A 100-million delivery and steady sales growth outline the new profile of the SAIC system in the new energy era.

At the end of May, at the North Bund in Shanghai, as the 100 millionth vehicle - the IM LS9 Hyper - entered the World's Living Room, SAIC officially became the first Chinese automotive group with cumulative production and sales exceeding 100 million vehicles. This delivery was not an isolated marketing event; it serves as a complement to the sales data of 1.651 million vehicles accumulated from January to May, jointly pointing to a fact:

After fully anchoring the new energy transformation direction in 2014, SAIC, with twelve years of strategic determination, completed the concentrated realization of its system capabilities.

From the first 'Phoenix Brand' car hammered out by workers in 1958, to the Santana in 1983 opening the joint venture era, to the IM Motor knocking on the door of high-end intelligent electric doors in 2020, SAIC's growth path has always stepped on the key nodes of the Chinese automotive industry.

SAIC has crossed hill after hill, and the core force supporting its period traversal is always that 'Heart that understands you'.

The milestone of 100 million vehicles is no longer just an accumulation of scale, but a concrete expression of transformation effectiveness, marking that this old-time car company has walked through the deep waters of transformation, and the results of new quality productive forces are fully appearing - converting cutting-edge technology into美好出行 experiences perceivable by users.

Turning over SAIC's January-May sales report card, the most striking change lies in the restructuring of the structure. Among the 1.651 million cumulative sales, independent brands contributed 1.173 million, breaking through 71.1% for the first time, achieving a five-year consecutive increase year-on-year.

Independent brand sales broke 70% for the first time, new energy sales surged across the line, overseas high-value market breakout - SAIC has already crossed these three hills. The power to cross is precisely the deep insight into user demand changes: users want not 'to have a car', but a smarter, greener, more understanding mobility partner.

The independent sector replacing joint ventures as the main engine for growth is the most direct proof of structural reshaping.

The explosion of the new energy sector also proves the transformation effectiveness. In May, SAIC's new energy vehicle sales increased by 46.5% year-on-year, and the three brands IM, MG, and Wuling formed a blockbuster matrix in different segments. IM sold 32,000 units cumulatively from January to May, an increase of 114.6%; MG4 sales broke 10,000 for 8 consecutive months, and even broke 15,000 in May; Wuling Bingo Pro sales broke 20,000 units 13 days after launch.

The situation of blossoming in multiple points shows that SAIC's new energy products have moved from early exploratory layout to a period of large-scale harvest.

Overseas markets present a clear trajectory from 'going out' to 'going up'. From January to May, SAIC's overseas sales increased by 45.9% year-on-year, of which the European market contributed 150,000 units. The MG brand became the first Chinese car brand to break one million sales in Europe, and has been consecutive 11 years蝉联 Chinese brand European sales champion.

The focus of growth is shifting to high-value areas such as Europe, indicating that SAIC's globalization is no longer a simple quantity expansion, but a simultaneous improvement in brand and value.

Overall, SAIC is proactively embracing independent-led, new energy-driven, and overseas-collaborative, completing a profound structural switch, with significantly enhanced growth resilience and anti-cycle ability.

From the 60,000-level to the 500,000-level, from commuting small cars to luxury flagships, SAIC made semi-solid-state batteries, high-order intelligent driving, and AI large models no longer exclusive to a few people.'Understanding you' is not a slogan, but a choice every time technology dives - choosing to let more people enjoy the technology dividend, rather than letting technology stay on the parameter list.

From April to June, the intensive launch of more than a dozen smart electric new vehicles under SAIC revealed its underlying logic for technology implementation - abandoning show-off parameter stacking, practicing perceptible tech equality.

Relying on multi-brand collaborative advantages, SAIC achieved all-angle coverage from 50,000-level to 500,000-level, A0-level to full-size, passenger to commercial full scenarios, precisely matching the mobility needs of users in different circles.

So we see that core technologies are sinking to the mainstream market at an unprecedented speed.

For example, semi-solid-state batteries are no longer exclusive tags for high-end models. MG4X brought it into the 90,000 Yuan-level SUV market, and MG4 achieved global mass production landing of this technology. In addition, chassis technologies such as steer-by-wire and rear-wheel steering have become standard for 300,000-level models on the IM LS8. More importantly, high-order intelligent driving and large models are no longer high and mighty. Shangjie Z7 brings Huawei ADS 4.1 and 896-line LiDAR to the 200,000-level market. Buick Zhijing E7 debuts the latest generation of Doubao large models, and even the 60,000-level Roewe i6 comes standard with Qualcomm 8155 chip and Doubao large models.

This 'Understanding cars and understanding you' SAIC philosophy has been concretized in the process of technology inclusion.

Understanding cars is the ultimate pursuit of core technologies. From semi-solid-state batteries to AI-native architecture, SAIC has made key leaps from laboratories to mass production in the underlying fields of power batteries, intelligent chassis, and electronic and electrical architectures. Understanding you is converting these frontier technologies into value perceptible by users, allowing consumers with different budgets and needs to enjoy the dividends brought by technological progress.

Pragmatic technology implementation strategies not only avoid ineffective R&D detached from the market but also truly promote intelligent electric vehicles from toys for a few to mass mobility tools.

Independent positioning, joint venture transformation, globalization deepening - three main lines intertwine to form SAIC's unique system moat. It is this system synergy that gives SAIC the calm confidence to drive toward new horizons after crossing the hills. In the context of the industry's widespread anxiety about survival, the core competitiveness shown by SAIC is a system moat that is difficult to replicate.

First, the multi-brand differentiation positioning of the independent sector builds the most intuitive defense line.

Wuling guards the 50,000-70,000 level commuting entry, Roewe and Buick Zhijing cover the 70,000-150,000 level family market, Shangjie cuts into the young personalized track, and IM and Cadillac occupy 300,000-level and 500,000-level luxury heights respectively. SAIC has formed synergy covering the 'commuter-home-use-personalized-luxury-commercial' full tracks, capable of maximizing the absorption of demand fluctuations in different segments.

Second, the 2.0 transformation of the joint venture sector has reshaped traditional advantages.

The cooperation between SAIC and Audi, Volkswagen, and General Motors has shifted from early 'technology introduction' to 'joint R&D, China definition'. Volkswagen ID.ERA9X listed orders locked in 1 hour 11,000 units. Audi E7X became Audi's first global L3-level intelligent driving landing model. These products are no longer simple local adaptation, but smart electric new products deeply tailored to Chinese user needs. The role change has allowed the joint venture sector to find a growth pivot again in the smart electric era. Additionally, Volkswagen's second German hybrid ID. ERA 8X has also appeared on the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announcement, entering the listing countdown.

Finally, the upgrade of global layout adds a third layer of resilience to the system.

From product going out to technology, standards, ecology full value chain output, SAIC's Glocal strategy is taking root. Manufacturing centers in Thailand, Indonesia, India, and other places, R&D innovation centers in London and Frankfurt in Europe, and a dealer network of more than 3,000 covering more than 170 countries and regions together constitute a localized operating system.

7 million cumulative sales overseas is not only proof of scale but also an endorsement of system capabilities. Superimposed on the full-category layout of passenger and commercial vehicles and the full industry chain closed-loop capability, this system gives SAIC more calm maneuvering space when facing industry cycle fluctuations.

Standing at a new starting point of 100 million vehicles, SAIC holds the triple advantages of technology reserves, ecosystem partners, and system capabilities, and the challenges ahead should not be ignored. 100 million vehicles is not the end point.

Have to admit, the current industry price war continues to intensify, constantly compressing profit space, testing the cost control capability and profit model of enterprises. Technology iteration speed accelerates, requiring SAIC to maintain continuous R&D investment and landing efficiency in frontier fields such as AI-native architecture and L3-level intelligent driving. Any slight relaxation may allow opponents to overtake.

In addition, the deepening of joint venture cooperation remains a key proposition. How to achieve deeper technology co-creation and interest binding with foreign partners while maintaining the independence of independent brands will directly determine the vitality of the joint venture sector in the smart electric era.

Localization competition and trade barriers in overseas markets also put higher requirements on SAIC's global operation ability - from selling cars to rooting, it needs to achieve localization breakthroughs in brand building, supply chain management, user service and other dimensions.

The core challenge may lie in how to further improve brand premium on top of scale advantages. 100 million vehicles proves the magnitude of SAIC's volume, but from 'big' to 'strong', it still needs to continuously dig deep in brand upward, user operation, and high-end technology tags. When consumers mention SAIC, no longer just associate 'sales champion', but recognize its technology leadership and brand value, is the real transformation success.

Looking back at SAIC's twelve-year transformation process, it is essentially a microcosm of the Chinese automotive industry moving from scale expansion to high-quality development. Without choosing radical disruptive change, but with long-termism investment, gradually completing technology switching and structural adjustment under the premise of maintaining system stability.

From the hammer knocking sound of the alley factory to the global relay delivery at the North Bund, the story of SAIC hides the resilience and ambition of the Chinese automotive industry.

Crossing the hills is not to arrive at the end point, but to see the scenery of the next journey. SAIC's 100 million vehicles is the accumulation of generations of user trust, and also the starting point of redefining mobility with 'Heart that understands you'.

When cars evolve from traffic tools to mobile intelligent spaces, SAIC's choice remains the same: give the best technology to people who understand life best. The next hill is in front, and SAIC has set off.

Another historic moment in the Chinese automotive industry was frozen in Shanghai! — But the real highlight of this ceremony was not the numbers themselves, but how SAIC handed the "stage" over to users.

On May 28, 2026, at the World Living Room, Shanghai North Bund. When the IM LS9 Hyper drove onto the stage as the 100 millionth vehicle produced by SAIC Motor, this constantly running Chinese automotive group achieved an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of the Chinese automotive industry: cumulative production and sales officially exceeded 100 million units.

Undoubtedly, this is a number worth recording in industry history. But what deserves more attention from the outside world is the presentation method of this delivery ceremony.As the "pioneer" among Chinese car companies to first achieve this accomplishment, SAIC left a sample for all subsequent car companies that have not yet "crossed the line" with a creative delivery ceremony.

Ten-plus complete vehicle brands, nineteen car models, fifteen delivery nodes, relayed live across Asia and Europe, constitute a phenomenon-level roadshow centered around the "full value chain". In the current situation where the Chinese automotive industry is generally trapped in anxiety over single product blockbusters, SAIC instead turned this ceremony into the best expression of systemic capabilities.

And the ultimate direction of systemic capabilities has never been about how strong the enterprise itself is, but what the user feels. The true innovation of this delivery ceremony lies precisely in transforming "systemic confidence" into a narrative experiment led by the user.

From Single Product Explosion to System Stability: SAIC's "Long Road of Struggle"

In the past few years, the most familiar successful model in the Chinese automotive industry has been "blockbuster driven": a certain car selling over 10,000 units, a certain technology debuting first, a certain press conference dominating the feeds, almost constituting the KPI for all car companies' communication work. Admittedly, this narrative logic was extremely effective during the window period of new forces rising; it amplified the dramatic nature of single-point breakthroughs and allowed consumers to quickly establish cognitive recognition of new brands.

However, entering 2026, the industry rules have quietly changed. The new force dividend period is nearing its end, the marginal effect of single-point breakthroughs is diminishing, and more and more car companies are finding that having blockbusters alone cannot save the overall downward slide of the sales curve, and talking only about technical parameters is hard to move increasingly calm consumers anymore.

SAIC's delivery ceremony at this juncture happened to land exactly at this node. It did not focus the spotlight on a certain new car, nor did it explode topics by relying on a single celebrity endorser, but used a "family portrait" of nineteen car models, ten-plus brands, covering price tiers from 50,000 to 500,000, covering passenger and commercial, covering domestic and overseas, presenting a complete industrial cross-section to the outside world.

When the IM LS9 Hyper appeared at the main venue, Huajing S was delivered in Liuzhou, MG4 EV Urban was delivered in London, Maxus eDeliver 5 was delivered in Singapore, Hongyan i Jieshi was delivered in Taiyuan, Yuejin Danna T1 was delivered in Yangzhou. The strong signal SAIC wanted to convey to the outside world — delivering 100 million units based on strength was already very clear.

A car company capable of mobilizing so many brands, so many categories, and so many overseas nodes to complete relay delivery today, and able to let the industry see actual results landing, there is only one in China — SAIC Motor.

Behind this, in addition to the rising independent brands, SAIC's joint venture brands that were painstakingly cultivated also played a key role in this ceremony.

Volkswagen ID.ERA 9X, AUDI E7X, Cadillac Kaiwei De, Buick Zhijing E7, Buick Zhijing Shijia appeared collectively. When joint venture models and independent models shared discourse power on the same delivery stage, the outside world saw a more diverse SAIC.It is both the initiator of joint venture cooperation in the fuel vehicle era, the output provider of new energy intelligence technology at present, and the integrator of global technical platforms.

For all Chinese joint venture car companies undergoing the transition of "Electrification + Intelligence" and currently seeking solutions, this is undoubtedly a timely and persuasive answer.

In fact, behind the breakthrough of 100 million new car deliveries of SAIC Motor, besides the main track of passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles are also a key "paving stone". This silent cornerstone filled the last piece of the puzzle in SAIC's layout of complete vehicles. Names of bulk users such as DHL, Jiading Bus, Henglong Sheng Industry and Trade, Di Shang Tie appearing at the main venue means SAIC is willing to leave a position for commercial business in the highest specification communication event, telling everyone that SAIC Group's comprehensive layout and system narrative focus on balance without bias.

Handing the stage back to users: What did this ceremony get right?

If defined in one sentence, this one hundred million vehicle delivery ceremony should be: it is not a press conference, but a "flowing history public class" with users as the protagonist and global relay as the form.

Traditional automotive industry milestone activities are often "enterprise shows" of leader speeches, product presentations, and data displays. But SAIC this time completely subverted this inherent mode. Starting from the main venue at the World Living Room, Shanghai North Bund, connected to domestic multi-cities and overseas delivery sites such as the UK, Indonesia, Singapore via Oriental TV global live broadcast, crossing the Asia-Eurasia continent, spanning multiple time zones, completing a truly meaningful "decentralized" relay delivery.

The core innovation of this ceremony lies in three "Firsts":

First, let users become the absolute protagonist. The 100 millionth user was Momenta CEO Cao Xudong — the setting of "Partner turns into Car Owner" expanded the concept of "User" from consumers to ecosystem partners; the "Ten-Year Trust Agreement" of two generations of Roewe owners, London intern doctor Natalia inheriting her grandfather's MG sentiment, post-85s Village Secretary Pang Fuqiang delivering food for left-behind elderly people using Wuling Rongguang... Behind every delivery action was a true life story. SAIC did not arrange any leader's long speech; all time was handed over to the "delivery" core action and user narrative behind the delivery.

Secondly, replace "centralized stage" with "global relay delivery". From 99,999,996th to 100,000,013th "relay delivery" created real-time suspense and participation; users of different skin colors, different languages, different models appearing successively under the same theme constituted a brand communication event with great impact. This "decentralized" ceremony design has no precedent in Chinese car brands.

Third, define the delivery ceremony itself as "content". Ceremony is news, is communication. SAIC did not rely on traditional press releases, but let the images of global relay, users' true emotional resonance, and the visual spectacle of full category stage presence become the most communicative content themselves. This pioneered a new narrative method of integration between Chinese car brands and media — from "What enterprise says, media writes", to "What media and users jointly witness, what moves them".

The underlying logic of this ceremony is the concentrated fulfillment of SAIC's "Knows Cars and Knows You Better" user concept: not the enterprise standing in the center of the stage telling users "how strong I am", but inviting users onto the stage, letting the world see "how far we have walked together".100 million vehicles is not a cold industrial number, but the total temperature of 100 million trusts. This activity creativity centered on users, with emotional resonance as the core, and global relay as the form, left a "SAIC Sample" with great reference value for how Chinese car brands should do milestone communication.

More Difficult than Delivering 100 Million Vehicles is the "Sustainability" of System Growth

Behind this grand new car delivery ceremony, the author believes that the truly scarce place in SAIC's "100 million milestone" lies in the "sustainability" of system growth.

In fact, SAIC's legendary car making story began with the breakthrough from zero to whole, and was formed through strategic maneuvering and open cooperation.

From the establishment of Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company in 1955, to the successful trial production of Phoenix sedan in 1958, to the manual assembly and delivery of the first Santana in 1983, 23 months factory construction and vehicle production by Shanghai General Motors in 1997, 2006 Roewe birth, 2016 Roewe RX5 opened the internet car era, 2020 IM Motors establishment. Every node on SAIC's timeline corresponds to an industrial upgrade of the Chinese automotive industry.

Nowadays, this continuous "startup" already belongs to "rare assets" in the current Chinese automotive industry.

Most car companies either start from joint ventures, or start from new forces, or start from a certain major transformation. But there are few leading enterprises that can tell the complete development story of "from nothing to something, from weak to strong" in the independent and joint venture dual lines with technology, brand, products, and even more subdivided behind them.SAIC's 70-plus years of development history, condensed, is almost a development history of the Chinese automotive industry, and it is precisely this point that constitutes the heaviest historical footnote of the 100 million new vehicle delivery milestone.

Among them, the historical node that determined SAIC's big stride towards the "Electrification + Intelligence" transformation was the crucial year 2014. That year, when senior leaders investigated SAIC's development, they clearly proposed the general policy of "Developing new energy vehicles is the only way for China to move from an automotive giant to an automotive power". This general policy was deeply understood and put into action by SAIC senior leadership, and SAIC immediately launched a comprehensive new energy transformation. This thus opened the prelude to SAIC Group and even the national automotive industry "changing lanes to overtake".

12 years later in 2026, SAIC officially welcomed the user delivery of the 100 millionth new car globally. Behind this, the efforts SAIC made and the results achieved in the new energy sector can be said to be world-renowned.

Looking back 12 years ago, new energy transformation had not yet formed a consensus in the domestic industry circle. Disputes over technology routes, changes in subsidy policies, and shallow market acceptance made many companies hesitate on the transformation rhythm.SAIC decisively chose this path of early transformation. Its R&D investment, capacity layout, and the establishment of innovation systems have always been at the forefront of the industry.

Sprinting in the new energy track has achieved SAIC Group leading today in the intelligence and electrification new era.

Latest data shows that from January to May 2026, SAIC Motor achieved cumulative complete vehicle sales of 1.651 million, continuing to firmly stay at the industry head. Among them, independent brands January-May cumulative sales 1.173 million, year-on-year growth 8.6%, the proportion of group total sales broke 70% for the first time, reaching 71.1%; new energy vehicles January-May cumulative sales 595,000, year-on-year growth 13.2%; overseas market January-May cumulative sales 589,000, year-on-year surge 45.9%. Independent, new energy, and overseas working together simultaneously, pushing SAIC to continue upward during cycle crossing, and also writing a powerful footnote for the new journey after the 1st hundred million delivery. These numbers answer the question of whether long-termism can still run faster in the Chinese automotive industry.

In addition, another supporting point of SAIC's strategic determination comes from its deeply internalized global layout. Over 100 parts production bases overseas, over 3,000 dealer networks, 4 overseas production centers, and Anji Logistics with 42 own roll-on roll-off ships. Most of these assets were not formed suddenly in the past two or three years, but the result of continuous investment over the past ten years or even twenty years.

And from the brand side, MG won the Chinese brand sales champion in Europe continuously for 11 years. In 2025, annual sales in Europe broke 300,000 units. In March 2026, MG released SolidCore semi-solid-state battery and Hybrid+ hybrid technology at Frankfurt, marking that SAIC's globalization logic switched from "product going global" to "technology and value chain output". Without over ten years of local operation accumulation, this switch cannot be accomplished.

