SAIC Motor: 5 facts you need know about the first Chinese carmaker coming to India

SAIC Motor is not an unknown Chinese automaker as you may think. It's a global firm with a presence in every continent where human lives.

SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, the largest automobile giant in China, has announced its plan to enter the Indian automobile market through a fully-owned car manufacturing facility last month. The Chinese state-owned automotive design and manufacturing company, headquartered in Shanghai, will launch cars under MG brand.

Also read: China's SAIC Motor to enter India by selling cars under MG brand

MG is a British brand that SAIC acquired from Chinese firm Nanjing Automobile about a decade ago. SAIC has also appointed former GM India CEO Rajeev Chaba and another GM veteran, P Balendran to lead the preliminary works ahead of the market entry expected in 2019.

If everything goes as planned, SAIC will be the first Chinese automaker entering India, which is earmarked to become the world's No. 3 automobile market in 2020. Here are the top five facts about SAIC that will give a better and broadened idea on what they are and what they could do in India.

1. SAIC Motor will be launching vehicles in India under MG brand. But that's not the only brand under its global umbrella. SAIC also owns Roewe and Maxus brands, and has partnerships with Volkswagen and General Motors.

2. SAIC has an annual turnover of over USD 100 billion which is roughly around Rs 631,700 crore. The company was at the 461st place in Annual Fortune Global 500 list ranking in 2004. By 2016, it has jumped to 46th rank on the list.

3. The Chinese auto giant, through its subsidiaries and partnerships around the world, sold a whopping 6,488,867 vehicles in the calendar year 2016. To put it into perspective, Indian domestic automobile market sales in FY 2016-17 were 3,760,959 vehicles (passenger and commercial vehicles combined). The numbers make it clear why they are called auto giant.

MG GS, SAIC, MG motor india — MG GSFacebook/ MG

4. Calling SAIC Motor as Chinese brand is factually incorrect. It has set up business networks in Europe, North America, South America, ASEAN, Africa and Australia. SAIC Motor also has 73 overseas car parts facilities, which supply products to developed markets such as the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

5. SAIC Motor has recently launched 'internet car' in collaboration with Alibaba. The term internet car refers to the Internet of Things (IoT) where everything is connected; your smartphone with your car, your car with your home, and your home with your phone. The technology is set to become a new milestone in the global automotive industry.