SAIC Motor works to accelerate intelligent, digital manufacturing

Moreover, through the synergy of intelligent equipment and digital platforms, the base achieved a 2 percent increase in production start rates, a 5 units per hour boost in hourly outputs, and an overall efficiency enhancement exceeding 10 percent.

Underpinning this intelligent manufacturing transformation is SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle's development of cutting-edge technology platforms empowered by SAIC Group's investments across three core technology paths — pure electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell.

"These include three vehicle technology platforms — a pure electric dedicated serialized platform, an electromechanical integrated architecture and a hydrogen-dedicated architecture," explained Xu Lu, chief operating officer of SAIC's Innovation Research and Development Institute. "They also encompass four key system technology platforms covering batteries, electric drives, powertrains and intelligent vehicle solutions."

Among them, SAIC's electric dedicated serialized platform is the first of its kind in China and can be applied to multiple vehicle varieties and levels, including sports cars, SUVs and MPVs.

One example is the MG4 EV developed based on the electric dedicated serialized platform. This model became the first Chinese electric vehicle to achieve cumulative overseas sales exceeding 140,000 units, securing its position as the bestselling compact pure electric vehicle in Europe.

"NEVs represent the future direction of automotive transformation, which SAIC must adhere to," Xu said.

In 2023, Shanghai's automotive production volume reached 2.156 million vehicles, accounting for 4.8 percent of China's total. NEV production totaled 1.287 million, representing 13.4 percent of the national total, with a production value of 387.6 billion yuan ($53.5 billion), up 32.1 percent year-on-year.