In addition, the 100 millionth user SAIC chose is just its current most dazzling supply chain partner Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. Giving the milestone user role to the founder of a intelligence driving technology company, the signal SAIC wants to convey is very clear, that is, SAIC does not understand "User" narrowly as consumers, but includes ecosystem partners together into the user ecosystem.

And this posture can also be seen as a continuation of the Shanghai-style cooperation culture foundation established by SAIC since the Santana localization community period: Open, Co-creation, Mutual Foundation.In the current industry more inclined to "Vertical Integration" and "Full-Stack Self-Research", SAIC chose to take down the technology walls, letting partners become part of the community. Alone you go fast, together you go far. The truth of this seems to become even more weighty on this 100 million milestone commemoration.

Final Thoughts:

In this milestone event that can be called a grand event of Chinese automotive industry, the 100 million new car delivery achieved by SAIC, although it is a specific number, but the meaning it possesses in the entire industry cannot be summarized by a specific measurement.

And behind the achievement of delivering 100 million new cars, SAIC, like other Chinese automotive enterprises, is also facing new questions. In new competition dimensions, whether able to mobilize full categories, whether able to cross passenger and commercial, whether able to integrate domestic and overseas, whether able to let joint venture and independent coordinate under the same roof, will become a new ruler to measure car companies' real strength.

For SAIC itself, delivering the 100 millionth new car is just a stage answer, and also a new starting line. The market after 2026 will not be exceptionally tolerant of it because of this number, but for SAIC itself, it also does not need "special treatment", but strives to prove through this ceremony, this Chinese automotive leading enterprise that has walked for over 70 years, still maintains the strategic determination of open cooperation, and still has the practical ability to transform strategic intent into industrial action.

From the birth of the first Phoenix brand sedan in 1958 to the delivery of the IM LS9 on May 28, 2026, SAIC Group has taken nearly 70 years to achieve the delivery of 100 million cars, becoming the first Chinese automotive group to accumulate production and sales of over 100 million units.

For a single group to enter the '100 Million Club', such an achievement, only a few century-old giants like General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, etc. have achieved this internationally so far.

For an automotive group, the delivery of 100 million cars is not only an achievement of the group itself, but also concerns the development and changes of the entire automotive industry, witnessing the rise of China's automotive manufacturing from nothing to something, and then to strength. Through SAIC's 100 millionth new vehicle delivery, this process is fully presented.

On the day of the delivery ceremony, Dragon TV broadcast live the entire delivery process of SAIC Group from the 99,999,996th to the 100,000,010th new vehicle. From Shanghai to Liuzhou, Shaanxi, from China to the UK, Indonesia, Singapore, SAIC's product delivery spreads all over the globe. Behind this, there are products and services of SAIC Group that span over 170 countries and regions, and its cumulative overseas sales have exceeded 7 million units.

In addition, the new vehicles cover more than 10 vehicle brands and 19 models under its umbrella: Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, Roewe M7 Black Horse Edition, MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery Version, Wuling Starlight 560, Maxus eDeliver 5, Hongyan i Jieshi, Yuejin Danna T1, Sunwin Pure Electric City Bus, as well as Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X, Audi E7X, Cadillac Kaiweide, Buick Zhijing E7, Buick Zhijing Family...... From independent brands to joint ventures, from fuel cars to new energy, fusion, transformation, and innovation are deeply intertwined in SAIC's growth experience, achieving the systemic strength of China's automotive industry.

Achieving the First 10 Million

SAIC Used Half a Century

In 1955, the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company was established, and Shanghai's automotive industry started from here. In 1958, workers used hammers to hammer out the first 'Phoenix' sedan, achieving a zero breakthrough in Shanghai sedan manufacturing.

In the following few years, SAIC was solving the challenge of China's automotive industry from nothing to something. In an era lacking large presses, precision machine tools, and automation equipment, production methods were nearly primitive. Most complex parts and car body appearances were completely chewed out by workers based on experience and naked eye, purely by hand. Therefore, Shanghai Auto's initial annual production was only a few thousand units, far from a modern industrial system.

Until the successful assembly of the first Santana in 1983, it brought possibilities for SAIC to start joint venture cooperation. And it took SAIC about 6 years to truly drive China's automotive industry towards scaled assembly lines.

In 1978, the state approved Shanghai to introduce sedan projects in the form of 'Sino-Foreign Joint Ventures', but by 1982, when negotiations entered the deep water zone, the joint venture project was on the verge of failure.

First, the impact of ideology, 'Should sedan joint ventures be launched' faced huge controversy; second, the 'Productivity Theory' of the early 1980s prioritized the production of means of production such as heavy trucks over sedans. Volkswagen Germany also clearly stated that joint venture products must be sold in the Chinese local market, causing many to worry that foreigners' high-end goods would eat into the domestic market, 'Inviting wolves into the house'. In addition, facing Germany's overwhelming automotive industry strength, everyone understood that the entry of joint venture models would inevitably deal a fatal blow to the domestically produced cars made by hand at that time. People worried that this would kill China's own automotive brands.

Facing a series of opposing voices, one sentence stated 'Launching sedan joint ventures can allow our automotive industry to take 20 years less detours.' His critical statement eventually allowed Shanghai Auto at the time to withstand pressure, signing a pilot assembly (CKD) agreement with Volkswagen Germany at the end of 1982, leading to the successful launch of the first Santana.

Even so, before the official signing in 1984, SAIC Volkswagen (then Shanghai Volkswagen), Chinese and German sides still conducted long-term tug-of-war on details such as investment ratio, profit distribution, technology transfer, localization rate, and even food standards for foreign employees. At that time, China had only recently promulgated the 'Law on Chinese-Foreign Joint Ventures', and many supporting industrial and commercial, tax systems were blank.

By assembling foreign models and introducing modern automotive manufacturing standards wholesale, Shanghai Auto embarked on a difficult yet far-reaching road. The localization rate of early Santanas was only 2.7%. At that time, Germans' requirements for parts quality were strict to the point of being stereotypical, and samples sent by domestic supporting factories for inspection were almost wiped out. Facing huge international public opinion pressure, Shanghai established the Santana Car Localization Consortium in 1988, starting a localization assault campaign lasting more than 10 years.

It was precisely this set of standards that allowed Chinese workers to see strict process management, modern painting processes, and quality control systems for the first time, and more thoroughly changed the traditional concept of domestic automotive manufacturing: Cars are not 'hammered' out, but 'built' based on strict standard processes.

With the experience of SAIC Volkswagen, Shanghai GM, established in 1997, took only 23 months to build a factory and produce cars, simultaneously building China's first joint venture professional automotive design and R&D center, creating 'Shanghai Speed'.

Relying on the strong dual engines of SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC General Motors, SAIC's production and sales finally embarked on the fast lane. Around 2003, SAIC Group finally welcomed the first 10 million cumulative production and sales, taking 48 years.

Nearly half a century of time is the construction process of China's automotive industry from nothing to something. By the late 1990s, the localization rate of Santana exceeded 90%. In this process, Shanghai Auto used nearly cruel Volkswagen VW standards to hand-in-hand teach domestic electronic, mechanical, rubber, glass, and other supporting factories to establish quality management systems, almost reshaping China's local automotive parts supply chain, laying an important foundation for the development of subsequent automotive brands.

From 10 Million to 100 Million

SAIC Acceleration

After crossing the threshold of 10 million, the Chinese automotive market welcomed the Golden Decade, and SAIC's production and sales curve changed directly from linear growth to exponential takeoff.

In 2001, China officially joined the WTO, and SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC General Motors welcomed the golden period of localization transformation during this period. A large number of global models, advanced processes, and management experiences were seamlessly delivered to China, and SAIC Group arrived at the moment of harvesting dividends. Also starting in 2001, the state explicitly proposed in official documents for the first time 'Encouraging sedans to enter residents' homes', sedans began to enter ordinary households from official vehicle consumption.

Accompanying the acceleration of China's urbanization process and the development of the real estate market, China birthed the largest middle-class group in human history. From policy, capital to the comprehensive rise of the national economy, all drove the explosion of demand in China's automotive market. Santana and Passat of SAIC Volkswagen, Excelle of SAIC General Motors, and later Wuling Light which almost ruled China's micro car market were all phenomenon-level national god cars of this time.

Joint venture dividends brought technology spillover, and also stimulated the awakening of independent brands like Geely, Chery, Great Wall, etc. In this decade, private car companies tore open the household car market below 100,000 yuan with high cost-performance ratios. Facing the pressure from independent brands, SAIC launched the Roewe brand in 2006, starting the exploration of independence by traditional giants.

It was precisely these blockbusters and explorations that hit the rhythm of the times that SAIC completed the raw accumulation of production and sales scale. By December 2010, SAIC Group's cumulative production and sales exceeded the 20 million mark, and became the first automotive giant in China's automotive history with annual production and sales exceeding 3 million units that year.

The strong contrast between 48 years and 7 years is the hardest core footnote for the Chinese automotive market welcoming the 'Golden Explosion Period' in the first decade of the 21st century.

Entering the second decade of the 21st century, China became the world's largest automotive market. The three carriages under SAIC — SAIC Volkswagen, SAIC General Motors, SAIC-GM-Wuling — exploded comprehensively. From 2010 to 2014, in just four years, SAIC completed a three-stage jump from 20 million to 50 million.

That was the golden age of China's automotive market gushing, where SAIC relied on the dual heroes of joint ventures and Wuling god cars advancing together, running out of scale dividends, where the joint venture dividends and scale effects of the traditional fuel era reached the peak.

And from 50 million to today's peak of 100 million, SAIC experienced a difficult transformation of joint venture dividends receding and the domestic market being extremely involution. Although joint venture dividends receded, relying on the two-line efforts of independent brand share soaring to nearly 70% and overseas cumulative delivery exceeding 7 million, SAIC ran the second 50 million with higher quality in the storm of new energy involution.

Especially after SAIC launched the world's first internet car Roewe RX5 in 2015, new energy and going global became a brand new accelerator. By May 2026, achieving 100 million units, SAIC's average annual production and sales in the past nearly 10 years have been maintained at a high level of 4 million to 7 million.

Borrowing the explosion of independent brands, globalization strategy, and the comprehensive succession of new energy and intelligence, SAIC reached another sales peak again. This is SAIC's 3.0 era.

From Santana to IM LS9

The Transformation of the 100 Millionth Vehicle

In the brilliant starlight of global relay delivery, the focus of the 100 millionth delivery is fixed inside the main hall of Shanghai North Bund World Living Room, where IM LS9 Hyper shone onto the stage.

If Santana and Wuling Hongguang were early myths of SAIC Group, then in the intelligent era, IM LS9 has undoubtedly become the representative work of SAIC's independent high-endization.

The IM LS9 launched at the end of last year is the flagship model with the highest positioning in SAIC Group's independent product sequence, positioned in the 300,000 yuan market, but benchmarking against the million-level executive cabin. SAIC piled all the most cutting-edge chassis and power technologies that can represent 'New Quality Productive Forces' onto the IM LS9 — SAIC's ace technology Lizard Digital Chassis 3.0; next-generation intelligent driving hardware, 520-line super-vision LiDAR and NVIDIA Thor chip; next-generation three-electrics — full-domain 800V high-voltage platform and Star Super Range Extender. In addition, LS9 also comprehensively pre-embedded redundant capabilities for L3 and above high-level intelligent driving continuous evolution.

Even more interestingly, SAIC's 100 millionth user, Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, is exactly SAIC's core strategic partner in the intelligent driving field. The person who understands LS9 intelligent driving best spent money to become its car owner.

Just a few years ago, the discussion about smart car 'Soul and Body' was in a very tense state, and this new car delivery between SAIC and Cao Xudong gave a perfect answer sheet.

At the delivery ceremony, Cao Xudong stated that SAIC is not only Momenta's customer, but also its earliest core lead investor. IM Motors, as the most critical flagship brand for SAIC Group's transformation, directly became Momenta's 'top base camp' for cutting-edge algorithms. Deep business binding and capital fusion made the two enterprises become a community of emerging OEM and supplier cooperation.

IM LS9 is precisely the product of these two top teams performing their duties and highly integrating. IM LS9 is equipped with Momenta's end-to-end large model algorithm, while SAIC endowed it with a powerful Lizard Digital Chassis and industrial smart manufacturing body. When Cao Xudong held the steering wheel of IM LS9, from a partner to becoming a SAIC car owner, it also indirectly indicated that no one swallows the other. The landing of IM LS9 is the result of the deep integration and symbiosis of intelligent driving technology and manufacturing strength.

Cao Xudong has been promoting the overseas landing of intelligent driving's 'Can drive anywhere globally'. And SAIC itself is the leading head of Chinese car companies going global. Handing the 100 millionth car to him also indicated SAIC's future strategic ambition in intelligent overseas output, to further bundle with Momenta and go global together.

The 100 millionth car is not only an endpoint, but also a brand new starting point for two Chinese top forces combining to output global intelligence. SAIC's global relay delivery of the full brand matrix witnesses its deep industrial chain system built over more than 70 years and leading innovation chain layout. The next 100 million era will certainly arrive at a faster speed.

On May 28, 2026, the Shanghai North Bund World Reception Hall hosted a delivery ceremony to be recorded in the history of China's automotive industry. As an IM LS9 Hyper drove out, SAIC Motor officially welcomed its 100 millionth user globally. At this moment, SAIC Motor became the first automotive company in China's industry to surpass 100 million cumulative production and sales, setting a new milestone for the development of China's automotive industry. This delivery ceremony was not limited to a single venue; instead, through the form of "Global Relay Delivery," the delivery scene extended from the main venue in Shanghai to domestic cities such as Nanjing and Liuzhou, as well as overseas markets like the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore. This was not only a delivery spanning continents but also a concentrated display of the globalization operational capability of Chinese automotive brands.

SAIC's 100 million journey almost spanned the entire process of China's modern automotive industry from nothing to something, from weak to strong. The establishment of the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company in 1955 marked the beginning of Shanghai's automotive industry; in 1958, workers hammered out the first "Phoenix" brand sedan with hammers, achieving a zero breakthrough in domestic sedan manufacturing. Over the subsequent decades, SAIC has always walked at the forefront of industry transformation: the launch of the Santana in 1983 opened the precedent for Chinese automotive joint venture cooperation; the establishment of Shanghai General Motors in 1997 created the "Shanghai Speed" of "plant construction and vehicle production within 23 months"; the birth of the Roewe brand in 2006 marked the rise of independent innovation; in 2016, the Roewe RX5 took the lead in defining the "Internet Car". Today, the establishment of the high-end smart electric brand IM is the mark of SAIC's comprehensive entry into the smart electric era. What runs through this long journey is SAIC's consistent adherence to the concept of "Understanding Cars and Understanding You More," transforming breakthroughs in core technologies into travel experiences perceptible to users.

As the model for the 100 millionth unit off the line, the IM LS9 Hyper embodies over 70 years of SAIC's technical accumulation. This flagship model is equipped with a full-line-by-wire four-wheel steering chassis, a 520-line super-vision LiDAR, and the NVIDIA Thor chip, combined with a global 800V high-voltage platform and the Star Super Range-Extending Technology, achieving breakthroughs in handling, intelligent driving, and range. It is worth mentioning that the 100 millionth user is exactly Momenta, the core strategic partner of SAIC in the field of intelligent driving - Cao Xudong, CEO of Momenta Company. This delivery model of "ecosystem partners becoming users" also confirms the new paradigm of technical co-creation in China's automotive industry.

Behind the scale of 100 million units is the support of SAIC's powerful full-value-chain ecosystem. Data shows that in the first four months of 2026, SAIC Motor led the Chinese car market with 1.302 million units in sales, among which overseas market sales increased by more than 50% year-on-year. Currently, SAIC has established over 100 parts bases, more than 3,000 sales outlets overseas, as well as 8 international logistics routes covering Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. From early product exports to the release of the "Glocal" Global Localization Integration strategy, SAIC is accelerating the transformation from "product going global" to "value chain going global". The MG brand has held the title of best-selling Chinese brand in the European market for eleven consecutive years, the IM AD intelligent driving system covers five continents globally, and cutting-edge technologies such as semi-solid-state batteries have also landed in the global market. Standing at the new starting point of 100 million scale, SAIC is using technological innovation as a pen to re-write the narrative method of China's automotive industry participating in global competition.

At the delivery site, in addition to the full-scale offensive of independent brands, the performance of joint venture brands was equally bright. Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X, Audi E7X, and Buick Zijing E7 models were displayed together, marking the entry of SAIC joint venture cooperation into the "2.0 era". In this stage, SAIC's technical role has changed from early "local adaptation" to "technical definition". For example, the Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X globally first deployed Momenta R7 Reinforced Learning World Model, and the Audi E7X plans to become the first Audi global model to achieve landing of L3-level autonomous driving. This ability of technical reverse output is a powerful proof of SAIC's over 70 years of technical accumulation.

"Understanding Cars and Understanding You More" is not an empty slogan, but is reflected in the story of every real user. From the tech blogger moved by Stelato Z7 Huawei Intelligent Driving, to the London intern doctor who inherited their grandfather's sentiment and chose MG; from former national football player Yang Chen who chose Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X, to public welfare blogger Liu Jia who was moved by Buick Zijing E7 cockpit. Whether it is white-collar workers commuting in the city, players who love off-roading, or strivers working on the logistics front line, every user is a witness to SAIC's development process.

100 million units is both a milestone and a new starting point. In 2014, SAIC was the first to respond to the national new energy vehicle development strategy, opening the "second entrepreneurship" of smart electric transformation. Today, SAIC has formed a development pattern of coordination between independent and joint ventures, parallel progress between passenger and commercial vehicles, and resonance between domestic and overseas. With the in-depth promotion of the "Glocal Strategy", SAIC is continuously perfecting the overseas product matrix covering SUV, sedan, MPV, pickup and other full categories, promoting Chinese smart manufacturing to go further to the world. From the 1955 initial exploration to the 2026 industry leadership, SAIC will continue to walk the 100 million journey with global users and co-create a new future for better travel.

By: Jiang Xiaohua

On May 28, at the North Bund World Living Room in Shanghai, SAIC held a vehicle delivery ceremony that is difficult for the industry to replicate directly.

To say it is hard to replicate, on one hand the "breaking 100 million" event is quite epic, and SAIC's achievement is quite meaningful within the entire history of China's automotive industry. On the other hand, it lies in the details of this press conference.

If you watched this large-scale commercial global live broadcast handled by Dragon TV on the TV end, you will find its commercial narrative logic is somewhat special: there were no lengthy grand strategic presentations on-site. Instead, the leaders of major brands under SAIC took turns, passing car keys to people of different skin colors and professions around the world through a consecutive delivery spanning the Eurasian continent.

Standing at the center of the stage were tech self-media bloggers, former men's national football team players pursuing German quality, London intern doctors inheriting family sentiment, and post-85 village secretaries delivering food to elderly people left behind in the mountains with micro-vans. It even included B-end key clients like DHL, DiShangTie, and Jiading Bus, which focus on extreme operational efficiency. This highly contrasting group portrait appearing together actually illustrates one thing: the volume of 100 million units has long exceeded the scope of a single circle or a specific market. What this reflects is the system foundation of truly making cars for all people and the full-scenario coverage capability.

Simply put, this is the clever idea of drawing a Qingming Festival Scroll of 100 million units of SAIC using refined simple lines.

Following this logic, when we go back to review historical data, we will see many interesting little stories about SAIC.

For example, in April 1959, Academician Osbyan, then an advisor to the First Ministry of Machine Building and head of the Soviet expert group, inspected the Shanghai Automobile Factory. When he learned that workers intended to hammer out a prototype using a 1956 Mercedes-Benz S220 as a model, this Soviet academician left a sentence: "It seems appropriate to make toy cars based on your conditions. Even if our Soviet industry is relatively developed, we dare not choose Mercedes-Benz products as the blueprint."

This "toy car" mentioned by the Soviet experts was the sedan with the largest production and sales volume in our country before 1983, commonly known by us as the "Old Shanghai".

