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Industry View > The veteran industry leader reclaims the sales crown, driving industry-wide transformation and leading a profound reshaping of the sector!
Keywords: Radical self-reform to overcome challenges, autonomous surge to the top, explosive growth in new energy, and a dual strategy of partnering with overseas ventures to dominate global markets.
440,000 vehicles! In September 2025, SAIC Motor decisively ended BYD’s streak of consecutive monthly sales victories, reclaiming its position as the leader in China’s auto market with a commanding lead—surpassing BYD by over 43,700 units.
The Chinese auto market witnessed a dramatic reshaping of its competitive landscape in September 2025. SAIC Motor achieved a single-month sales volume exceeding 440,000 vehicles, marking a year-on-year increase of more than 40% and a month-on-month rise of 21%. This impressive performance not only restored SAIC to the industry’s top spot but also marked the brand’s ninth consecutive monthly sales growth since January of this year.
01 The Comeback: A Bold Reform to Break Through Challenges
SAIC Motor’s triumphant return to the sales summit was no accident. From hitting rock bottom in 2024—a year when its annual sales plummeted by 20% to just 4.01 million vehicles—to staging an extraordinary rebound in 2025, SAIC has embarked on a transformative journey fueled by deep-seated reforms. In 2024, BYD had shattered SAIC’s 18-year reign as the market leader, capturing the annual sales crown with 4.27 million vehicles. At the time, SAIC’s total annual sales stood at a disappointing 4.01 million units, representing a steep 20% drop compared to the previous year and placing immense pressure on the company.
Stepping into the role of crisis manager, SAIC Group President Jia Jianxu adopted an unwavering determination—“If we don’t die trying, we’ll push ourselves to the brink.” This mindset ignited a “radical self-reform” aimed at revitalizing the company. Jia spearheaded a comprehensive restructuring of SAIC’s “Great Autonomy” framework, personally taking on the role of General Manager of the Passenger Vehicle Business Unit. Under his leadership, once-scattered brands like Roewe, MG, Wuling, and IM were unified under a cohesive management structure. Addressing internal inefficiencies that had long plagued the company, Jia delivered a candid message during a mid-2024 executive meeting: “From 2019 until now, our greatest waste hasn’t been money—it’s been time.”
02 Autonomous Sector Rising Strongly Across the Board
In September, SAIC’s autonomous brands collectively sold 294,000 vehicles, soaring 50.4% year-on-year and accounting for 64% of the group’s total sales. These independent brands have become the cornerstone of SAIC’s resurgence, driving the company back to the top of the market. SAIC’s diverse portfolio of brands is now delivering synergistic growth, creating a powerful “family bucket” effect across the board.
IM Motors continues to anchor SAIC’s premium segment with its L2-L4 level full-stack mass-production intelligent driving capabilities, while the latest IM LS6 model has already garnered overwhelming pre-orders upon launch. Meanwhile, the MG brand leverages its youthful appeal and global heritage, with the 2026 Cyberster and other cutting-edge models continuing to captivate international audiences; the all-new MG4, for instance, exceeded 10,000 units in monthly deliveries. On the other hand, SAIC-GM-Wuling maintains its stronghold in the lower-tier markets, achieving robust sales of 106,000 new-energy vehicles in September alone.
The explosive growth of SAIC’s new-energy sector has been particularly pivotal. In September, the company’s new-energy vehicle sales neared 190,000 units, up 46.5% year-on-year—the highest-ever monthly figure in the brand’s history. Over the first three quarters, cumulative sales of SAIC’s new-energy vehicles surpassed 1.083 million units, representing a remarkable 44.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
03 Joint Ventures and Global Expansion Fuel Growth
While strengthening its autonomous brands, SAIC Motor has also successfully reinvigorated its joint-venture partnerships. In September, SAIC Volkswagen recorded terminal sales of 91,300 vehicles, up 1.4% from the previous month, while SAIC-GM’s new-energy vehicle sales surged by 82.3% year-on-year, with the Buick Excelle L7 continuing to attract strong customer interest. Notably, SAIC’s strategic collaboration with Volkswagen and Audi has yielded significant results. The two companies recently extended their joint venture agreement through 2040, with plans to jointly develop 18 new-energy models in the coming years.
