continuous investment in the new energy field for the following decade exactly confirmed such strategic determination.

Second is Cooperation Culture: No walls, gathering global wisdom just to understand you better. In the 1980s, the Santana localization "Community" gathered the city's strength to tackle part technology. German experts taught technology, Chinese workers learned craftsmanship, Chinese and foreign employees respected each other and progressed together, such an open and cooperative gene continues to this day.

From upgrading joint venture cooperation with Volkswagen, GM, and Audi to "Joint Venture 2.0", custom developing ID. ERA 9X and Audi E7X for Chinese users; to comprehensive coordination with Huawei Qiankun, allowing high-level intelligent driving to enter 150,000 yuan tier families; with Momenta deep co-creation, intelligent driving solutions empowering multiple brands under SAIC Volkswagen. SAIC never does ecological islands, because true "Understanding You" needs to gather global wisdom.

More worth attention is Quality Culture: Excellence, setting a bottom line for "Understanding You".

In 1987, at the Santana localization meeting, a strict law was set: "Absolutely no use of melons and vegetables as substitutes". Since then, "Pursuing Perfection" has become the oath of SAIC's quality work. In 1998, Yanfeng Company supplied bumpers for Shanghai GM, the first batch of products had met the standard, but due to the customer proposing higher requirements, qualified products were sawed off on the spot, and through continuous technology research, it took only three months to formulate more advanced processes.

This nearly harsh quality concept was eventually turned into "Paint that doesn't fade for 10 years", "Battery with zero spontaneous combustion", "300,000 km without major overhaul" in users' mouths. As an SAIC car owner said: "I don't understand technical parameters, but I know this car can be trusted."

Only SAIC can do "Grand Reunion"

On May 28, SAIC will welcome the first 100 millionth user at Shanghai North Bund World Living Room with a "Global Relay Delivery" ceremony. This will be an expression method never attempted by Chinese car brands.

It is reported that the entire ceremony will be broadcast globally, connecting multiple cities in China and overseas delivery sites such as the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore, crossing the Asian and European continents and multiple time zones for relay delivery. 15 brands under its will all appear — Roewe, MG, IM, Shangjie and other independent brands; Volkswagen, Audi, Buick, Cadillac and other joint venture brands; passenger cars and commercial vehicles on the same stage; from A0-class commuter cars to 500,000 yuan tier luxury flagship, from family travel to urban logistics, infrastructure transportation, covering all scenarios.

"Such a ceremony requires the enterprise to possess a full brand matrix, all-category products, global layout, full industrial chain system — indispensable." An industry observer pointed out, "SAIC's 70 years of in-depth cultivation has only achieved this unique "Family Portrait" capability. It is not just delivery, but a concentrated appearance of SAIC's system competitiveness."

More worth attention is, this ceremony will take "Users as the main character", allowing 100 million trusts globally to complete relay in front of the lens. This is a new brand narrative method, the signal it conveys is: 100 million vehicles is not just an enterprise's brilliant achievement, but the result of 100 million votes by users.

100 Million Vehicles is a New Starting Point, SAIC's "Upward" Logic

Behind 100 million vehicles is a technical moat built by nearly 150 billion yuan R&D investment in the past 10 years and nearly 26,000 valid patents. But unlike many enterprises, SAIC's technology has never been "display cases". From IM LS8's steer-by-wire + rear-wheel steering, MG's semi-solid-state battery, to Roewe's AI Native Architecture, Shangjie's Huawei Full-Stack Intelligence... Every hard-core technology has gone from the R&D center to the driver's seat from the day of launch within months, turning from high-end option to standard equipment for the whole series.

This "Technology Mass Production" capability is the core and key for SAIC to maintain "Upward" for decades. Behind it is SAIC's unique "Full-Domain Competitiveness": Independent and Joint Venture dual-wheel drive, passenger car and commercial vehicle simultaneously, domestic and overseas synergy, BEV/EREV/PHEV full technology route coverage.

For SAIC which has experienced storms, whether facing severe challenges of current new energy transformation, or future new changes in the automotive industry development, SAIC Group which never bows down will only be more high-spirited. Facing the future, SAIC Group has already anchored new goals of "Product Charm, Tech Strength, Mechanism Vitality", accelerating to transform into a user-centric high-tech company.

From understanding cars to understanding you, from scale champion to industry leader. When the first 100 millionth vehicle rolls off the production line, this is not only a glorious moment for SAIC Group and Chinese cars, but also a new chapter for SAIC Group to go global and start a larger user volume!