Another example is 1973, when Qiu Ke, later the first chairman of Shanghai Volkswagen, visited Toyota and, after feeling the shock brought by world-class advanced car manufacturing levels.

His idea was that the technical level of China's automotive industry must be improved to fight a counter-offensive. After returning to China, Qiu Ke secretly pulled over ten technical backbones from various factories of the Shanghai automotive industry system to establish the Shanghai Tractor Automobile Research Institute, driving the formation of a design center, technical center, and prototype center through new model research and development, eventually achieving product universality, series, and standardization.

The new model developed after the research institute was established was the SH750 sedan. You may not be able to find this car in SAIC's historical models because it was a model that was not mass-produced. But it is also not a lost gem in history. Thomas Murphy, former chairman of General Motors who proposed the joint venture concept to Comrade Deng Xiaoping, was shocked by the SH750 prototype car equipped with a self-developed rotary engine when he visited various automotive factories in China in 1978.

Similar stories are countless in SAIC's history. Whether it was the first Santana hand-assembled off the line in 1983, opening the path of joint venture cooperation, or the "Shanghai Speed" created by SAIC-GM in 1997 with 23 months to build a factory and produce cars, or launching the world's first internet car Roewe RX5 in 2016, to the establishment of IM Motors in 2020. From a macro historical perspective, SAIC is always able to stand at the forefront of the era, being the "lucky one" favored by the times.

Grand narratives of history often like to create gods, attributing commercial success simply to the favor of the times or the dividends of policy. But when we detach the perspective from those steady and glorious achievements, and examine this automaker's operational methods of the past few decades using the logic of industrial evolution, you will discover an extremely cold and rational fact: in the Chinese automotive market where competition intensity tops the world, there are no so-called "lucky ones".

On May 28, 2026, SAIC Group held a grand ceremony for delivering the global 100 millionth user's car at the North Bund World Living Room in Shanghai, officially becoming the first automotive group in the history of China's automotive industry to have cumulative production and sales break 100 million units.

What does 100 million units actually mean? It is not simple repetitive labor on the production line, nor is it the superposition of numbers on a report. This is a complete industrial slice of China's automotive supply chain from breathing at others' mercy and passively following, to today exporting outward and defining standards. Supporting the operation of this huge number is actually two extremely pragmatic business rules: extreme openness to the outside and hardcore self-strengthening to the inside.

Joint Venture is Never Compromise, But Learning via Borrowed Position

When discussing the early development of China's automotive industry, "joint venture" is a term that is easily interpreted emotionally. The outside world often simply and crudely summarizes joint ventures as "market for technology", and even thinks this is a compromise on the industrial path. But if you deconstruct SAIC's joint venture process, you can see this is actually a deep enlightenment targeting the modern automotive supply chain.

In the industrial context of that time, SAIC's primary task was not at all to build a car that can run, but to toughly build a Chinese automotive parts system on a blank sheet of paper. In 1987, during the Santana localization process, SAIC established the iron rule of "never using substitutes". At that time, this meant that China's local supply chain enterprises had to accept the cruel baptism of German standards in craft and quality control. The German "Der Spiegel" magazine reported that year: "Shanghai Volkswagen seemed to be producing on an isolated island — there were almost no parts factories in the country."

It was in this background that German experts taught technology and Chinese workers learned craft. By 1993, the Santana localization rate broke through 80%.

This harsh quality culture established by force back then formed the baseline of SAIC's earliest system competitiveness. Without this baseline, later independent R&D and mass production would be impossible to discuss.

Now time comes to 2026, the logic of the automotive industry has been completely rewritten by new energy and intelligence. You might be curious, in today's era where independent brands are rising strongly, do joint venture brands still have value? The answer given by SAIC is Joint Venture 2.0.

What is Joint Venture 2.0, let's look at a set of data with contrast. At this 100 million unit delivery scene, Volkswagen Group's global first Series 9 flagship model ID.ERA 9X was officially delivered, which globally debuted with Momenta R7 Reinforced Learning World Model, achieving AEB braking stop increased to 140km/h and waypoint-to-waypoint seamless driving experience. On the other hand, the AUDI E7X positioned as a wisdom performance flagship SUV plans to become Audi's global first model to implement Level 3 autonomous driving landing.

Did you notice the hint? Once, foreign parties input engines and gearboxes, and Chinese parties responsible for OEM assembly; now German luxury brands are using China's intelligent driving models and digital chassis. The dimension of cooperation has completely reversed from one-way technology introduction to technology co-creation of "In China, For China, Defined by China". SAIC's role has leaped from a simple local adapter to a technology definer. This openness is essentially SAIC using its own technical spillover effects accumulated in the intelligent electric era to rebinding international giants, incorporating them into its own industrial ecosystem map.

The wheel of history is always dramatic, the rough drawings once exchanged for vast markets have now transformed into counter-output computing power and code. This might be the most thought-provoking role reversal scene in over a century of automotive industrial history.

From Being Strangled to Reshaping Standards

If an open posture determines the breadth of the enterprise ecosystem, then hardcore technical self-strengthening determines the depth of this enterprise's moat. The achievement of 100 million units is actually the inevitable result of SAIC breaking international monopolies in the field of core hardware engineering.

In this global delivery ceremony, the most symbolic 100 millionth vehicle model did not fall on any volume-selling affordable commuter car, but was handed to the IM LS9 Hyper.

Why is IM LS9 Hyper? Because it accurately steps on the core pain points of Chinese automotive engineering technology. For a long time, high-end chassis technology and active suspension systems have always been "profit forbidden zones" for international top Tier 1 suppliers. And this car is the concentrated display of SAIC's 70+ years of technical heritage, and also the hardcore footnote of Chinese automakers shifting from following to defining standards.

Let's do the math on the chassis. IM LS9 Hyper is equipped with the first mass-produced full steer-by-wire four-wheel steering system and the full-blood version Saurian Digital Chassis 3.0. People who know well know that full-by-wire technology means completely breaking through traditional mechanical physical limitations. This enables a large flagship with a vehicle length exceeding 5 meters to possess ultimate flexibility comparable to small cars. More importantly, this decoupled chassis architecture reduces the driving threshold from the root, it is an indispensable physical cornerstone for future Level 4 high-order intelligent driving.

Not only that, on the Three-Electric system, this car is equipped with SAIC's first Gold Label Hurricane Three-Motor Vector Four-Wheel Drive System, Star Super Range-Extended and full-domain 800V high-voltage platform let its comprehensive range break through 1,400 km. At the same time, it is also equipped with 520-lines super-field-of-view LiDAR and Nvidia Thor Chip, empowering Momenta Intelligent Driving Large Model, and globally debuted the Internal Security System 1.0, reinforcing travel safety and privacy barriers from the bottom.

From looking up at the "technical barriers" of international giant supply systems to the egalitarian landing of reconstructing car chassis with lines of code, this is a very romantic handshake between cold hard industrial machinery and inclusive business logic.

And under the surface manifestation of technology, what truly supports this single-point breakthrough is SAIC's systematically constructed "Smart Brain, Robust Body, Powerful Heart" three major technology bases. Such as end-to-end intelligent driving large model mass production landing, securing the industry's only Level 4 double license; such as DMH hybrid thermal efficiency reaching 46.3%; and for example, Magic Cube Battery achieved zero spontaneous combustion and zero thermal runaway upon production.

SAIC's technological breakthrough has extremely clear landing logic: all-brand, all-price-band mass production. Like 60,000-class Roewe i6 that comes standard with 8155 Chip across the series; 150,000-class Huajing S that comes standard with Huawei Qunkun Intelligent Driving Full Set; Shangjie Z7 equipped with Huawei ADS 4.1 and 896-line LiDAR. This strategy of using frontier technology to egalitarianize the market is true technical inclusiveness, and also the rational fulfillment of SAIC's slogan "Know Cars, Understand You Better".

Dismantling the Walls of Business Books

Entering the second half of the intelligence era, the competition dimension of the automotive industry has long undergone qualitative change. The confrontation of single-car hardware has become a past tense, now competing for the thickness of the entire intelligent ecosystem system. On this battlefield, enterprises that try to hold all technology in their own hands and work in isolation will likely ultimately become information islands.

In the age of smart great sailing where lone heroes are destined to withdraw, SAIC clearly understands the reason that actively pushing down that defensive wall often exchanges for a wider city.

SAIC's global 100 millionth user is Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. As a leading figure in China's intelligent driving field, Cao Xudong led Momenta and IM Motors have been "Founding Lighthouse Partners" from birth. Both parties' teams polished out IM's assisted driving scheme back-to-back almost.

Cao Xudong bought this IM LS9 Hyper, even planned to use it to lead the verification test of Level 3 autonomous driving. This shows that SAIC's ecosystem is truly open to core technology partners. They are not simply Party A and Party B relationships, but an interest community deeply bound by technology underlying logic.

Some people might be curious, why don't car companies keep the soul in their own hands? Because the technology tree of intelligence is too huge. From AI Large Model to Smart Cockpit, from High-order Intelligent Driving to Hand-car Interconnection, no single car company can swallow the whole plate. So we see, SAIC launched extremely dense alliances at the cross-border level: collaborated deeply with Huawei to launch Shangjie brand, creating Coupe Wagon dual cars; Created AI Cockpit with Alibaba Qwen; Co-created intelligent interconnection with OPPO; Cooperated with Doubao for deep thinking large model. This "Beauty shared with beauty" open ecosystem enables SAIC to install the most advanced intelligent solutions differentiated on different brands.

Not only in passenger car field, commercial vehicles are also like this. In Singapore, global logistics giant DHL batch purchased Maxus eDeliver 5 and other pure electric light vans, just appreciating its customization ability and efficient three-electric technology in urban distribution scenarios. In the domestic market, DiShangTie batch purchased Yuelin Dashan T1, appreciating its long range and operational efficiency brought by 140kWh high energy density battery pack. This B-end users' real money and silver is the most real vote for SAIC's underlying supply chain.

Selling Cars Overseas, or Exporting Value Chain?

When the degree of involution in the domestic market has approached the limit, the overseas market naturally became the must-argue land for car companies seeking profit and scale increment. But in this matter of going overseas, SAIC walked a road much more complex than just loading cars onto ships and shipping them away.

SAIC's products and services have spread over 170+ countries and regions globally, with overseas cumulative sales breaking 7 million units. They hold over 100 overseas parts production bases, three R&D innovation centers, and four overseas production manufacturing centers, and even formed a logistics self-operated fleet with 42 roll-on roll-off ships.

But just looking at these infrastructure is not enough. Let's look at the European market. As is well known, Europe is the birthplace of the modern automotive industry, where the market barriers are highest and consumers are most picky. But MG brand has successively 11 years of consecutive champion of Chinese brands in Europe, becoming the first Chinese automotive brand to break 1 million cumulative sales in Europe. Expected by 2025, MG's annual sales in Europe will break 300,000 units.

MG is playing the technology card in the overseas market. They globally first mass-produced solid-state battery technology, this SolidCore battery's liquid electrolyte content dropped to 5%, even in -20°C extreme environment can maintain over 90% battery level, safety standard higher than industry highest increased by over 20%, instantly broke through the two walls of climate and safety attention of European consumers. In addition, Hybrid+ hybrid technology deeply recognized by the European market, monthly overseas sales broke 20,000 units.

This is exactly the core of SAIC's Glocal Strategy(Global + Local Combination Strategy) released in 2025. SAIC is accelerating the move from early simple product overseas to higher dimensional value chain overseas. When IM's IM AD Intelligent Driving System covers global five continents, when overseas travel i-Smart system global activation volume breaks a million, SAIC is actually exporting a new set of commercial standards based on China's new energy supply chain system to the world.

From 2014 to lead the full transformation to new energy, to 2026 welcoming 100 million unit milestone, SAIC walked an industrial cycle in 12 years. During these 12 years, SAIC completed the leap from being a leader, to 15 brands under its flag galloping like ten thousand horses.  

100 million units is absolutely not a merit book for lying flat, it is more like a new starting line for SAIC's second entrepreneurship. In this infinitely cruel and extremely fast iteration industry, any compromise on technology stagnation and obsession on closed ecosystem will be punished by the market in a very short time.

The reason why SAIC can traverse the cycle is never relying on the macro gift of history. It relies on insisting on open collaborative business rationality in countless micro-decisions, insisting on obsession with hardware and engineering, and maintaining dominance over the supply chain at all times during market changes. Only by understanding this industrial logic hidden behind the numbers, can we understand why SAIC can make this 100 million cars.

100 million vehicles. China's automotive industry witnessed its first "hundred-million club".

On May 28, at the World Living Room at North Bund in Shanghai, with the keys to the IM LS9 Hyper handed to Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, SAIC Motor officially welcomed its global 100 millionth user. Oriental TV broadcast the event live in full. No lengthy speeches, no parameter PPTs, just a "Global Connected Delivery" spanning the Eurasian continent and involving multiple locations—from passenger cars to commercial vehicles, from independent brands to joint ventures, from China to the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore.

This is indeed worth celebrating. But more worth questioning than the number is: After 100 million vehicles, where does SAIC plan to go next?

The answer lies in the signal from the ceremony itself: How to convert the user base, technical reserves, industrial depth, and global network behind the 100 million vehicles into systemic competitiveness for the next journey.

The Value of 100 Million Users

Not Inventory, But Insights and Understanding

For SAIC, 100 million vehicles represent scale, and more importantly, a user base formed by long-term service to different markets, scenarios, and usage needs.

Equal emphasis on passenger and commercial vehicles, dual-wheel drive of independent and joint ventures, coordination between domestic and overseas markets—this "family portrait" structure gives SAIC rare user insight depth among Chinese automakers. What kind of tool vehicle does a rural grassroots worker need? Why did an overseas athlete choose a Chinese brand? How does a multinational logistics company evaluate new energy commercial vehicles? The answers to these questions cannot be derived solely from market research company questionnaires; they come more from the continuous feedback of 100 million vehicles in real-world scenarios.

This is the real context of SAIC's "Understanding Cars and Understanding You Better". "Understanding Cars" is the engineering capability, quality system, manufacturing standards, and industrial foundation accumulated by SAIC over more than 70 years; "Understanding You" is converting these capabilities into user-perceivable, usable, and trustworthy product experiences, precisely responding to users' real needs.

Therefore, 100 million vehicles are not the end point, but the starting point for SAIC to re-activate user value. Future competition will be measured not by "who has more products", but by "who can better convert user insights into product appeal".

Technology Democratization

Progression from "Having It" to "Having It Well"

In the intelligent electrification era, various technologies emerge one after another and iterate rapidly; "competing on parameters" has become something every automaker must do. When everyone shouts "technology democratization", the real dividing line is: How long does it take for technology to go from the lab to the driver's seat? How much functionality is lost from multi-million flagship models to tens-of-thousands national cars?

This is the key to what SAIC proposed as "Equity-driven Progression". Equity is far more than downgrading configurations; it is about letting more people enjoy advanced technology. Progression is not just technological innovation, but requires truly improving user experience.

The models involved in this delivery perfectly present the different levels of SAIC's technology conversion. The 100 millionth IM LS9 Hyper concentrated on showing SAIC's next-generation technology reserves: Star Super Range Extender, Full-Line-by-Wire Four-Wheel Steering, Lizard Digital Chassis 3.0, Momenta Intelligent Driving Large Model. But more worth noting is that these capabilities are being explored towards broader price ranges and usage scenarios: HuaJing S brings the Huawei Qiankun Smart Family Bucket into the 150,000-level family SUV market, making high-level intelligence no longer strongly bound to high prices; Wuling Rongguang Pure Electric Version puts a 100kW Silicon Carbide Rear-Wheel Drive Motor and a 32.6 kWh Shenlian Battery with replaceable cells into a 69,800 yuan level wealth-creation micro-van; Roewe M7 Dark Horse Version is equipped with the DMH 6.0 Super Hybrid System, responding to family users' demand for quality travel with long range and low energy consumption. High-level technology is no longer exclusive to high-end models, but enters the daily travel of more users through SAIC's product matrix.

This is SAIC's true technology moat: Relying on R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality systems, converting complex technology into safe, reliable, and convenient daily experiences. Here, "parameters" are no longer footnotes on a launch event PPT, but core value that truly meets user expectations and solves real pain points.

Open Ecosystem

Why Him as the 100 Millionth User?

Cao Xudong standing on the delivery stage was the most thought-provoking moment of the entire ceremony.

He is not a "car owner" in the traditional sense. As Momenta CEO, his relationship with SAIC has long gone beyond ordinary business cooperation - IM and Momenta were "Foundational Lighthouse Partners" from the very beginning of the brand's birth, jointly refining IM's full-series intelligent driving solutions. Now, the partner actively becomes a car owner and announces that L3-level autonomous driving will land at SAIC first, planning to use this LS9 Hyper for validation testing, turning "Open Co-creation" from an industry slogan into a touchable business reality.

This open posture has been consistent throughout SAIC's more than 70 years of development. From the Santana localization community, to joint ventures like SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC GM, to independent brand building, SAIC has always learned in openness, accumulated in cooperation, and grown in innovation. Entering the intelligent electrification era, open cooperation is entering a new stage.

On one hand, the connotation of joint venture cooperation is upgrading. In the past, Joint Venture 1.0 more meant the introduction of advanced products, manufacturing systems, and management experience; today, Joint Venture 2.0 emphasizes co-creation of technology. The delivery of SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 9X is a representative of this change. It is not a simple electrification of traditional joint venture products, but integrates Chinese intelligent technology, Chinese speed, and local user insights on top of German automotive heritage, presenting a new look of joint venture brands on the new intelligent electrification track.

On the other hand, SAIC's cooperation with technology partners such as Huawei, Momenta, OPPO, Doubao, and Horizon Robotics has also extended the boundary of openness from the traditional industrial chain to new fields such as intelligent driving, intelligent cockpits, AI ecosystems, and software experiences. The Huawei Qiankun ADS 4.1 on Shangjie Z7, the Huawei Qiankun Family Bucket on HuaJing S, and the deep collaboration between IM and Momenta — behind these delivery models lies an "open wall-less" industrial rainforest.

Whether it is the deep binding of joint venture partners or the ecosystem synergy of cross-industry technology companies, it is the industrial connotation of SAIC's "Beauty Shared Together" concept. 100 million vehicles are not just SAIC's 100 million vehicles, but the result jointly nurtured by this open ecosystem network.

Globalization

From "Selling Out" to "Taking Root"

At the London delivery site, intern doctor Natalia formed a deep bond with this century-old brand because of her grandfather's classic MGB, and firmly chose the MG4 EV Urban. Two generations, the same brand, spanning the technological change from fuel to pure electric, witnessing Chinese intelligence endowing the British heritage with a whole new era connotation.

This story just happens to answer the ultimate question of the outside world regarding Chinese automotive going global: Can a century-old brand operated by a Chinese automaker still win over the new generation of overseas consumers? MG answered this with the achievement of being the first Chinese brand to break one million cumulative sales in Europe.

This is also the core of SAIC's overseas strategy "Glocal 3.0": Achieve "Global thinking, local action", forming personalized and intelligent product plans for different regional markets. 3 major overseas R&D centers, 4 production bases, over 3000 dealer networks, 42 self-operated Ro-Ro ships, SAIC has built a full industrial chain going global capability that is rare among Chinese automakers. True globalization is far more than just selling cars globally. In every market, deeply combining technical advantages, industrial chain advantages, and operational experience with local needs is the only way to achieve the leap from scale going global to value going global.

After 100 Million Vehicles

It is a Test of "Systemic Resilience"

Standing at the 100 million vehicle node, SAIC is facing competition that is no longer single-dimensional. Product appeal, technological strength, institutional vitality — these three aspects jointly constitute the systemic competitiveness for the future.