Meanwhile, SAIC’s overseas expansion has opened up unique opportunities for growth. In September, the company exported 101,000 vehicles, a 12.2% increase year-on-year, bringing its total exports for the first three quarters to 765,000 units. As China’s most globally active automaker, SAIC has mastered the delicate balance between global outreach and local adaptation through its “Glocalization Strategy.” In Europe, despite facing a hefty 35.3% tariff surcharge, the MG brand managed to achieve a remarkable 59.4% year-on-year sales growth, defying market headwinds.
04 Balancing Tech Leadership with Open Collaboration
In response to the rapid shifts toward electrification and intelligent mobility, SAIC Motor has adopted a dual-track technology strategy: “in-house R&D combined with ecosystem partnerships.” On the R&D front, the company is relentlessly advancing its “Seven Major Technology Platforms 2.0,” accelerating the commercialization of cutting-edge innovations such as solid-state batteries, digital chassis systems, and advanced smart cockpit technologies.
During the company’s first Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting in 2024, Jia Jianxu revealed that SAIC has initiated a “500-day production plan” for solid-state batteries, targeting mass production by 2026. Simultaneously, SAIC has embraced an open approach, actively collaborating with industry leaders. Earlier in 2025, the company inked a deep partnership with Huawei to co-develop a groundbreaking new electric vehicle brand named “Shangjie.” The inaugural Shangjie H5 model, equipped with Huawei’s advanced ADS4 driver-assistance system, is priced competitively between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan. Within just one hour of its launch, orders exceeded 10,000 units, quickly becoming a blockbuster hit that has captured widespread attention.
05 Shifting Industry Dynamics: A New Era of Competition
SAIC’s return to the sales summit has intensified competition with BYD, putting direct pressure on the latter. In September, BYD experienced its first year-on-year sales decline of the year, with its new-energy market share slipping below 28%, down from 33% earlier in the year. A key factor behind this downturn was BYD’s growing competition in the 100,000–200,000 yuan price range, where it faced increasing pressure from emerging brands like Leapmotor and XPeng. Looking at cumulative sales figures, BYD has tallied 3.26 million vehicles through the first nine months of the year, representing a 18.6% year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, SAIC Motor has reported 3.193 million vehicles delivered during the same period, reflecting a robust 20.5% growth. With the gap narrowing to just 67,000 units, the battle for the annual sales title has become fiercely competitive, leaving the outcome uncertain.
Beyond the intense rivalry between SAIC and BYD for the top two spots, the broader industry landscape is undergoing significant transformation. For instance, Chery Group surged past Geely in September, claiming fourth place with monthly sales of 280,000 vehicles. This shift underscores the rising dominance of Chinese brands in the domestic market. Data reveals that Chinese automotive brands now account for 68.5% of total sales in the first half of 2025, edging closer to the critical 70% threshold that could redefine the industry’s dynamics.
SAIC and BYD’s ongoing sales showdown—from BYD’s sustained lead in 2024 to SAIC’s temporary comeback in March 2025 and finally to SAIC’s resounding resurgence in September—marks a pivotal moment in China’s auto industry. It signals that competition is no longer centered solely around the early-mover advantage in new-energy vehicles, but rather has expanded to encompass a broader spectrum of strategies: from comprehensive product portfolios and global market expansion to systemic organizational reforms.
SAIC Group President Jia Jianxu aptly described this transformative journey as “breaking free from its shell to be reborn.” At its core, this approach doesn’t simply reject the traditional path of tech-heavy vehicle manufacturing; instead, it reflects a deeper, more thoughtful question: What is the ultimate goal of achieving equitable access to mobility for all? For automakers navigating today’s turbulent industry landscape, SAIC’s ascent offers a compelling blueprint for how established giants can reinvent themselves—balancing innovation with collaboration while staying true to their foundational strengths.
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