SAIC Motor announced on May 10 that the group sold 360,000 vehicles in April, leading the industry, with its trio of self-owned brands, new energy vehicles (NEVs) and overseas markets fueling much of the growth. Sales of self-owned brands hit 216,000 units, accounting for over 60 percent of the company’s total sales. NEVs sales reached 75,000, up 9.3 percent year-on-year. Overseas sales maintained their industry-leading position, increasing year-on-year by 2.7 percent to 92,000 units.
NEVs sales maintained steady growth. In April, SAIC Motor sold 75,000 NEVs, a year-on-year increase of 9.3 percent, while cumulative NEV sales from January to April reached 285,000 units, up 35.4 percent year-on-year and ranking second among Chinese automakers. IM Motors saw its sales volume rise by 49.3 percent year-on-year, with its game-changing IM L6 garnering 21,000 orders and is set for market and delivery on May 13. SAIC Motor’s Roewe D7 DMH retained the second spot among plug-in hybrid sedans for the fourth consecutive month. MG Cyberster, the world’s first open-top electric sports car, secured a top 3 position among its counterparts for the fifth month in a row. SAIC Volkswagen saw NEV sales jump 56 percent compared to last year, exceeding 10,000 units, with its ID series leading the charge. SAIC General Motors delivered nearly 9,000 NEVs, marking a whopping growth rate of 93.1 percent compared to the same period last year. The new Buick GL8 PHEV received over 10,000 orders within 72 hours of its market debut. Sales of SAIC-GM-Wuling NEVs exceeded 40,000 units, up 65.9 percent year-on-year.
Overseas markets continued to take the lead. In April, SAIC Motor sold 92,000 vehicles outside China, up 2.7 percent year-on-year to lead the company’s Chinese peers. The MG brand continued its impressive performance in the European market by selling more than 60,000 vehicles from January to April, while replacing Porsche as the major sponsor of the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. This world’s most prestigious, largest and oldest auto extravaganza will roll out in July, with the centenary brand MG Motor headlining the event with its legendary Central Feature. The globally renowned automotive designer Jozef Kabaň, creator of the Bugatti Veyron supercar, who also served as Audi’s former exterior chief designer, and the former design director of top auto brands such as BMW, Rolls Royce and Volkswagen, was officially appointed as the Global Design Vice President of the design center at the SAIC Motor R&D Innovation Headquarter (SRIH). Jozef Kabaň will enhance SAIC Motor’s design competitiveness and international standards, offering improved vehicle models to global consumers and accelerating the company’s expansion in global markets.