The true value of this delivery lies in the signal it conveys: When the market is still trapped in short-term zero-sum games, SAIC has already given an answer with a "family portrait" spanning the globe — the ultimate end of the automotive industry is never a solo act of a single enterprise or brand, but a contest regarding systemic strength.

From the Phoenix brand to the first 100 million vehicles, SAIC took more than 70 years to witness and participate in the historical leap of China's automotive industry. The next 100 million vehicles will test not just speed, but resilience, depth, and the degree of "Understanding You". It writes a new chapter for Chinese automotive brands moving from scale leadership to innovation leadership, and from the Chinese market to the higher end of the global value chain. Everything has just begun.

On the afternoon of May 28, 2026, at the World Living Room at North Bund, Shanghai, one IM LS9 Hyper was officially delivered, and SAIC Group welcomed its 100 millionth global user. Accompanying this "global relay delivery"—15 brands and 19 models under its umbrella were delivered synchronously both domestically and overseas—SAIC became the first automaker group in the history of China's automotive industry to accumulate production and sales exceeding 100 million vehicles, the eighth automaker globally to join the "Hundred-Million Club".

This is not a simple breakthrough of a set of sales figures. From the first Phoenix brand sedan hammered out by workers with hammers in 1958 to the cumulative global delivery of 100 million vehicles today, SAIC's growth trajectory of over 70 years is almost a microcosm of the entire Chinese automotive industry developing from nothing to something, and from weak to strong. What truly gives the 100 million vehicles industry research value is the full industrial chain system SAIC has gradually built over these years—coordinated operation of various sectors including complete vehicles, parts, mobility, finance, international operations, and innovative businesses, entered the Fortune Global 500 for 21 consecutive years, ranking 7th globally in 2025 with sales of 4.508 million vehicles, with a year-on-year growth of 12.33%.

100 million vehicles is a weighty threshold, but what deserves more attention than this number is the two fundamentals distinguishing SAIC from most domestic automakers: overseas layout and technology accumulation.

In terms of overseas markets, SAIC is one of the earliest and largest Chinese automotive enterprises to "go out." First achieving passenger car exports in 2001, now its products and services cover more than 170 countries and regions globally, and cumulative overseas deliveries exceed 7 million vehicles. Overseas, SAIC owns more than 100 parts production bases, over 3,000 dealer networks, built 3 major R&D innovation centers including London, and 4 production manufacturing centers in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and established China's largest self-operated vehicle logistics fleet. In 2025, SAIC's annual exports and overseas market sales reached 1.071 million vehicles, the MG brand ranked 1st in European sales among Chinese brands for 11 consecutive years, and entered the top 10 in passenger car market sales in 18 countries in regions such as Australia-New Zealand, Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia. During the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, SAIC released Overseas Strategy 3.0 - "Glocal Strategy" (Global + Local combination strategy), planning to build 17 new overseas models including SUVs, sedans, MPVs, and pickup trucks in the next 3 years, gradually implementing HEV hybrid and solid-state battery technologies into global mainstream markets. From product export to value chain export, this road has taken more than 20 years, the system is built, the next step is to look at the brand power and depth of localized operations.

On the technology level, there are several key advances worth mentioning. In January 2026, the first mass-produced semi-solid-state battery model of the MG brand started delivery, to date, the delivery volume has broken through 1,000 units, the 2026 MG4 launched at the April 2026 Beijing Auto Show equipped with semi-solid-state battery, starting price under 70,000 yuan, bringing frontier technology down to the mainstream consumption market, which is rare in the industry. IM AD Intelligent Driving System cooperates with Momenta, has covered all five continents globally, including markets in Thailand, Mexico, UK, Australia, Nepal, Egypt, Singapore, Norway, New Zealand, UAE, etc., adopting a mapless end-to-end solution, possessing strong global scene adaptability. In addition, from a data perspective, SAIC's R&D investment in new energy and intelligent connected fields has accumulated to over 150 billion yuan, effective patents nearing 26,000 items, NEV sales share jumped from less than 0.1% in 2014 to over one-third in 2025.

Of course, 100 million vehicles is a reflection of historical accumulation, the real test lies in the upcoming market competition. SAIC internally calls this node the starting line of the second entrepreneurship, the direction is leaping from scale leadership to quality leadership, technology leadership, and ecosystem leadership. Previously, the comment of Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association, also hit the key point: "'These 100 million vehicles are not the end point, but a springboard for China's automotive industry to create another glory'." China's automotive industry has moved from following to running parallel or even leading in local areas, whether SAIC can continue to produce competitive products on the three fronts of new energy, intelligence, and globalization is the key to determining how many years the next 100 million vehicles will take. But one thing is certain: When a car company experiences a technical transformation and global layout throughout a complete industry cycle, the system capabilities it accumulates cannot be measured by simple sales figures.

May 28, inside the Shanghai North Bund World Living Room, the atmosphere was fervent. Meanwhile, the footage on the large screen at the Chengdu Jixiang Buick branch venue, thousands of miles away, jumped in sync with the main venue. As the IM LS9 Hyper slowly drove into the center of the stage, and as Momenta CEO Cao Xudong received the car key from the Chairman of SAIC Motor, applause rang out on the scene — this was not only the moment of delivery to the 100 millionth user of SAIC Motor, but also the first time a vehicle enterprise in China's automotive industry welcomed a cumulative production and sales volume breaking 100 million vehicles.

As an automotive editor, witnessing this historical node at the Chengdu branch venue, the feeling was quite complex. Over the past few years, China's automotive market has experienced a transition from growth to stock, with price wars, elimination battles, and surging trends of going global alternating on stage. Against this broad backdrop, a local car enterprise able to cross the threshold of 100 million vehicles must necessarily possess a deep logic beyond a single product cycle or any single tech explosion.

SAIC's history almost overlaps with China's automotive industry history. In 1955, the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company was established; in 1958, workers hammered out the first "Phoenix brand" sedan with hammers. Over the subsequent seven decades, SAIC witnessed the entire process from nothing to something, from weak to strong. In 1983, the first Santana was hand-assembled off the line, opening the curtain of China's automotive joint venture cooperation, and also driving the establishment of a modern parts system.

In 1997, Shanghai GM was established, the "Shanghai Speed" of building a factory and launching cars in 23 months is still talked about by the industry to this day; the China's first joint venture professional automotive design and R&D center built at the same time marked SAIC's transformation from pure manufacturing to building technical capabilities. In 2006, the independent brand Roewe was born; in 2016, the world's first Internet car Roewe RX5 went on sale; in 2020, the high-end smart electric brand IM Motors was established. This timeline clearly outlines the evolution trajectory of a car enterprise from learning, chasing, parallel, to local leading.

But historical accumulation is just the foundation. The achievement of 100 million vehicles requires the continuous release of system capabilities. SAIC's system architecture covers six major sectors: whole vehicles, parts, mobility, services, finance, international business, and innovation technology, forming a tightly coordinated full value chain closed loop. In January-April 2026, SAIC's cumulative sales reached 1.302 million units, ranking first among China's car enterprises for four consecutive months, with independent brands accounting for nearly 70%, new energy vehicle sales reaching 412,000 units, and overseas market sales of 459,000 units, a year-on-year growth of 50.2%. These data indicate that SAIC's growth does not rely on the pulling power of a single sector, but is the result of multiple engines including independent and joint venture, passenger and commercial, domestic and overseas all working simultaneously.

Specific to the product level, the full brand matrix displayed at the delivery ceremony site was impressive. For independent brands, Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, Roewe M7, MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery Version, Wuling Starlight 560, Maxus eDeliver5, Hongyan Heavy Trucks, Yuejin Dana T1, Sunwin All-Electric Bus, Iveco Juxing EV, and other models cover full scenarios from personal travel to commercial operations, from urban logistics to public transport. Joint venture brands concentrated on displaying the results of "Joint Venture 2.0": Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X global premiere equipped with Momenta R7 Reinforcement Learning World Model, delivery exceeded 7,000 units in one month after launch; Audi E7X plans to become Audi's first global model achieving L3-level autonomous driving landing; Buick Zhijing E7 is built based on the "Xiaoyao" Super Fusion Architecture, delivery broke 10,000 units in one month after launch. From "Market for Technology" to "Technology Co-creation", SAIC's role in joint venture relationships has undergone a substantive shift.

Accumulation at the technical level is the core power supporting this system's operation. The first 100 million vehicle delivery model, IM LS9 Hyper, can be regarded as a concentrated presentation of SAIC's technical accumulation over seven decades. It is equipped with full-line drive-by-four-wheel steering first in its class, 520-line ultra-vision LiDAR, NVIDIA Thor Chip, Full-Domain 800V High-Voltage Platform, and Star Super Extended-Range System, comprehensively pre-installing redundancy capabilities for L3 and above high-level intelligent driving. SAIC Gold Badge Hurricane Tri-Motor first launch has propelled it into the Performance 3-Second Club, and the "Intrinsic Security" technology jointly premiered globally with Purple Mountain Laboratories expands the car safety boundary from traditional physical safety to the field of information and system security. It is worth noting that the 100 millionth user is exactly Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, SAIC's core strategic partner in the intelligent driving field. The intelligent driving technology deeply co-created by both parties has empowered multiple independent and joint venture brands. This coincidence of "Partner Becomes Car Owner" reflects SAIC's open and collaborative industrial philosophy in the era of smart electric vehicles.

Globalization layout is another important dimension of SAIC's system capability. As the earliest and largest representative of China's automotive enterprises "Going Global", SAIC has over 100 parts production bases and over 3,000 dealer networks overseas, building London's 3 major R&D innovation centers and Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan 4 manufacturing production centers. Anji Logistics possesses 42 Ro-ro ships of various types, with 8 international routes covering Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Currently, SAIC's products and services are spread over more than 170 countries and regions, with cumulative overseas sales breaking 7 million units. MG has ranked as the European sales champion for Chinese brands consecutively for 11 years, with 2025 European annual sales breaking 300,000 units, becoming the first Chinese car brand with cumulative sales breaking one million in Europe and the UK. In March this year, MG held a Tech Day in Frankfurt, Germany, premiering the world's semi-solid state battery and Hybrid+ Hybrid Technology, the latter's overseas monthly sales has broken 20,000 units. After launching the overseas "Glocal Strategy" (Global + Local) in 2025, SAIC is accelerating from "Product Going Global" to "Value Chain Going Global".

If technology and systems are rational hard power, then user stickiness is emotional soft power. At the delivery ceremony, SAIC displayed multiple sets of user stories: Guode APP Founder Luo Zhenyu as the Huajing S No. 001 Experience Officer, from praising Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving in the New Year's Eve Speech to entering the factory to witness the offline; Former German National Team Player Yang Chen chose ID.ERA 9X, because its Golden Extended Range and Long-termism Philosophy coincided; London Intern Doctor Natalia inherited her grandfather's MG sentiment; The returning couple brought MG memories from their time in the UK back to the domestic market; Public Welfare Blogger Liu Jia provided haircutting and companionship to left-behind children in Guangxi Mountainous Areas for five consecutive years, Buick provided assistance immediately, he was moved by Zhijing E7's "Full Score Cabin". These stories have no deliberate emotional stirring, but clearly convey one message: SAIC's user stickiness does not come from marketing scripts, but comes from products and services responding to real needs in different scenarios.

Returning to the initial question: Why was SAIC able to become the first car enterprise in China to break 100 million cumulative production and sales? The answer may perhaps be summarized in a few elements without shortcuts — sufficient long time accumulation, sufficiently wide system coverage, sufficiently deep tech investment, and sufficiently fine user insights. These elements taken out individually, many car enterprises are doing, but those able to continue for over seven decades and maintain balanced development in various dimensions are not common.

100 million vehicles is a milestone, but also a new starting point. In 2014, SAIC was the first to fully transform to new energy; twelve years later, from the "Leading the Pack" of "Smart Power Transformation" to "Thousands of Horses Galloping" of independent and joint venture, passenger and commercial, domestic and overseas, SAIC has consistently carried the user concept of "Know Cars Better, Know You Better" throughout. From 1955 to 2026, from the first user to the 100 millionth user, SAIC's next journey is just beginning.

Auto Circle On Cars

From an industry perspective, SAIC's 100 million vehicles is not only a breakthrough in scale numbers, but also marks the capability leap of China's automotive industry from "Joint Venture Dependence" to "Independent Dominance". It is worth noting that SAIC did not rely on a single hit product or short-term trend, but through seven decades of systematic construction, formed hard-to-replicate comprehensive advantages in dimensions such as technology, manufacturing, supply chain, and globalization. The next-generation tech cluster represented by IM LS9 Hyper, as well as the cumulative sales of over 7 million in overseas markets, prove that SAIC already possesses the basic base to compete on the same stage with multinational giants. After 100 million vehicles, how to convert scale advantages into continuous innovation efficiency and brand premium will be the core proposition of SAIC's "Second Entrepreneurship".

SAIC's "Small Goal", A Milestone of China's Automotive Industry

Written by | Daye

Edited by | Routers

On May 28, at the World Living Room of the North Bund in Shanghai, SAIC Motor (hereinafter referred to as "SAIC") grandly held the ceremony for delivering the vehicle to its global 100 millionth user. The 15 complete vehicle brands and 19 models under SAIC completed delivery synchronously in multiple cities nationwide and globally with the unique form of "Countdown + Continuous Delivery", and Dragon TV broadcast it globally throughout.

SAIC has become the first automotive group in the history of China's automotive industry to achieve a production and sales scale of 100 million vehicles while simultaneously achieving the delivery of the 100 millionth user. This time, SAIC also adopted a new form and new gameplay of "Global Relay Delivery" within the industry, and pioneered a new narrative method for Chinese car brands.

So, what kind of milestone did SAIC exactly cast for the development history of China's automotive industry? What does this historical achievement that leads the industry, as well as brand narrative innovation, mean?

To accurately answer these questions, we must return to the three internal logics behind SAIC casting the 100 million vehicle milestone—that is, what SAIC has done and done well in terms of users, brands, and technology—SAIC's continuous renewal and redefinition of user-centric enterprises, brand and trust assets, and technology and standards, to see clearly what new ideas and inspirations SAIC has brought for the future development path of Chinese automobiles.

I. The User Always in the Center

Throughout the entire live broadcast process, there were no speeches by leaders, no product presentations, nor product data displays, thoroughly saying goodbye to the fixed presentation mode of the "Enterprise Show" commonly seen in the industry in the past, and also placing the "User" in the absolute Center Stage of the delivery activity.

This attempt and innovation of global relay and online live broadcast delivery by users in multiple domestic locations and overseas countries has at least three highlights.

First, the essence of the delivery form innovation is the "return" of the user, this main character.

Unlike traditional enterprise press conferences which focus on leader speeches, product parameters, and highlight displays, this time SAIC left all the time of the event for the core action of "Delivery", allowing users to change from "Witnesses" to "Main Characters".

For example, from grassroots fighters to public welfare guardians, behind the delivery of every new car is a true and moving story: The bulk users of commercial vehicles cover logistics, infrastructure, public transport, and tourism; every commercial vehicle is a "wealth creation tool" for fighters; A public welfare blogger who cut hair and provided companionship to left-behind children in the mountains of Guangxi for five consecutive years was moved by the "Full Score Cockpit" of Buick Zhijing E7, etc.

These true life stories of these "Main Characters" gave exclusive memory and brand warmth to the cold industrial machinery and delivery numbers. Allowing users to become "Main Characters" from "Witnesses", what is delivered is no longer just a car, but a life story that is respected.

Secondly, the "Decentralized" global relay delivery is the release of user expression rights.

SAIC also broke the time-space limitations of a single stage, connected delivery scenes of different skin colors, different languages, and different car models through Dragon TV's global live broadcast. Under the same theme, including 19 models of 15 brands, wide coverage from 60,000 level to 500,000 level, completing marathon-style relay delivery from commercial to passenger use. This "Decentralized" process design makes every delivery site become an equal and transparent brand narrative node, and also makes every user a vivid and lively narrator of brand history and culture.

Thirdly, expand the concept of "User", from understanding the new generation to embracing ecosystem partners.

Car owners Yang Chen, the 99,999,999th, located at the Shanghai Anting delivery site, and Natalia, the 100,000,001th, an intern doctor, located at the UK London delivery site, witnessed the deep understanding, insight, and response capabilities of two international brands that have been deeply localized for many years—Volkswagen and MG—for the personalized needs of new era, new generation users.

Among them, the 100 millionth user who connects the past and future—IM LS9 Hyper car owner is Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. This exquisite arrangement and design profoundly interprets an ecological concept of beauty shared and mutual pursuit—in the smart electric era, enterprises, users, and partners are no longer the supply and demand relationship of the traditional industrial chain, but a value community of symbiotic growth.

In the opinion of Routers, the successful holding and format innovation of this delivery gala is also a dimension upgrade of the "Understand Cars, Understand You Better" brand and user concept proposed at the "2025 SAIC Night", and also a self-evolution and proactive renewal around building a user-centric enterprise.

Tightly focusing on the action of "Delivery", the event unfolded with "Users" as the main characters, is not only a vivid footnote to SAIC's deep transformation from "Manufacturing Enterprise" to "User-centric Enterprise", but also clearly conveys a signal to the outside world—that in the new era, SAIC possesses the underlying cognition and system capabilities to redefine and build a "User-centric Enterprise".

II. Trust is the Biggest Brand Asset

From "Product Delivery" to "User Return", essentially, this process is also a "Delivery of Trust". 100 million vehicles are not just production and sales numbers, but also a brand trust asset that has been continuously accumulated. Thus, what SAIC has built is far more than a milestone of the manufacturing system, but a dimension upgrade of a brand value logic set—centered on users, a review and renewal of brand trust assets.

This courage of bold innovation and sincerity of active dimension upgrade is also the confidence and confidence behind SAIC moving towards the next 100 million vehicles. This move achieved at least two significant effects that refreshed industry cognition.

First, such a "Cross-Space-Time" delivery, first in the industry, requires enterprises to have complete capabilities such as full brand matrix, full category products, global layout, and full industry chain system, all of which are indispensable.

Thus, SAIC concretely demonstrated the "Family Bucket" capability of mobilizing "Full Brand Matrix, Full Category Products, Global Layout, Full Industry Chain System". At the same time, it also proved to the outside world with actions that, so far, only SAIC possesses the scale and strength of "Global Relay Delivery".

Secondly, Product is History, User is History. Through the method of global live broadcast, the process of delivering every car to the hands of every user, actually, is also opening a "Miniature History of the Evolution of China's Automotive Industry" concretely to the global market through each user's concrete story and individual memory.

Thus, an innovation of brand narrative was achieved—from the one-way preaching mode commonly seen in traditional enterprise activities in the past, upgraded to a "Mobile Public Lesson" about SAIC or even the history of China's automotive industry.

From another perspective, what SAIC has accumulated over its 70-plus years of development history is already not just the brand assets built by the 15 brand matrix, but also the continuous accumulation of enterprise "Trust Assets". Thus, SAIC has also become a benchmark, demonstration, and sample for Chinese brands going global in 2026 to "Value Chain Going Global".

For example, in this delivery gala, independent and joint-venture brands under SAIC gathered, passenger and commercial vehicles advanced together, and domestic and overseas markets were linked, fully displaying a brand and enterprise "Trust Asset" that covers the widest age group, the broadest customer group, and the widest market.

This valuable trust asset has not only translated into SAIC's overwhelming lead in domestic sales, but also into its unparalleled performance and pioneering spirit in the overseas market.

Data shows that in January-April 2026, SAIC sold a cumulative 1.302 million units, ranking first among Chinese automotive companies in sales for four consecutive months. Among them, independent brand sales reached 910,000 units, accounting for nearly 70%; New energy vehicle sales reached 412,000 units, firmly maintaining the industry forefront; Overseas market sales reached 459,000 units, surging 50.2% year-on-year.

