China's SAIC Motor Corporation To Leverage Technology Prowess To Make Cars In India

SAIC Motor Corporation, the biggest vehicle manufacturer in China, will soon be starting operations in India through MG Motor India, its fully owned subsidiary. SAIC, which has acquired a massive technological prowess through its various acquisitions and strategic alliances, is expected to leverage the same for making cars in India.

- P. Tharyan

In 2017, SAIC Motor Corporation sold 6.93 million vehicles, which included 6.19 million passenger vehicles and 742,000 units of commercial vehicles.

SAIC has several strategic tie ups with global brands, the big ones being one with General Motors (SAIC-GM) and the other with Volkswagen (SAIC Volkswagen). SAIC’s passenger car division produces and sells cars under the MG and Roewe brands. The Roewe brand of cars is sold primarily in China, while MG brand has a global appeal.

MG and Roewe are both interchangeable brands of SAIC Motor Corporation. Post the success of Roewe in mainstream Chinese automotive market, SAIC aims to share its technologies with the MG brand.

SAIC also has a commercial vehicle-making company that makes CVs under the Maxus brand name. Shanghai General Motors Wuling (SGMW) is a joint venture between SAIC Motor, General Motors, and Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co Ltd. The company makes commercial vehicles sold in China under the Wuling brand as well as premium cars under the Baojun brand. Other SAIC affiliates include NAVECO, SAIC-IVECO Hongyan and Shanghai Sunwin Bus Corp (SUNWIN).

MG Motor India President & Managing Director Rajeev Chaba told visiting Indian journalists to China that these different tie ups have “developed common platforms”. “We are going to choose one these platforms which we think is appropriate and will put an MG skin on it, MG DNA with UK designers. Lots of features of the new SUV to be launched in India will be inspired from these vehicles,” Chaba said.

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