SAIC said it is in the process of selecting sites for its European vehicle manufacturing bases. The carmaker currently has four overseas vehicle manufacturing sites, and it sold 733,140 vehicles overseas in the January-August period.
SAIC Motor Corp expects to sell more than 1.2 million units in overseas markets in 2023, and the company has initiated a site search for a vehicle manufacturing base in Europe.
SAIC's MG brand held a global dealer conference in London yesterday, the first time it has been held overseas, at which SAIC demonstrated its "global ambitions," the automaker said today.
In August, SAIC's export and overseas base sales were 102,646 units, up 1.79 percent year-on-year and up 5.74 percent from July, according to figures it released earlier this month.
In the January-August period, the figure stood at 733,140 units, up 26.44 percent year-on-year. For the full year 2022, SAIC sold 1,017,459 vehicles overseas, making it the first Chinese automaker to sell more than 1 million vehicles overseas.
(Image credit: SAIC)
Currently, SAIC has 3 R&D centers overseas -- Silicon Valley, London, and Tel Aviv -- and 4 vehicle manufacturing bases in Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan.
By 2024, the MG brand aims to achieve annual global sales of 1 million vehicles, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounting for nearly 30 percent, SAIC said today.
China's first convertible electric coupe, the MG Cyberster, will go on sale in Europe in 2024, the company said.
By 2025, SAIC will launch 14 electric models overseas, including the LS6 SUV from sub-brand IM Motors, covering mainstream segments, it said.
By 2026, SAIC will add a total of 12 new energy ocean carriers, which will add more than 500,000 units of self-operated capacity per year by then, it said.
On August 29, SAIC said Jiangnan Shipyard officially launched the first ocean-going car carrier customized for it, an LNG dual-fuel ro-ro vessel with 7,600 car seats.
The vessel will enter service next year and is planned to be used mainly on European routes and the upcoming route to Australia and New Zealand, SAIC said at the time.
A total of 12 new ocean carriers capable of carrying 7,600, 7,800, and 9,000 vehicles will be added to SAIC Anji Logistics' fleet of ocean-going vessels between 2024 and 2026, the carmaker said.
Anji Logistics is the world's largest automotive logistics company, with a distribution network covering nearly 600 cities in China and more than 100 countries overseas, and an annual shipment capacity of up to 10 million vehicles, SAIC previously said.
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