As the leading pioneer of Chinese car companies with the earliest steps and biggest strides going out, SAIC's influence globally is of course far more than the repeatedly broken sales records—Products and services spreading over more than 170 countries and regions around the world, cumulative overseas market sales breaking the scale of 7 million units, MG consecutive 11 years as the sales champion of Chinese brands in Europe, and the first Chinese car brand to break 1 million cumulative sales in Europe and the UK, is even more a systemic layout—SAIC has built more than 100 parts production bases overseas, more than 3000 dealer networks, possesses 3 major R&D innovation centers such as London, and 4 production centers in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and has formed China's first, globally leading independent vehicle logistics fleet.

The travel choices of 100 million families globally not only witness the growth and expansion of China's automotive industry, but also represent SAIC leading the output and expansion of Chinese automobiles facing globalization. The effective establishment and continuous renewal of this brand and enterprise "Trust" asset is the result of SAIC building a national brand with one hand and a global brand with the other, the two dialectically developing and complementing each other.

III. The Witness and Promoter of Technological Leap

Only with the big data demand mining and precise insight of 100 million+ retained users, and the brand "Trust Assets" built synchronously covering the whole country, the whole world, and even all age group users, can SAIC's full industry chain system and full value chain closed-loop underlying capabilities continuously promote every generation of technological leap, and achieve rapid mass production and implementation in all brands and all price bands.

Furthermore, every moment of fulfilling the original intention of "Understanding You" is also the continuous advancement and comprehensive implementation of SAIC's "Understanding Cars" capabilities—keeping pace with the times, continuously renewing the core capabilities of technology and product definition.

In every historical stage, in every window period of technological change, SAIC firmly holds the definition rights of technology and products.

From 1958, when SAIC workers hammered out the first "Phoenix" sedan with a hammer, achieving the "Zero Breakthrough" of Shanghai sedan manufacturing, to today's cross-border open cooperative ecosystem, SAIC collaborates and co-creates with Chinese Tech Companies such as Huawei Qiankun, Momenta, OPPO, Doubao, Horizon Robotics, etc., carrying out exploration and expansion of "Software Defined Vehicles". It can be said that the development history of SAIC,串连起来 by one by one technological leaps and mass production implementation, is a condensed history of technical progress in China's automotive industry.

This year, new products and new technologies released and launched by SAIC domestically and internationally, especially the new products with multiple brands, multiple categories, and diverse technological paths unveiled at this delivery event, also have the most concentrated and cutting-edge presentation.

For example, unlike the logic of localization and domesticization when global models were introduced to the domestic market in the Joint Venture 1.0 stage which used European and American technology and standards as a reference system, as the latest result of joint venture enterprises in the "Joint Venture 2.0" stage, new models such as Audi E7X, Buick Zhijing Family, etc., are all based on the current local supply chain of the Chinese market, and a deep co-creation with multinational partners covering intelligence, digitalization, and customization, becoming a vivid footnote of Chinese automobiles from "Market for Technology" to "Technology Co-creation".

For example, in 2025, the overseas "Glocal Strategy" (Global + Local) was released, and SAIC comprehensively promoted a strategic upgrade from product export to full value chain output, allowing "Made in China" to quickly go global.

Based on this strategic concept, in March 2026, MG globally premiered the SolidCore semi-solid state battery and Hybrid+ hybrid technology at Frankfurt, Germany, and landed in the European market. Currently, MG models equipped with Hybrid+ hybrid technology have surpassed 20,000 units in monthly sales overseas, becoming a new business card of "Made in China" in the overseas market.

For example, as the 100 millionth new car delivered this time, and also the focus of the entire delivery gala, IM LS9 Hyper is the collection of SAIC's 70-plus years of technological accumulation, and at the same time, it is also a top-level technology new flagship of the "Software Defined Vehicle" era.

The new car is fully equipped with the industry's most cutting-edge leading technologies in all dimensions such as power, chassis, smart cockpit, smart driving, safety, including Stellar Super Extended Range and Whole Domain 800V High Voltage Platform, Gecko Digital Chassis 3.0 and Three-Motor Vector Four-Wheel Drive System, Full Wire-Controlled Steering Technology, 520-Line Super-View LiDAR and Momenta R7 Smart Driving Large Model, as well as the "Intrinsic Safety" technology jointly developed by Zijinshan Laboratory, etc., becoming a hardcore footnote of Chinese car companies from "Following Running" to "Defining Standards".

As seen above, SAIC's three major "Technology Bases" in the three core technology fields of Smart Cockpit & Driving, Car Body & Chassis, and Power System—Smart Brain, Healthy Body, Powerful Heart, are not exhibits and samples staying in the laboratory, nor "Futures" in marketing and public relations rhetoric, but batch mass production and implementation across all brands and all price bands. At this point, SAIC has also walked out of the unique development path of "Defining Products by Technology, Verifying Technology by Blockbusters" and leads the industry.

Epilogue

Placed in the "Century-Old Unprecedented Changes" in the automotive industry, 2026 is the "Year One" of AI Agent entering cars, and also the year of the outbreak of Physical AI. At this time, SAIC welcomes the historic moment of delivering the first 100 millionth user, and also casts the first "100 Million Car Enterprise" milestone in the history of China's automotive industry.

Every leap of SAIC in the dimensions of users, trust, and technology is proving: Who can always stand on the user's standpoint to think and practice, who can accumulate trust assets through full industry chain layout, who can embrace new technology and define new standards with the times, who can stand at the forefront of history, know the origin, and understand the future.

For over 70 years, SAIC, relying on this vision, breadth, and temperament of embracing rivers and seas, has become the trendsetter of China's automotive industry, and is reshaping the new global coordinates of Chinese automobiles at this new turning point in the history of the global automotive industry.

-END-

On May 28, at the Shanghai North Bund World Living Room, SAIC Motor handed the keys to its 100 millionth vehicle to Cao Xudong, CEO of Momenta. This number marks the first time the Chinese automobile industry has a "billion-unit" player — starting from the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company in 1955, to workers using hammers to hammer out the "Phoenix" brand sedan in 1958, to today's IM LS9 Hyper entering the spotlight. Seventy years of time are condensed into a heavy milestone. But what is worth questioning more than the number is: when the Chinese car market shifts from incremental rush to stock struggle, when the attack and defense war between new forces and traditional car makers enters the deep water zone, on what grounds does SAIC crash the finish line first? The answer lies in the seemingly simple concept of "Understand cars and understand you better", and in the strategic leap from technical joint venture to technical co-creation, from product exporting to value chain exporting. This is a centralized fulfillment of user trust, and more a dimensional upgrade of the automotive industry cognition.

1. From Phoenix to IM: The Qualitative Change of Seventy Years of Technical Accumulation

The first 100 millionth delivery model, IM LS9 Hyper, is definitely not a simple flagship car. It is equipped with the industry-first full drive-by-wire four-wheel steering, 520-line super-view LiDAR, NVIDIA Thor Chip, Global 800V High Voltage Platform, and Star Super Range Extender. Each of these is the crystallization of SAIC's technical research and development for over 70 years. These configurations are not just stacking materials, but are the extreme interpretation of "Understand cars" — when an enterprise possesses self-research capabilities in the four core fields of Three-Electric, Chassis, Intelligent Driving, and Safety simultaneously, it has the qualification to convert technical redundancy into the confidence of user experience. IM LS9 Hyper is also the first to mount the SAIC Gold Label Hurricane Triple Motor, calmly entering the 3-second Performance Club. It also globally launched the "Endogenous Security" technology in collaboration with Purple Mountain Laboratories, extending automobile safety from the physical world to information and system space, which is an essential foundation in the AI Era.

This technical qualitative change did not happen overnight. From the 1980s Santana localization consortium breaking parts barriers, to the 1990s SAIC-GM creating the "Shanghai Speed" of 23 months from factory to car, to the birth of the own-brand Roewe in 2006, and the launch of the world's first Internet Car in 2016, SAIC has been accumulating inner strength within the framework of "trading joint ventures for technology". But the true turning point appeared in 2020: the establishment of IM Motors marked the beginning of SAIC entering the high-end smart electric track with a completely independent posture. And this moment's 100 million delivery is precisely the signal that this long climbing road finally sees the peak. Data shows that from January to April 2026, SAIC cumulative sales reached 1.302 million, ranking as the Chinese Car Maker Sales Champion for four consecutive months. Among them, the own-brand proportion is nearly 70%, and New Energy Vehicle sales reached 412,000 — behind the numbers is the market initiative brought by technical autonomy.

What is even more worth pondering is user choice. Cao Xudong, the first 100 millionth owner, is precisely the Momenta CEO who is a core strategic partner for SAIC in the intelligent driving field. "Partner becomes owner", this detail is more convincing than any marketing script — when the depth of technical co-creation is enough to let partners willingly pay for the product they helped build, it means SAIC's intelligent driving system has formed a true ecosystem loop. From "apprentices" in the Santana era to "Technology Consortium" in the IM era, SAIC has completed the identity switch from following to dancing together over 70 years.

2. Global Relay Delivery: Synergistic Resonance of System Strength and Brand Matrix

On the day of the delivery ceremony, an optical cable crossing mountains and seas connected the Shanghai main venue with delivery sites in Nanjing, Liuzhou, Taiyuan, and even the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore. This "Global Relay" was not just a show, but a microcosm of SAIC's full value chain loop. From Shangjie Z7, Huajing S to Roewe M7, MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery Version, from Wuling Star 560, MAXUS eDeliver5 to Hongyan Heavy Truck, JinYue Dana T1, to Sunwin Pure Electric Bus and IVECO Juxing EV, over 10 brands and 19 models under SAIC covered almost all scenarios including personal travel, family life, commercial operation, and logistics transport. This ability of "full category coverage" is a hard-to-copy moat for single-brand new forces.

The Joint Venture Sector also demonstrated new vitality. Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X globally launched the Momenta R7 Reinforcement Learning World Model, and deliveries exceeded 7,000 units one month after launch; AUDI E7X plans to become Audi's first globally to implement Level 3 Autonomous Driving; Buick Zhijing E7 is built on the "Xiaoyao" Super Fusion Architecture, and deliveries broke 10,000 units one month after launch. Behind these achievements is the implementation of "Joint Venture 2.0" strategy: no longer simply introducing products, but Chinese and foreign parties technical co-creation and platform sharing. SAIC Volkswagen's "Oil and Electric Together" strategy allows fuel vehicle intelligence and new energy vehicle matrix to exert force simultaneously. Fuel vehicle market share increased to 8.8% in January-July, which is proof of this two-front warfare capability.

The performance of the overseas market is a direct mapping of system strength. SAIC MG has consecutively ranked as the Best-selling Chinese Brand in Europe for 11 years. In 2025, European annual sales exceeded 300,000 units, becoming the first Chinese Car Brand to accumulate sales over 1 million in Europe and UK. This March, MG held a Technology Day in Frankfurt, globally launching Semi-Solid State Battery and Hybrid+ Hybrid Technology. The Hybrid+ Family's overseas monthly sales exceeded 20,000 units. Behind these numbers, SAIC possesses over 100 parts production bases overseas, over 3,000 dealer networks, as well as three major R&D Innovation Centers such as London, and four production and manufacturing centers such as Thailand and Indonesia. The Glocal Strategy from "product exporting" to "value chain exporting" has made SAIC truly a multinational automotive group.

3. Smart & Electric Deep Water Zone: How SAIC Reshapes the Industry Competitive Landscape

When new forces are still cheering for monthly sales over 10,000, and when traditional car makers are still struggling with the switching rhythm of fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles, SAIC has already proven the possibility of a hybrid path with 100 million vehicles: cannot abandon the existing base, and must fully occupy the incremental highlands. The secret of this balancing act is that SAIC did not understand "transformation" as pushing down and rebuilding, but resolved growing pains through technology reuse, brand stratification, and market segmentation. The Geely system with Emgrand as the representative accumulated 4.2 million users in the A-Class car market, while SAIC formed a price band coverage from 200,000 to 800,000 through IM, RISING, Roewe, MG and other brands, allowing users with different spending power to find corresponding options in SAIC's product matrix.

The true industry disruption occurs at the intersection of technology routes. When most car makers are still tugging of war around "Three-Electric", SAIC has already extended the competitive dimension to the "New Three Major Components": Full Drive-by-wire Chassis allows handling response to break mechanical limits, AI Large Model on Board allows the cockpit to evolve from tool to partner, and Endogenous Security Technology positions ahead in the compliance foundation of the Information War Era. More notably, SAIC's joint research with Purple Mountain Laboratories implies a trend: the future automobile security competition will no longer be limited to crash tests, but will face new types of threats such as hacker attacks and data breaches. This forward-looking layout gives SAIC the qualification to define rules in the Smart & Electric Deep Water Zone.

At the level of competitive landscape, SAIC's "Partner Becomes Owner" model is rewriting the industry ecosystem. In the past, the cooperation between car makers and technology companies was mostly a Party A and B Relationship. But Momenta CEO buying IM LS9 Hyper means the two parties have formed a community of shared destiny with deeply bound interests. Once this model runs through, it will constitute huge pressure on the supply chain relationship of other car makers — competitors still relying on third-party supplier white-box delivery may face multiple lag in response speed, data loop, and iteration efficiency. The collaboration between SAIC and Purple Mountain Laboratories, Momenta, is essentially building an open yet controllable technology ecosystem, which is more risk-resistant than fighting alone.

Conclusion

When Luo Zhenyu entered the factory as the Huajing S No. 001 Experience Officer, when Former German League Footballer Yang Chen chose ID.ERA 9X, when Charity Blogger Liu Jia was moved by the "Full Score Cockpit" of Buick Zhijing E7, these stories together outline the concrete expression of SAIC's "Understanding You" — it is not cold data, but the life scenarios of every real user. From the first user to the 100 millionth user, SAIC's growth history is the microcosm of the Chinese automotive industry from "Following" to "Running Alongside" to "Leading". But 100 million vehicles are not the end, but the starting line for the second startup. As Liu Yuxi said, "Though the thousand filtrations are hard, only after blowing away the wild sand is gold found." When the tide of Smart & Electric transition washes away frivolity and bubbles, what truly settles will be those long-termists who understand both technology and users. SAIC's next 100 million vehicles may not wait 70 years.

On November 15, 1977. A customized gas-powered Fairmont Futura rolled off the line at the New Jersey plant. This was Ford's 100 millionth vehicle produced in the US. Under the pressure of the CAFE mandate, the influx of Japanese cars, and controversies over excessive cost-cutting, Ford decided not to sell this car. Instead, it used it to kick off a cross-coast tour to celebrate.

When the Detroit Three and Toyota were staging a showdown of the century in the world's largest auto market, a bold idea appeared on the banks of the Huangpu River, 11,460 kilometers away. The accumulation of handmade Phoenix sedans became the momentum for Shanghai-brand sedans entering a steady development phase. Even with an annual output close to 3,000 units, this still could not meet the soaring demand. The concept of adopting Ford's assembly line operations for China's sedan production was brought back to the agenda.

Joint venture cooperation with transnational automakers became the most realistic option. Across the domestic automotive industry, there was only one place capable of mass-producing sedans and having an assembly line: Shanghai. Next, the story of China's auto industry entered the SAIC Volkswagen (now known as: SAIC Volkswagen) era. Amidst the acclaim of "driving a Santana anywhere is safe", transnational car companies rushed to China to seek fortune. The craze of sedans entering ordinary households caused the world's largest auto market to shift accordingly. After the fierce competition of the fuel vehicle era, the machine changing the world gradually switched to the smart-electric track.

On the afternoon of May 28, 2026. Inside the World Living Room of North Bund, Shanghai. SAIC Group Chairman Wang Xiaoqiu handed an IM LS9 Hyper exclusive custom model to Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. Applause erupted, they shook hands, and SAIC Group's 100 millionth vehicle delivery was frozen in time. Over 70 years of vehicle building journey converged in the giant waves of Shanghai's new era, making SAIC the first Chinese vehicle group to enter the global 100 million-level auto camp: Leading the charge at the forefront of the tide.

In January 1997. Toyota welcomed its 100 millionth car after 50 years. Cross Ford's assembly line operations, Toyota used its unique lean production method to pull the efficiency of the fuel vehicle era to the peak. In the shadow of the Heisei recession and the Asian financial crisis, Japanese cars completed the disassembly of the Euro-American auto myths. Amidst a chorus of praise, Toyota did not indulge in the steel dividends piled by 100 million fuel vehicles. Less than 10 months later, Toyota shocked the world again. The Economist wrote at the turn of the century: When Detroit was still obsessed with the roar of large-displacement SUVs, this Eastern automaker knocked on the door of green and low-carbon early with the Prius.

Now, SAIC IM LS9 Hyper is accelerating the transformation of the auto world with a Chinese way. This car is equipped with the next-generation Star Super Extended-Range Power System, the next-generation Full-Line-by-Wire Four-Wheel Steering System, and the next-generation Intelligent Driving Technology. Every item points to the highest standards of the next generation of electric vehicles. It is both the culmination of SAIC's 70 years of vehicle building foundation and technology, and more importantly, a declaration of China's new energy to the auto world. If the Prius was a gentle reform of the fuel vehicle order, then SAIC IM LS9 Hyper is a breakthrough reshaping of the global automotive gravitational field. Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Wu Wangxing said that LS9 Hyper implants China's original endogenous safety system into the car, which is a very important highlight moment for the whole world: it is the flagship benchmark for the Chinese automotive industry entering the "Fourth Generation Electric Vehicle" era.

Looking back, from a golden phoenix hatched from a grassy nest, to SAIC Volkswagen taking root in Anting, to SAIC GM rising in Pudong, MG, Roewe, IM, Wuling, Baojun, Maxus, etc. have become the backbone of independent brands, Shangjie and Huajing are forging new roads for vehicle building; from fuel vehicles to pure electric; from passenger cars to commercial vehicles; Shanghai's open-mindedness that accepts hundreds of rivers has made SAIC Group different: no technical walls, no ecological islands.

In May 2005. With a silver Touran rolling off the production line, Wolfsburg's 100 millionth car pushed the Volkswagen brand to the 100 million automobile brand club. It is the highest harvest of human mechanical manufacturing system on hardware replication consistency. The golden age of China's automobiles provided even richer dividends for Volkswagen. Crossing the threshold of 100 million automobile scale has never been in the soil of coincidence. In the slice of auto history, it corresponds to three hardcore indicators: anti-risk ability in the face of external changes, industrial consistency under a modern manufacturing system, and strategic agility.

20 years later, these three hardcore indicators welcome a redefinition of smart electrification. Entering 2026, the new energy penetration rate of China's auto market continues to climb. Among them, the penetration rate of passenger cars in April broke through 60 percent for the first time. Standing at the new starting point of cumulative 100 million vehicles, SAIC Group has demonstrated strategic agility in capability output to the global auto market.

This May, SAIC Group's vehicle sales reached 349,000 units, continuing to hold the top position in the industry. In the first five months, independent brand cumulative sales reached 1.173 million units, up 8.6% year-on-year; new energy vehicle sales reached 595,000 units, up 13.2% year-on-year; overseas market sales reached 589,000 units, up 45.9% year-on-year. Independent joint ventures, passenger and commercial vehicles, domestic and overseas working in the same direction, promoting SAIC to continue upward while navigating the cycle.

It is worth mentioning that SAIC's joint venture new energy sector also welcomed new growth points. Joint venture new energy made a strong comeback in May. SAIC GM's new energy vehicle sales in May reached 13,000 units, up 75% year-on-year, with Zhijing E7 deliveries breaking 10,000 in its first month after launch. SAIC Volkswagen's new energy vehicle sales in May reached nearly 10,000 units, up 34.3% year-on-year; the newly launched ID.ERA 9X cumulative deliveries exceeded 7,000 units.

SAIC GM Buick's Series 7 models adopt the locally self-researched Xiaoyao Super Architecture, with the Zhenlong Hybrid Power System. From the three-electric system to high-level intelligent driving with LiDAR redundancy, the underlying R&D logic is realized through localization. SAIC's technology output allowed the Buick brand to be reborn. SAIC Volkswagen's flagship SUV model for the Volkswagen brand, ID.ERA 9X, and Audi's AUDI E7X, are all aggregating global resources and precisely customizing for Chinese users' smart-electric needs.

At this year's Greater Bay Area Auto Show, the AUDI E7X officially launched with a starting price of 269,800 RMB, becoming a new answer for BBA solving the China puzzle. With the dense landing of these models, the cooperation between SAIC Group and General Motors and Volkswagen has completed a transgenerational transition from introducing technology to joint development, to the current "Joint Venture 2.0". Volkswagen's 100 million units in 2005 was built on the fuel dividends of 23 million Golfs and 13 million Passats, erecting the peak of hardware replication consistency.

SAIC Group's 100 million units in 2026, one of its most core contents, is through its own technology and architecture output, restructuring the cooperative division of labor of joint venture brands. This has become the optimal solution for transnational automakers to establish themselves in the Chinese market. This round of new energy transformation in the global auto industry is stormy with uncertainties. Holding the trump cards of technology, SAIC has gradually established a position as a rule maker in the future smart-electric era: Ignore the sound of wind and rain through the woods; why not chant aloud and walk leisurely?

In September 2024. After 57 years of building the factory, a Hyundai IONIQ 5 produced at the Ulsan plant pushed its production record to 100 million. This is the Han River Miracle, a new narrative in the history of the world auto business. The Hyundai Motor Group, therefore, became one of the most globalized automakers. After the export volume of Chinese automakers climbed to the scale of 8 million units, Korea and Japan's auto export records were rewritten. The example of Hyundai and Toyota advancing globally has a new protagonist.

On May 30, 2026. After SAIC Group stood on the first 9-digit delivery volume, the first user of the next 100 million appeared in the UK. London doctor Natalia exchanged her grandfather's MGB from memory for the new generation MG4 EV Urban. The ticking pointer brings a new story. In Shanghai Pudong, in Jakarta, Indonesia, in Lantian, Shaanxi, in Singapore DHL Supply Chain Advanced Regional Center, in Taiyuan, Shanxi, in Hechi, Guangxi, the delivery of 15 brands under SAIC Group is laid out by the second.

Along with the alternating pictures on the screen, SAIC Group's Glocal strategy extends a new outline. It is no longer traditional commodity foreign trade and one-way export of products, but using the whole value chain's Chinese smart-electric core to comprehensively fit the specific lives of different global time zones: Every car of SAIC must turn China's best intelligent technology into steady happiness within reach for every family in the world.

In Oceania, MG's small cars rank at the head of the niche market; in Thailand, MG has become the most stable growing Chinese brand; in 7 countries of South America, MG's sales are approaching the 10,000 unit mark; in Europe, MG has held the European sales champion of Chinese brands for 11 consecutive years, and is also the first Chinese automobile brand with sales breaking 1 million.

In the first five months of this year, cumulative sales exceeded 150,000 units, up 20% year-on-year, continuing to lead Chinese brands. The glory of 100 million+, rushes forward along the Huangpu River. In London's rain, in Bangkok's sunset, in the waves of the Suez Canal, in every corner where Chinese smart-electric solutions take root, it is a new answer sheet of a more international SAIC Group: Stars hang low over the vast plains; the moon surges with the flow of the great river.

Seen plenty of car delivery ceremonies? But what about the 100-millionth user?

On May 28, 2026, SAIC Group held a "Global First 100-Millionth User Delivery Ceremony", becoming the first Chinese automotive group to exceed 100 million cumulative production and sales!

The first 100-millionth delivery vehicle is the IM LS9 Hyper, the culmination of SAIC's over 70 years of technical accumulation.

Full steer-by-wire four-wheel steering, 520-line ultra-line-of-sight LiDAR, NVIDIA Thor chip, global 800V high-voltage platform, Stellar Super Range Extender, SAIC Gold Badge Hurricane three-motor, as well as pre-embedded redundant capabilities for continuous evolution of L3 and higher-level intelligent driving, etc., are all highlights of the IM LS9 Hyper.

So are you curious who the 100-millionth user is? Momenta CEO Cao Xudong!

It is indeed SAIC's core strategic partner in the intelligent driving sector, and the results and vehicle deployments of Momenta in the intelligent driving field are undoubtedly familiar to everyone.

At the delivery site, besides the 100-millionth user, there were the 100,000,001st, 100,000,002nd...

Dominestic brands went all out: Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, Roewe M7, MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery Version, Wuling Starlight 560, Maxus eDeliver 5, Hongyan Heavy Truck, Yuejin Danaka T1, Sunwin Pure Electric Bus, Iveco Juxing EV, etc., were delivered successively, covering diverse scenarios such as personal mobility, family life, commercial operations, and logistics transport.

Joint Venture Brands centrally displayed "Joint Venture 2.0" achievements: Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X will be the global debut with Momenta R7 Reinforcement Learning World Model, achieving over 7,000 units deliveries in one month after listing; AUDI E7X plans to become Audi's first global vehicle to achieve L3-level autonomous driving landing; Buick Zhijing E7 is built on the "Xiaoyao" Super Fusion Architecture, achieving over 10,000 units deliveries in one month after listing.

100 million vehicles is a significant number, reflecting SAIC's systemic strength.

From complete vehicles, parts, mobility and services, finance, international operations to innovation technology, six major sectors, achieving a closed loop of the entire value chain.

From January to April 2026, SAIC's cumulative sales reached 1.302 million vehicles, ranking first among Chinese automakers for four consecutive months. Among them, domestic brand sales were 910,000 vehicles, accounting for nearly 70%; New energy vehicle sales were 412,000 vehicles; Overseas market sales were 459,000 vehicles, year-on-year growth of 50.2%.

Gaining the trust of 100 million users, this owes to the power of globalization. SAIC's global layout has deep foundations, owning over 100 parts production bases, over 3,000 dealer networks abroad, and having built London and other 3 major R&D innovation centers, as well as 4 manufacturing centers in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan; Anji Logistics owns 42 Ro-Ro ships of various types, 8 international routes covering Southeast Asia, Europe, Americas. Now, SAIC's products and services cover over 170 countries and regions, overseas cumulative sales exceeded 7 million vehicles.

Among them, SAIC MG has ranked first in China brand European sales for 11 consecutive years, 2025 European annual sales exceeded 300,000 vehicles, becoming the first Chinese automotive brand to exceed one million cumulative sales in Europe and the UK.

From 1955 to 2026, 100 million users, is a phased answer sheet for SAIC's over 70 years of development, and at the same time its new starting line towards the intelligent electric future "second start-up". Continuing to travel the billion-mile journey together with global users and global partners, creating a new future of beautiful mobility, this is what SAIC needs to do next!

On May 28, 2026, the "SAIC Group Global 100 Millionth User Delivery Ceremony" was held at the World Living Room in the North Bund, Shanghai. Over ten vehicle brands and nineteen models under SAIC achieved "global relay delivery", spanning mountains and seas and connecting globally. SAIC Group thereby became the first Chinese automotive group to break through 100 million in cumulative production and sales, forging a new milestone for the Chinese automotive industry.

From "Phoenix" to "IM": 100 Million Units Witness the Striving and Original Aspiration of China's Automotive Industry

In 1955, the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company was established, marking the start of Shanghai's automotive industry. In 1958, workers hammered out the first "Phoenix" sedan, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in Shanghai sedan manufacturing. For over seventy years, SAIC has witnessed and driven the entire process of China's automotive industry from nothing to something, from weak to strong: In 1983, the Santana rolled off the production line, launching joint venture cooperation; In 1997, SAIC-GM was established, creating the "Shanghai Speed" with a 23-month factory-to-road timeline; In 2006, the independent brand Roewe was born; In 2016, the world's first internet car Roewe RX5 was launched; In 2020, the premium smart electric brand IM Motors was established.

Running through this journey is the user philosophy "Understand Cars, Understand You Better" consistently upheld by SAIC. Understand cars is an ultimate pursuit of core technologies; understand you is the precise implementation of cutting-edge technology into an exquisite travel experience perceptible to users. Every leap is an advancement of "Understand Cars" capabilities and a continuous inheritance of the "Understand You" original aspiration.

The 100 Millionth Unit: IM LS9 Hyper, Condensing Over 70 Years of SAIC's Technical Achievements

The first 100 millionth delivery model, IM LS9 Hyper, is a masterpiece condensing over 70 years of SAIC's technical accumulation, ushering in a new era of the "New Three Major Components" for new energy vehicles. It is equipped with next-generation chassis technology, industry-leading full wire-controlled four-wheel steering; next-generation intelligent driving hardware, 520-line ultra-vision LiDAR + NVIDIA Thor chip, next-generation powertrain—full domain 800V high-voltage platform and Star Super Range Extender. It comprehensively pre-embedded redundant capabilities for continuous evolution towards L3 and above high-level intelligent driving. At the same time, IM LS9 Hyper is the first to equip SAIC Gold Badge Hurricane Tri-Motor, calmly joining the Performance 3-Second Club; it also co-launched "Intrinsic Security" technology with Purple Mountain Laboratory globally, extending the automobile safety boundary from "Physical Security" to "Information and System Security", a necessary security cornerstone of the AI era.

The 100 millionth user, Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, is precisely SAIC's core strategic partner in the intelligent driving field. The intelligent driving technology co-created in depth by both parties has empowered multiple independent and joint-venture brands. "Partners become car owners", not only a satisfactory delivery between manufacturer and user, but also a deep resonance among intelligent automotive ecosystem partners.

System Strength: Global Relay Delivery of SAIC's Full Brand Matrix

At the delivery ceremony scene, SAIC's full brands and full product matrix collaborated. Independent brands launched an all-out attack: Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, Roewe M7, MG4, Wuling Eksion (Starlight 560), MAXUS eDeliver 5 (Dasheng V1), Hongyan Heavy Truck, Yuejin Dasheng T1, SHAC Pure Electric Bus, IVECO Juxing EV, etc., were delivered successively, covering diverse scenarios such as personal travel, family life, commercial operations, and logistics transport. Joint-venture brands showcased their "Joint-Venture 2.0" results: Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X will be launched globally with Momenta R7 Reinforcement Learning World Model, exceeding 7,000 deliveries in one month of launch; AUDI E7X plans to become Audi's first globally launched model achieving L3 autonomous driving landing; Buick ZhiJing E7 is built on the "Xiaoyao" Super Fusion Architecture, exceeding 10,000 deliveries in one month of launch.

Starting from the Shanghai main venue, the delivery scenes continued to light up in multiple domestic cities such as Nanjing, Liuzhou, Taiyuan, and countries such as the UK, Indonesia, Singapore, creating a new narrative method for Chinese automobile brands. Behind this lies SAIC's profound foundation for global layout. SAIC is a pioneer of Chinese automotive enterprises "Going Global". Today, SAIC products and services are distributed in over 170 countries and regions, with overseas cumulative sales breaking 7 million units. SAIC MG has retained the title of European sales champion for Chinese brands for 11 consecutive years. In 2025, European annual sales broke 300,000 units, becoming the first Chinese automobile brand to exceed one million in cumulative sales in Europe and the UK. In 2025, SAIC released the overseas "Glocal Strategy" (Global + Local), accelerating the transition from "Product Going Global" to "Value Chain Going Global", letting "Chinese Intelligent Manufacturing" further go global.

100 million units is a phased answer of SAIC's 70 years of development, and is more importantly a new starting line for SAIC's "Second Startup" towards the intelligent and electric future.

On May 28, 2026, the "SAIC Motor Global 100 Millionth User Delivery Ceremony" was held at the World Living Room in North Bund, Shanghai. Over a dozen SAIC passenger car brands and 19 models achieved global linkage, crossing mountains and seas and spanning continents through the method of "Global Relay Delivery", making SAIC Motor the first Chinese automotive group to surpass 100 million cumulative production and sales, casting a new milestone for China's automotive industry.

From "Phoenix" to "IM": 100 Million Units Witness the Striving and Original Aspiration of China's Automotive Industry

In 1955, the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company was established, marking the start of Shanghai's automotive industry. In 1958, workers used hammers to forge the first "Phoenix" brand sedan, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in Shanghai's sedan manufacturing. Over the past seventy-plus years, SAIC has witnessed and driven the entire process of China's automotive industry from nothing to something, from weak to strong: In 1983, the Santana rolled off the line, opening joint venture cooperation; In 1997, Shanghai GM was established, creating the "Shanghai Speed" of 23 months from factory construction to vehicle delivery; In 2006, the independent brand Roewe was born; In 2016, the world's first Internet car Roewe RX5 was launched; In 2020, the high-end intelligent electric brand IM Motors was established.

Woven throughout this journey is SAIC's long-held user philosophy of "Understanding Cars, Understanding You Better". Understanding cars is the extreme pursuit of core technologies; understanding you is precisely landing every frontier technology into a perceivable and enjoyable travel experience for users. From the Santana localization community to Joint Venture 2.0 technology co-creation, from Internet cars to full-wire chassis, solid/semi-solid state batteries, and AI large models on vehicles — every leap is an advancement in the ability to "Understand Cars", and a continuation of the original aspiration to "Understand You". 100 Million units represent the concentrated realization of 100 million user trust.

100 Millionth Unit: IM LS9 Hyper, Gathering the Best of SAIC's 70+ Years of Technology

The first 100 millionth delivery vehicle, IM LS9 Hyper, is the culmination of SAIC's 70-plus years of technology accumulation, ushering in a new era of "New Three Major Components" for new energy vehicles. It is equipped with next-generation chassis technology, the industry-first full-wire controlled four-wheel steering; next-generation intelligent driving hardware, 520-line super-visibility LiDAR + NVIDIA Thor chip; next-generation three electrics — all-domain 800V high-voltage platform and Stellar Super Extended Range. It comprehensively pre-embedded redundant capabilities for continuous evolution towards L3 and above advanced intelligent driving. At the same time, IM LS9 Hyper is the first to adopt SAIC Gold Label Hurricane Tri-Motor, comfortably entering the Performance 3-second Club; it also jointly launched "Intrinsic Security" technology with Purple Mountain Laboratory with the world, extending the automotive safety boundary from "Physical Safety" to "Information and System Safety", a necessary safety foundation for the AI era.

The 100 millionth user, Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, is exactly SAIC's core strategic partner in the intelligent driving field. The intelligent driving technology deeply co-created by both sides has empowered multiple autonomous and joint venture brands. "Partners become Owners" is not only a satisfactory delivery between manufacturers and users, but also a deep resonance among smart vehicle ecosystem partners.

System Strength: Global Relay Delivery of SAIC's Full Brand Matrix

Behind the 100 million units is the full value chain closed loop of SAIC covering six sectors: passenger cars, parts, mobility and services, finance, international operations, and innovative technology. From January to April 2026, SAIC cumulatively sold 1.302 million units, ranking first in Chinese automotive sales for four consecutive months. Among them, independent brand sales reached 910,000 units, accounting for nearly 70%; New energy vehicle sales reached 412,000 units; Overseas market sales reached 459,000 units, up 50.2% year-over-year.

At the delivery ceremony site, SAIC's full brands and full product matrix collaborated. Independent brands attacked across the line: Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, Roewe M7, MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery Version, Wuling Starlight 560, MAXUS eDeliver5, Hongyan Heavy Truck, Yuejin Danake T1, SUNWIN Electric Bus, IVECO Juxing EV, etc. were delivered successively, covering diversified scenarios such as personal travel, family life, commercial operations, and logistics transportation. Joint venture brands concentrated on showcasing "Joint Venture 2.0" results: Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X will be globally launched with Momenta R7 Reinforcement Learning World Model; over one month after launch, deliveries exceeded 7,000 units; AUDI E7X plans to become Audi's first global vehicle to achieve L3-level autonomous driving landing; Buick Zhijing E7 is built based on the "Xiaoyao" Super Fusion Architecture, with delivery exceeding 10,000 units one month after launch.

Starting from the main venue in Shanghai, delivery scenes continued to light up in multiple domestic cities such as Nanjing, Liuzhou, Taiyuan, and in countries such as the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore, pioneering a new narrative mode for Chinese automotive brands. Behind this lies SAIC's deep foundation of global layout. SAIC is a pioneer in Chinese automotive enterprises "going out": possessing over 100 parts production bases overseas, over 3,000 dealer networks, built 3 major R&D innovation centers such as London, and 4 production manufacturing centers in Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan; Anji Logistics possesses 42 various types of RoRo ships, 8 international routes covering Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Nowadays, SAIC's products and services cover over 170 countries and regions, with cumulative overseas sales exceeding 7 million units. SAIC MG has ranked first in Chinese brands in Europe for 11 consecutive years; European annual sales exceeded 300,000 units in 2025, becoming the first Chinese automotive brand to exceed 1 million cumulative sales in Europe and the UK. In March this year, MG held a Technology Day in Frankfurt, Germany, globally launching semi-solid state batteries and Hybrid+ hybrid technology; the Hybrid+ family's overseas single-month sales have exceeded 20,000 units. In 2025, SAIC released the overseas "Glocal Strategy" (Global + Local), accelerating the shift from "Product Export" to "Value Chain Export", allowing "Made in China" to further move towards the world.

From "Understanding Cars" to "Understanding You": A Delivery Ceremony Where Users Take the Lead

The ultimate focus of "Understanding Cars, Understanding You Better" is the travel life of every real user. Luo Zhenyu, founder of DAPP, as the 001st Experience Officer of Huajing S, praised Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving in the year-end speech and then entered the factory to witness the off-the-line production; Former German league player Yang Chen chose ID.ERA 9X, as its golden extended range and long-termism coincided; After Cao Kailiang's whole family ordered a car, his idol Jay Chou happened to become the spokesperson for the Buick MPV family; Charity blogger Liu Jia cut hair and sent companionship for left-behind children in Guangxi mountains for five consecutive years; Buick provided immediate aid, and he was moved by the "Perfect Score Cabin" of Zhijing E7. From social media bloggers to village secretaries, from charity guardians to logistics enterprises — every user is a microcosm of real life, which is the most vivid interpretation of "Understanding Cars, Understanding You Better".

100 million units are a phased answer sheet for SAIC's 70-plus years of development, and even more a new starting line for SAIC to face the future of intelligence and electricity "Second Startup". In 2014, SAIC actively implemented the important instruction of "Developing New Energy Vehicles is the Only Way for China to Move from an Automotive Big Country to an Automotive Powerhouse", taking the lead in comprehensive transformation. Twelve years later, from the "Leading the Charge" of intelligence and electricity transformation to the "Ten Thousand Horses Galloping" of autonomous and joint venture, passenger and commercial, domestic and overseas, SAIC will continuously use the user philosophy of "Understanding Cars, Understanding You Better" to let technological innovation truly benefit every user.

From 1955 to 2026, from the first user to the 100 millionth user, from initial exploration to industry leadership — SAIC will continue to travel together with global users and global partners to create a new future of美好 travel.

That's right, China's first automaker to accumulate production and sales volume exceeding100 millionhas been born.

What does 100 million mean? If you built 1,000 units daily, it would take over 270 years. SAIC started from a small internal combustion engine parts factory in 1955, and it took 71 years to build this milestone.

In 1958, workers hammered out the first "Phoenix" sedan. Back then, not to mention intelligence, even air conditioning was a luxury.

What happened later? 1983 Santana manual assembly rolled off the line, opening the joint venture era; 1997 Shanghai GM built a factory and produced cars in 23 months, called "Shanghai Speed"; 2006 Roewe born; 2016 Roewe RX5 shouted "World's First Internet Car"; 2020 IM entered the high-end intelligent electric vehicle segment...

To be honest, SAIC's over 70 years is a microcosm of the Chinese automotive industry going from "knowing nothing" to "competing head-on."

And the thing I admire most is SAIC always has a slogan —"Understand Cars, Understand You Better".

Many think this is marketing talk, but look at what they do: early on, joint venture with global giants to build the supply chain system; in the intelligent-electrified era, deep synergy with domestic tech partners to push Large AI Models, Solid-state Batteries, and Full Wire-control Chassis onto cars.Understanding cars is hard tech; understanding you is turning hard tech into functions you enjoy using.

100 million cars is not just a number, it is100 million trusts. This is worth more than any parameter.

The 100 millionth unit is the IM LS9 Hyper, this car has some things

The first 100 millionth car delivered this time, is not Santana, not Wuling Hongguang, butIM LS9 Hyper.

I'll get straight to the point: Full Wire-control Four-Wheel Steering, 520-line LiDAR, Nvidia Thor Chip, Full-domain 800V, Star Super Extended Range... Take this config sheet out, any single one could be bragged about for half a year. It also first equips "SAIC Gold Label Hurricane Three-Motor", directly into the3-second Club.

Even more fierce, it collaborated with Purple Mountain Laboratories to develop "Intrinsic Security" technology, expanding safety from the physical level to the information and system level. Put simply,In the AI era, cars aren't just afraid of crashes, they're afraid of hacks. IM sealed this defense line solid.

Who is the 100 millionth owner?Momenta CEO Cao Xudong.

This is no coincidence. Momenta is SAIC's core intelligent driving partner, deep co-creation between both parties.Partners Become Owners, this delivery carries much more weight than a standard car handover ceremony — this is not a transaction, it is ecosystem resonance.

Behind 100 million cars is SAIC's"Full Suite" no one can copy

Don't think 100 million cars was achieved by one car. SAIC holdsSix Major Sectors: Vehicle, Parts, Mobility Services, Finance, International Operations, Innovation Tech. Full-chain closed loop, from R&D to selling cars to going overseas, they can even run the loop with themselves.

January-April this year, SAIC sold 1.302 million units, ranking first in China for four consecutive months. Among them, independent brands accounted forNearly 70%, New Energy 412,000 units, Overseas 459,000 units, up 50.2% year-on-year.

High Independent Share, Strong New Energy, Fast Overseas Expansion— with these three indicators shining simultaneously, across the domestic market, few can do it.

Look at the delivery site family photo: Independent brands have Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, Roewe M7, MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery version, Wuling Starlight 560... Commercial vehicles from Maxus to Hongyan to Sunwin, cover personal mobility, logistics transport, urban public transit completely.

Joint venture side is not giving in for nothing. Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X launched one month delivered 7,000 units, Buick Zhijing E7 exceeded 10,000 in one month. Note, these cars use SAIC's technology feedback —From "Market for Technology" to "Technology Export", SAIC's role flip is impressive.

Globalization is not just talk, SAIC really sells cars to over 170 countries

At the ceremony, delivery scenes connected Shanghai to London, Indonesia, Singapore... This is not just showboating. SAIC has over 100 parts bases overseas, 3,000+ dealership networks, raising 42 RoRo fleet Anji Logistics, 8 international routes covering global major markets.

MG in Europe has been China Brand Sales Champion for 11 consecutive years, sold over 300,000 units in 2025, becoming the first China Brand to accumulate over a million in Europe and UK. January-April this year, Europe alone sold 120,000 units, growth 22%.

And SAIC not only sells cars, Semi-Solid State Batteries, IM AD Intelligent Driving System, i-Smart Vehicle System all spread overseas.From Product Going Global to Value Chain Going Global, this move is fierce.

100 million units is a milestone, but not the end point. SAIC also said, this is the starting line of "Second Entrepreneurship". 2014 was the first to transform to New Energy, 12 years down, Independent, Joint Venture, Commercial, Overseas —A Thriving Boomsituation has emerged. The sentence I admire most is: "Understand Cars, Understand You Better". Tech is cool, if it doesn't land on users it's scrap. From social media bloggers to National Team Player Yang Chen, from London intern doctors to left-behind children welfare volunteers, every real story is the background color of these 100 million cars. So, don't just stare at numbers. After 100 million units, can SAIC continue "100 Million Mile Journey Together"? It depends on whether it can make the next 100 million users feel —This Automaker, Really Understands Me.

May 28, Shanghai North Bund World Living Room, SAIC Motor handed over an IM LS9 Hyper to Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. This special user is not only a core strategic partner of SAIC in the intelligent driving field but also has become SAIC's first 100 millionth global car owner. From 1958, when workers hammered out the first "Phoenix" brand sedan with hammers, to today when the 100,000,000th vehicle went off the assembly line, SAIC Motor has become the first automotive group in China to break 100 million cumulative production and sales. This is not just a leap in numbers, but also a microcosm of China's automotive industry moving from "scale expansion" to "quality leadership."

100 million vehicles is a periodic answer sheet for SAIC's 70 years of development history, and also a vivid footnote for China's automotive industry developing from nothing to something, from weak to strong. In 1955, the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company was established; in 1958, the first "Phoenix" brand sedan went off the line; in 1983, the Santana began the joint venture cooperation; in 1997, Shanghai GM created the "Shanghai Speed" of building a factory and producing vehicles in 23 months; in 2006, the independent brand Roewe was born; in 2016, the world's first Internet car was launched; in 2020, the high-end intelligent electric brand IM Motors was established. Running through this process is SAIC's role evolution from "joint venture cooperation" to "independent innovation" to "technology export". And the IM LS9 Hyper delivered as the first 100 millionth vehicle is a concentrated embodiment of this accumulated capability: full-line steer-by-wire four-wheel steering, 520-line LiDAR, NVIDIA Thor chip, all-domain 800V high-voltage platform, Gold Label Hurricane three-motor — these configurations point to the same signal: SAIC is participating in high-end market competition in a way that "technology defines luxury."

Behind 100 million vehicles is the synergistic effort of SAIC's full brand matrix. From January to April 2026, SAIC's cumulative sales reached 1.302 million units, ranking as the sales champion of Chinese car companies for four consecutive months. Among them, the sales share of independent brands was nearly 70%, new energy vehicle sales were 412,000 units, overseas market sales were 459,000 units, a year-on-year surge of 50.2%. From Shangjie Z7 to Wuling Starlight 560, from Roewe M7 to MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery version, from Hongyan Heavy Truck to Sunwin Electric Bus, independent brands cover all scenarios such as personal travel, commercial operations, and logistics transportation. The joint venture segment also revealed the periodic results of "Joint Venture 2.0": SAIC Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X delivery broke 7,000 units within one month of listing, entering the top three of large high-end SUVs over 300,000 with extended range; AUDI E7X plans to become Audi's first L3 level autonomous driving landed model worldwide; Buick Zhijing E7 delivery broke 100,000 units within one month of listing. Independent and joint ventures "flying together with two wings" is becoming SAIC's unique structural advantage distinguishing it from other car companies.

More noteworthy is SAIC's globalization rhythm. On the day of the delivery ceremony, the scene switched from the Shanghai main venue to Nanjing, Liuzhou, Taiyuan, and then to the UK, Indonesia, Singapore — this is an unprecedented narrative method for Chinese car brands. SAIC is a pioneer of Chinese car companies "going out": owning over 100 parts production bases overseas, over 3,000 dealer networks, building 3 major R&D innovation centers such as London and 4 production centers in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan; Anji Logistics owns 42 roll-on/roll-off ships, 8 international routes covering Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Products and services are distributed in over 170 countries and regions, with overseas cumulative sales breaking 7 million vehicles. MG has been the European sales champion of Chinese brands for 11 consecutive years; in 2025, European annual sales broke 300,000 units, becoming the first Chinese car brand to break 1 million cumulative sales in Europe and the UK. In 2025, SAIC released the overseas "Glocal Strategy" (Global + Local), accelerating the shift from "product going overseas" to "value chain going overseas".

100 million vehicles is a concentrated realization of 100 million users' trust. At the delivery site, Dedao APP founder Luo Zhenyu, as the first experience officer of Huajing S, went from praising Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving in the New Year's Eve lecture to entering the factory to witness the off-line; former German footballer Yang Chen chose ID.ERA 9X, because its golden extended range coincided with long-termism; charity blogger Liu Jia shaved the hair of left-behind children in mountain areas for five consecutive years, Buick provided assistance immediately, she was moved by Zhijing E7's "full score cockpit". These stories collectively point to SAIC's brand concept of "Understand Cars, Understand You" — understand cars is an extreme pursuit of core technology; understand you is landing technology into user-perceivable experiences.

From the first Phoenix brand in 1958 to the IM LS9 Hyper in 2026; from the first user to the first 100 millionth user; from joint venture cooperation to technology export — SAIC's 100 million vehicles is a witness of China's automotive industry from "bringing in" to "going out". When 100 million vehicles become history, the real challenge lies in: how to make the "gold content" of the next 100 million vehicles surpass the "quantity content". In the second half of smart electric vehicles, the deep construction of system capability, global layout, and user ecosystem will be the key to whether SAIC can move from "scale first" to "brand first".

May 28, 2026, Shanghai North Bund. When the key to the IM LS9 Hyper was handed to Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, SAIC Group officially achieved the milestone of "China's first production and sales volume exceeding 100 million".

100 million vehicles, this is not just a cold industrial data, but a vivid footnote to the Chinese automotive industry's journey from nothing to something, from weak to strong. From the hammering and clanging in the alleyways in 1955, people back then probably didn't think that over 70 years later, this "small alley" would make a splash with "100 million", which is simply a "comeback feel-good story" for Chinese cars.

Today, let's dig into how this "veteran top star" managed to reach its current status.

Looking back at SAIC's more than half-century history, there is only one feeling: this guy's "KPI" is set too accurately! While others were pushed by the times, SAIC was checking the stopwatch to grab the center stage. For every technological revolution, it seemed to have the answer in advance.

In the 1950s, it was a hardcore start with an improvised troupe. There were no high-tech equipment or returned technology experts at that time, only full of enthusiasm and a hammer. In 1958, workers hammered out the "Phoenix Brand" car under simple conditions. It's like others were still playing with mud, while SAIC started doing "handmade customization". Although the cars of that time might have been "thin skin and heavy filling", that stubborn "I want to build cars" will absolutely be the most hardcore declaration of that era.

In the 1980s, SAIC got on the "big leg" and completed a "comeback" on the way. At the opportunity of Reform and Opening-up, SAIC directly brought in Volkswagen. Once the Santana was out, who could compete? The Santana of that time was a synonym for "financial power". But what made SAIC awesome? It wasn't only about selling cars, it created a "Santana Localization Consortium" and revitalized the parts industry. This move not only made SAIC earn a fortune, but also set an example for the Chinese automotive industry.

After entering the 2000s, SAIC started with one hand "financial power" and the other hand "black tech". When others were still seeking survival in the fuel car niche, SAIC had already launched Roewe in 2006. In 2016, it partnered with Alibaba to launch the world's first Internet car Roewe RX5. At that time, competitors were still studying how to play CDs, while SAIC's cars were already browsing Taobao and chatting on WeChat. This "dimensionality reduction strike" directly gave SAIC the lead in the intelligent track.

Arriving in 2026, SAIC started to "serve up" technology and "bring down" prices. In the second half of intelligence, SAIC directly unleashed the "Tech Super Set": IM's full X-by-Wire chassis, Momenta's Smart Driving, Huawei's Qiankun, and even solid-state batteries were equipped (MG4 Semi-Solid Version).

What's most amazing is that SAIC put these configurations originally available on cars worth hundreds of thousands onto cars worth over 100,000. This is not car building, it is the practitioner of "tech democratization", allowing ordinary people to enjoy the happiness of "future cockpit".

Production and sales exceeding 100 million sound like a cold number, but after watching this delivery ceremony, I want to say: this is not just a delivery, it is clearly a global fan grand celebration! This lineup is simply an "All-Brand Cosplay Convention". From Shanghai to London, from Indonesia to Singapore, SAIC delivered dozens of models from its dozen of brands at once. This prestige is more of an auto show than an auto show.

In the high-end arena, it was big shots mutual praising, and the situation was once out of control. The 100 millionth owner was Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, this is called "two-way pursuit". IM LS9 Hyper was given to the tech big shot, Audi E7X was given to the fashion editor, this is called "professionals drive professional cars". Especially the IM LS9 Hyper, equipped with full X-by-Wire four-wheel steering and Nvidia Thor chip, this configuration is simply welding "future" onto the chassis.

In the home arena, SAIC showed a grounded side, and because it is grounded, it has the most confidence. Buick Zhijing E7 was given to charity blogger Liu Jia, Wuling Rongguang EV version was given to village party secretary Pang Fuqiang. Especially that village secretary, before he used a tricycle to deliver food, not only was it slow but also bumping. Now driving Wuling, he said directly "delivery efficiency is maxed out, waist doesn't hurt". Isn't this the best proof of "If the people need it, Wuling builds it"? This is the real "grounded, growing into a towering tree".

In the global arena, Chinese cars are also world cars. The British guy picked up MG4, the Indonesian international player drove off Wuling Starlight. The MG in Europe is now the sales champion, what does this show? It shows our cars are not only loved by Chinese people, but foreigners also think they are "trendy". SAIC's move of "going global" has simply turned "China Smart Manufacturing" into "Global Blockbuster".

From the perspective of automotive media, SAIC can sit firmly in this "100-Million Level" throne, not because of luck, but because of solid "hardcore strength".

First is strategic stability. Many car companies like to chase trends, PPT car building, and random name changes. SAIC started a comprehensive transformation to new energy in 2014, invested 150 billion in R&D, and this is how it has the "tech dividend" today. Long-termism is always the ace that beats speculation and shortcuts.

Secondly is an open mindset. SAIC never feels it can handle everything. Car building has Volkswagen and GM, smart driving pulls in Momenta, playing ecology holds hands with Huawei and Alibaba. This strategy of "you are responsible for being excellent, I am responsible for putting your excellence into the car" is highly efficient, simply the "best support".

Finally is the conscience bottom line. Whether it was the early Santana "absolutely no quality compromise", or the current Magic Cube Battery "zero spontaneous combustion", SAIC has always been "stubborn" in product control. In this era where you can buy abandoned buildings, reliability is the greatest luxury.

Of course, no one is perfect, neither are cars. We have to be objective and fair, can't just talk good. Although SAIC's delivery ceremony this time was going great, in daily product details, sometimes it will still be criticized for "aesthetic failure". For example, the design of some low-end models sometimes makes people feel "did the designer drink too much?". Also, in the iteration speed of the pure electric platform, sometimes it is chased a bit tightly by new forces, occasionally giving people the illusion of "rose early but arrived late". Of course, this is just my personal opinion, do not rage comment.

However, flaws don't obscure merit. Overall, in summary, SAIC's 70 years can be summarized in three words:Won Completely.

From 1955 to 2026, from Phoenix Brand to IM, SAIC's 70 years is a history of struggle, and also a "feel-good story". Everyone says the domestic automotive market is super competitive now, but for us consumers, the biggest winner is actually ourselves. Only because car companies compete fiercely, can we use less money to buy cooler cars! The next 100 million vehicles, let's wait and see!

When Wang Xiaoqiu handed the unique "100 Millionth Vehicle" premium customized car model from SAIC Group to Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, there was no deliberate emotional countdown on site, nor a constantly jumping digital screen.

That was a collector's commemorative car model specially created for the "100 Millionth Vehicle", quietly displayed under the spotlight. The camera panned over the scene, some raised phones to take photos, some clapped, and others chatted in whispers. Compared to the usual "milestone moments" of many companies, this ceremony seemed even somewhat restrained.

But precisely this restraint made the event of the "100 Millionth Vehicle" itself appear exceptionally authentic.

Because everyone knows, this is not just SAIC's "100 Millionth Vehicle", in a sense, it is also the "100 Millionth Vehicle" of the Chinese automotive industry.

From producing the first Phoenix sedan by the Huangpu River to Chinese carmakers crossing the "100 Million" threshold for the first time today, the Chinese automotive industry took over 70 years. Rather than "how far we've gone", what outsiders care about more is actually another question: After reaching today, where will the Chinese automotive industry go next?

This is also the true meaning of this delivery ceremony. It seemingly looks back at history, but in reality, it always discusses the future.

Industrial Changes Within a Delivery Ceremony

If you look closely at this livestream, you will find an interesting detail: it did not unfold in the manner of a traditional car launch event. There were no long-term data displays, nor dense parameter explanations. Instead, the entire livestream was more like a "relay" constantly switching scenes.

Shanghai, Liuzhou, London, Jakarta, Singapore... different brands, different models, different users, connected into the same narrative.

And these users are not just car buyers in the traditional sense. Some are tech bloggers, some are public welfare creators, some are overseas young users, some are logistics enterprises, and others are founders of intelligent driving companies.

This arrangement itself actually sufficiently explains the changes in the automotive industry today. In the past, cars were more standardized industrial products, but today, they are beginning to become an entry point connecting lifestyles, technology ecosystems, and intelligent capabilities.

So, why is the 100 Millionth Vehicle the IM LS9 Hyper?

Because it is not a model that solely emphasizes sales significance, nor is it an old car symbolizing "historical collection", but a smart electric vehicle representing SAIC's most core direction today.

It integrates not only new energy powertrains, but also intelligent driving, software architecture, AI interaction, and ecosystem synergy capabilities. In other words, SAIC did not keep the "100 Millionth Vehicle" merely as a tribute to the past, but clearly pointed it towards the future.

The Automotive Industry Is No Longer Traditional Manufacturing

During the livestream, SAIC Group Vice President and Chief Engineer Zu Shijie reviewed SAIC's 70-year development process. He actually did not over-emphasize the keyword "100 Millionth Vehicle", but summarized the whole process into three stages: exploration in the beginning before Reform and Opening-up, joint venture cooperation after Reform and Opening-up, and the development of independent brands starting around 2000.

From Phoenix, to Santana, to Roewe, MG, IM, this actually corresponds to the tasks of different stages of the Chinese automotive industry. First, it was building an industrial foundation; later, it was learning the modern automotive industry system; and subsequently, it was forming its own R&D, brand, and technology capabilities.

And today, the Chinese automotive industry has clearly entered a new stage. In this stage, the question is no longer "whether we can make cars", but: Who should ultimately define the car of the future?

And the various SAIC cars delivered during the livestream may be the answer given by SAIC.

They represent SAIC's judgment, and even the Chinese automotive industry's judgment on the direction of competition in the next stage: Intelligent electric vehicles are becoming a new core competitive field for car companies.

Automotive industry expert Zhao Fuquan said a sentence worth pondering repeatedly: "The automotive industry is no longer traditional manufacturing."

He said that the current automotive industry has changed from the originally simple upstream and downstream relationships into an ecosystemized industry. It involves not only manufacturing but also communication, transportation, urban construction, AI, and the integration of more intelligent industries.

This sentence is the core of the entire industry's change today.

In the past, the most important capabilities of a car were the engine, transmission, and chassis; later, it was the battery, motor, and electronic control; but today, what more and more consumers truly perceive has become intelligent driving, cockpit interaction, software experience, AI capabilities, and continuous OTA iterations of the whole vehicle.

Cars are turning from "mechanical products" into "smart terminals", and this change is also reshaping the automotive enterprises themselves.

Joint Venture 2.0, Not Just "Cooperation"

In the livestream, Zu Shijie said that after entering the intelligent electric era, SAIC's cooperation with global brands has entered the "co-creation" stage. This is actually very important, because for many years in the past, when outsiders talked about the Chinese automotive industry, they always mentioned a sentence: "Market for Technology".

But today, this logic has begun to change. The Chinese market is no longer just a place for global car companies to sell products; it is beginning to become a place to define products.

The reason is actually simple: the world's most complete new energy industry chain is in China; the most fierce intelligent driving competition is in China; the largest smart electric vehicle consumption market is also in China. Therefore, whether it is Volkswagen, Audi, or General Motors, they must all re-understand the Chinese market.

This change is already very obvious in the models delivered that day. AUDI E7X, Buick Zhijing Family, Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X. These products are no longer simple "global model localization" as in the past; they are increasingly deeply integrated into China's intelligent ecosystem, Chinese user needs, and Chinese technical capabilities.

So, talking about "Joint Ventures" today is actually not one-way input, but both parties jointly defining the next generation of products. In a sense, this is also a reflection of the changing position of the Chinese automotive industry.

In the past, the Chinese automotive industry was mostly "learning"; today, Chinese enterprises began to participate in "defining"; and in the future, the Chinese automotive industry will further participate in shaping global intelligent mobility rules and technology directions.

From "Scale" to "Capability"

Interestingly, in the livestream, whether it was Zu Shijie or several experts, they all repeatedly mentioned one word: Ecosystem.

Zu Shijie mentioned that SAIC and Huawei actually started cooperating very early, with a lot of communication since the 5G communication era. Later, with the development of intelligent cars, the cooperation between the two sides naturally became deeper and deeper.

He said that car products have already undergone great changes now; communication technology, internet technology, and electronics technology will all be used in cars. "No single company can do it all." Therefore, we need to jointly make the Chinese new energy intelligent car ecosystem well.

This sentence is actually very realistic. Because in the intelligent car era, it is already very difficult to rely on a single enterprise to build all capabilities.

In the past, traditional car companies were more like a closed system, with the core of competition being manufacturing scale and supply chain efficiency; but today, the automotive industry is becoming more like an open platform. Chips, AI, algorithms, software, cloud, maps, communication... every link requires a new collaborative relationship.

This also means that the Chinese automotive industry is moving from "scale competition" to "capability competition".

In the past years, the Chinese automotive industry has already proved one thing: China can build an automotive industry of world-class scale. The "100 Millionth Vehicle" itself is a concentrated embodiment of this industrial capability.

But today's problem has already changed. Next, the contest is no longer just output, sales, and market share, but who can establish truly sustainable technical capabilities; who can form a global brand; who can master the discourse power of the next generation of intelligent cars; and who can truly integrate manufacturing, software, AI, and ecosystem.

Therefore, today's competition is becoming less and less like the past "company versus company" competition, and more like "ecosystem versus ecosystem" competition. Who can organize more capabilities, who can form more efficient synergy, who can truly establish long-term advantages.

This is also why, the 100 Millionth User choosing Cao Xudong appears symbolic. Because it actually expresses: One of the most important competitive strengths of the future automotive industry is ecosystem capability. And the reason SAIC chose IM LS9 Hyper as the 100 Millionth Vehicle to deliver is precisely because it is itself a product of this capability system.

It is not the result of a single manufacturing capability, but the result of smart driving, AI algorithms, software platforms, supply chain systems, and user data collaborating together.

In a sense, it is more like a "mobile smart terminal", not just a car in the traditional sense.

This is also why, although the entire delivery ceremony constantly reviewed history, it always carried a strong sense of "futurity". Because today's Chinese automotive industry has already reached a new node.

The future will not arrive automatically; it is shaped through repeated technology iterations, industry synergies, and user choices.

May 28, 2026, SAIC Motor Milestone Celebration grandly opened at the Shanghai North Bund World Living Room, with the world's 100 millionth user officially completing delivery. With over 70 years of dedicated effort, SAIC Motor successfully became the first automotive manufacturer in China to achieve cumulative production and sales exceeding 100 million units, setting a new height for the development of China's automotive industry. This delivery event involved over ten full-vehicle brands and nineteen main models under SAIC Motor, marking a new milestone in the development of China's automotive industry through a global relay delivery format linking domestic and international regions and continents.

Seventy Years of Legacy Continuation: From Domestic Market Breakthrough to Leading the Era of Intelligent Electrification

SAIC Motor's development trajectory is a condensed history of China's automotive industry rising. The company traces its origins to the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company in 1955, with the first "Phoenix" sedan handcrafted in 1958, achieving a breakthrough in Shanghai's independent car manufacturing and starting the curtain on domestic car production. For over 70 years of hard work, SAIC Motor has always resonated with China's automotive industry, witnessing and promoting the industry's leap-and-bound transformation from nothing to something, from weak to strong, from following joint ventures to independent leadership.

Looking back on the development journey, every iteration of SAIC Motor has anchored industrial opportunities and closely tied to the pulse of the times: In 1983, the Santana went off the assembly line officially, opening a new era of domestic automotive joint ventures; In 1997, SAIC-GM went into production, creating a 23-month industry miracle of factory construction to vehicle output, casting the nationally renowned "Shanghai Speed"; In 2006, the independent high-end brand Roewe was heavily launched, blowing the horn for independent brands to break through upward; In 2016, the world's first mass-produced internet car Roewe RX5 was launched, leading the way for intelligent automotive transformation; In 2020, the high-end intelligent electric brand IM Motors was established, fully developing the new intelligent electric track, completing a strategic transformation to New Quality Productive Forces.

Cultivating the industry for decades, SAIC Motor has always adhered to the core brand concept of "Understands Cars, Knows You Better", insisting on dual empowerment through technical deep-dive and user-first. From joint efforts in Santanna localization to technology co-creation and win-win in the joint venture 2.0 era; from pioneering new internet car forms to the implementation and application of cutting-edge technologies such as full wire-control chassis, solid-state/semi-solid-state batteries, and in-car AI large models, SAIC Motor continues to convert hardcore technology into perceivable, implementable, and inclusive mobility experiences. The eye-catching performance of 100 million units of production and sales is the highest recognition of billions of users for SAIC Motor's quality and service, and the best witness of the brand's original intention and strength.

Million-Level Benchmark Heavy Delivery: IM LS9 Hyper Carries the Accumulation of Seventy Years of Technology

The 100 millionth vehicle delivered at this celebration is SAIC Motor's high-end flagship model, IM LS9 Hyper. This vehicle concentrates SAIC Motor's 70 years of car manufacturing technology accumulation, reconstructs the core configuration system for new energy vehicles, and opens a new era of the industry's "New Three Major Components", representing the culmination of SAIC Motor's technological iteration and quality upgrade.

In terms of core hardware and intelligent configuration, the IM LS9 Hyper is equipped with multiple first-in-class technologies: The full lineup comes standard with a full wire-control four-wheel steering system, paired with a 520-line Super-View LiDAR and NVIDIA Thor top-tier intelligent driving chip. It also carries a global 800V high-voltage platform and the Stellar Super Range-Extending System, with hardware pre-embedded for L3 and higher-level intelligent driving upgrade redundancy capabilities, bringing users a full-scenario, high-safety, and evolutive intelligent mobility experience. In terms of performance, the model is the first to be equipped with SAIC Gold Badge Hurricane Three-Motor, successfully entering the 3-second supercar performance tier. In the safety field, SAIC Motor partnered with Purple Mountain Laboratory to globally launch "Endogenous Security" technology for the first time, breaking traditional automotive safety boundaries and building a dual security system of physical protection + information protection, consolidating the security foundation of the AI intelligent mobility era.

It is worth noting that SAIC Motor's global 100 millionth owner is Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. As a core strategic partner in SAIC Motor's intelligent driving field, the two parties have long collaborated deeply and co-created technology, with jointly developed intelligent driving technology widely empowering the implementation of multiple brand models for SAIC Motor. This time, an industry partner changing into a brand user is not only a vivid demonstration of the results of their ecological co-building, but also interprets SAIC Motor's brand core of being technology-based and value symbiosis.

Full-Chain Synergy Global Layout: Hardcore Strength Fortifies Industry Leading Position

Behind the 100 million units production and sales milestone is SAIC Motor's hardcore strength of synergy across six business sectors and full value chain closed-loop operations. Relying on the linkage empowerment of six core sectors: complete vehicle manufacturing, core parts, mobility, automotive finance, global operations, and technological innovation, SAIC Motor has built a stable, complete, and sustainable industrial ecosystem system, providing solid support for continuously leading the industry.

Market data validates strong development momentum: In January to April 2026, SAIC Motor's cumulative sales reached 1.302 million units, ranking first in Chinese automaker sales for four consecutive months. Among them, domestic brand sales reached 910,000 units, accounting for nearly 70%, with a significant trend of domestic rise; New energy vehicle sales reached 412,000 units, highlighting the results of electrification transformation; Overseas market performance was particularly impressive, with cumulative sales of 459,000 units, a year-on-year significant growth of 50.2%, with rapid momentum of global development.

This delivery celebration had a complete lineup and numerous highlights, with SAIC Motor's domestic and joint venture brands fully launching and appearing together. Domestic brands Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, Roewe M7, MG4 Semi-Solid State Battery Version, Wuling Starlight 560, and other models comprehensively cover diverse mobility scenarios such as family, commuting, performance, and business; Joint venture brands Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X, AUDI E7X, Buick Zhijing E7, and other new models made a collective appearance, fully showcasing the new results of SAIC Motor joint venture 2.0 era technology co-creation and value upgrade. This delivery took Shanghai as the main venue, coordinating with domestic core production bases such as Nanjing and Liuzhou, synchronously linking key overseas markets such as the UK, Indonesia, and Singapore, launching global synchronous relay delivery, comprehensively highlighting SAIC Motor's deep foundation and systemic strength in global layout.

As a pioneer and leader in China's automotive going global, SAIC Motor has long established a perfect global industry system. Currently, it has laid out over 100 parts production bases, 3,000 terminal distribution outlets, built 3 overseas R&D centers, 4 overseas complete vehicle manufacturing centers, achieving full-chain localization operations of R&D, production, sales, and service. Relying on Anjie Logistics' 42 ro-ro ships and 8 international routes global logistics network, products and services cover over 170 countries and regions worldwide, with overseas cumulative sales breaking 7 million units. Among them, the MG brand has consecutively won the China Brand Europe sales champion for 11 years; In 2025, annual European sales broke 300,000 units, becoming the first Chinese automotive brand with cumulative sales exceeding one million in the UK and Europe markets, promoting China's automotive industry from single product export to technology export, brand export, and value chain export comprehensive upgrade.

Starting with a Billion for Second Entrepreneurship: Original Intention Reaches Far, Building a New Mobility Future Together

This delivery celebration always centered on users, with diverse guests including tech bloggers, industry experts, public welfare representatives, and domestic and overseas veteran car owners gathering on site; Every user's trust and choice is a vivid interpretation of SAIC Motor's original intention "Understands Cars, Knows You Better". For many years, SAIC Motor has always taken user demand as the core orientation, deep diving into technological innovation, refining product quality, and optimizing mobility services, allowing cutting-edge technology to walk out of the laboratory and truly benefit the public's mobility life.

The 100 million units production and sales achievement is SAIC Motor's glorious answer sheet of over 70 years of continuous cultivation, and more importantly, a brand new starting point for the brand moving towards a new journey. Standing at a new trend in industry development, SAIC Motor will take this milestone as an opportunity, launching a new journey of second entrepreneurship in the intelligent electrification era, and continuing to deep dive into the core tracks of automotive intelligence and electrification. In the future, SAIC Motor will rely on full value chain core strength, partner with global users and billion-strong partners to move forward together, continue to lead the transformation and upgrading of China's automotive industry, go global, and write a brand new chapter for the high-quality development of China's automotive industry.

May 28, 2026, Shanghai North Bund World Living Room. When the lights of the IM LS9 Hyper illuminated, when the scenes of global relay delivery were transmitted back to the main venue from London, Jakarta, Singapore, SAIC Motor Group officially became the first automotive group in the history of China's automotive industry to achieve cumulative production and sales of 100 million vehicles.

100 million vehicles, can be said to be SAIC Motor Group's "scorching memory" accumulated step by step over 70 years.

From 1958 when a hammer tapped out the Phoenix brand, to 2026 when the first 100 millionth IM LS9 Hyper went off the assembly line; from the tapping and banging of small alley factories to roaming across over 170 countries and regions worldwide. With original aspiration, craftsmanship, sincerity, unity, and ambition, SAIC has carved a mark unique to itself in the history of China's automotive industry development.

Original Aspiration — Adhering to Industry, Unwavering

What is a scorching original aspiration? It was 1958, when workers hammered out Phoenix brand cars bit by bit in an alley workshop.

Fenders were tapped by hand, roofs were tapped by hand, arms were swollen and couldn't be raised, but they gritted their teeth and hammered out the "zero breakthrough" in Shanghai's car manufacturing. In 1959, Premier Zhou tried the Phoenix brand and said: "It's still a problem of level!" This sentence became the motivation for SAIC people to keep catching up.

By the 1980s, during the assault on Santana localization, Comrade Zhu Rongji decided "Never engage in 'replacing vegetables'." SAIC gathered city-wide strength to crack key components, boosting localization rate from 2.7% to 80%, proving the quality of Chinese manufacturing with world standards.

In 1991, when Deng Xiaoping inspected Shanghai Volkswagen, he said with passion: "You can produce 1 million cars." At that time, no one expected that today SAIC Motor Group has already stood on the steps of 100 million vehicles.

And in today's intelligent electric wave, SAIC Motor Group still insists on self-developed semi-solid-state batteries, drive-by-wire steering, and Large AI Models. Build good cars, hold core technologies in your own hands — this original aspiration of serving the nation through industry has never cooled for 70 years.

The first 100 millionth IM LS9 Hyper is equipped with full drive-by-wire steering, NVIDIA Thor Chip, and endogenous security technology, which is exactly the echo of original aspiration in the new era.

Craftsmanship — Refine Quality, Polish Products

What is a scorching craftsmanship? It was during Santana localization, when German experts taught technology hand-in-hand, and Chinese workers learned technology day and night. Chinese and foreign employees respected each other and progressed together, only to polish a product that "jumped straight to international level".

In 1994, Comrade Wu Bangguo wrote an inscription for SAIC: "Strive for Perfection". These four words have become the imprint of SAIC's quality culture since then, carved into every component, every process, every vehicle.

In 1998, Yanfeng Company supplied bumpers for Shanghai General Motors. The first batch of products all met international standards, but the client raised higher requirements. Yanfeng leaders did not hesitate, and cut off that qualified bumper on the spot: "What the customer does not want must be cut off!" Three months later, more advanced technology was born. This near-obsessive pursuit of quality runs through SAIC Motor Group's 70-year manufacturing history.

Even entering the new energy era, that spirit of "Striving for Perfection" has never slackened. The development of Magic Cube Battery is a microcosm of this. To ensure safety, it underwent extreme tests with 6 times the national standard, maintaining a record of zero spontaneous combustion and zero thermal runaway since production, and in 2024 won the Second Class Award of National Science and Technology Progress.

From 60,000-level Roewe i6 to 500,000-level Cadillac Kaiweide, every car carries SAIC's craftsmanship heritage. MG4 globally launched semi-solid-state battery for the first time, Buick Zhijing E7 created "Children's Full Score Cockpit" — craftsmanship is the common language of all brands under SAIC Motor Group.

Sincerity — Give Back to Users, Trust is Not Failed

100 million vehicles mean 100 million times user choice, 100 million pieces of trust entrusted. Faced with this heavy trust, SAIC Motor Group responded with scorching sincerity. It used real "Technology Equity" to give the best technology to the most ordinary people. This is exactly SAIC Motor Group's core philosophy of "Knowing Cars and Knowing You": Knowing cars is the extreme pursuit of technology; knowing you is to land every piece of cutting-edge technology accurately into a perceptible and enjoyable beautiful mobility experience for users.

From 60,000-level Roewe i6 standard equipment with 8155 Chip and Doubao Large Model, to 150,000-level Hujing S standard equipment with Huawei Qianshun AD Pro ADS Pro Enhanced Version and HarmonyOS Cockpit, SAIC has changed high-level smart experience from luxury car exclusivity to mass standard. High-level intelligence is no longer tightly bound to high prices, this is that sincerity of knowing you landing.

Consumers responded with choices. Luo Zhenyu, founder of GetApp, became the 001st Experience Officer of Hujing S, charity blogger Liu Jia was gifted Zhijing E7 for protecting mountain children, former national player Yang Chen, London intern doctor Natalia, family Cao Kailiang... Every user story is saying the same sentence: "You understand me."

Behind 100 million vehicles are 100 million such voices. SAIC Motor Group used sincerity to turn "Knowing You" from an exclamation into a daily routine.

Unity — Join Forces Together, A Wall of Strength

What is scorching unity? It was the Santana era, Chinese and foreign employees exchanged coffee, celebrated New Year together. German experts taught technology, Chinese workers learned technology, respecting each other and progressing together. "Shared Beauty" has been written into SAIC Motor Group's genes since then.

SAIC Motor Group never builds "Ecological Islands".

From the Santana localization community in the 1980s to renewing with Volkswagen early in 2024 until 2040, opening the Joint Venture 2.0 era; from launching Shangjie with Huawei, co-creating smart driving deeply with Momenta, to building Internet cars with Ali Zebrant, cooperating with ByteDance Doubao for Large AI Models, making phone-vehicle interconnection with OPPO — SAIC's ecosystem is like a grassland with ten thousand horses galloping, inclusive of all runners.

The 100 millionth user was precisely Momenta CEO Cao Xudong. Partners became car owners, not a coincidence, but the most vivid proof of "Unity".

Cao Xudong said: "IM and Momenta have been 'Founding Lighthouse Partners' from the very beginning of brand birth, back-to-back, heart-to-heart." Now, Audi E7X will become Audi's globally first vehicle to implement L3 Level Autonomous Driving landing. ID.ERA 9X globally launched first with Momenta R7 Reinforcement Learning World Model. Unity allows SAIC to go from "Running Behind" to "Running Side-by-Side", then to "Defining Standards".

Ambition — Innovate and Open Up, Embark on a New Journey

What is scorching ambition? In 2014, when State Leaders inspected SAIC Motor Group, they pointed out: "Developing New Energy Vehicles is the only way for China to move from a big automotive country to a powerful automotive country." This sentence pointed the direction for SAIC Motor Group — not only to get bigger and stronger in China, but more to walk into the center of the world stage. Twelve years later, SAIC Motor Group gave the loudest answer with 100 million vehicles.

Along this road, SAIC Motor Group released the overseas "Glocal Strategy" in 2025 — Global + Local, moving from single product export to systematic globalization, deep localization, and full-scenario commercial solution output. From "Borrowing Ships" to "Building Ships", from "Product Going Overseas" to "Value Chain Going Overseas", every step is widening the boundaries of ambition.

Now, ambition bears fruits. MG has been champion of Chinese brands in Europe for 11 consecutive years. In 2025, European annual sales broke 300,000 vehicles, becoming the first Chinese automotive brand to break one million cumulative sales in Europe.

Anji Logistics owns 42 RoRo ships, 8 international routes covering Southeast Asia, Europe, Americas — Chinese cars finally have their own "Ocean Fleet".

Semi-solid-state battery, Hybrid+ Hybrid Technology globally launched for the first time, won high praise from European media in Frankfurt, technology began to output in reverse.

And the first 100 millionth delivered IM LS9 Hyper is the collector of this ambition. It is not the end, but the starting line of SAIC Motor Group's "Second Startup".

In January-April 2026, SAIC Motor Group's overseas sales rose 50.2% year-on-year, it used solid growth to drive "Chinese Intelligence Manufacturing" to every corner of the world.

Conclusion

100 million vehicles, SAIC Motor Group used 70 years to write the most heavy stroke in China's automotive industry. And these five hearts are the simple base color displayed by this enterprise.

Numbers will be constantly refreshed, but the 70-year gathered scorching record of "100 Million" is enough to illuminate every journey in the next 100 million.

Standing at the new starting point of 100 million vehicles, SAIC Motor Group's story has just turned a new chapter.