On May 28, 2026, SAIC Group became the first automobile group in China to achieve cumulative production and sales exceeding 100 million vehicles.
From the Phoenix brand forged by hammers in 1958 to the IM LS9 Hyper delivered to Momenta CEO Cao Xudong, over seventy years, 100 million vehicles.
This result holds extremely significant meaning in the history of the Chinese automotive industry.
However, today we not only look at the numbers but also study the three assets hidden behind these 100 million vehicles: Time, Space, and Future.
These three assets correspond exactly to the two core concepts in the "I Ching" — Time and Position.
Time is "Time", Space is "Position". Whether a person or a company can succeed depends on two points: is the timing right, is the position stable.
And Future is the dynamic combination of "Time" and "Position", doing the right things continuously within the correct spatio-temporal coordinates.
We use the 13th Hexagram of the "I Ching", "Heaven and Fire: Fellowship", to break it down. The Fellowship hexagram talks about gathering hearts and breaking through obstacles. The judgment says: "Fellowship in the open, success. Beneficial to cross the great water."
Holding the triple assets of Time, Position, and Future, how does SAIC aggregate them to play the real breaking card?
First Asset: Time — Proof of Crossing the Cycle
Time is not worn down by waiting, it is forged through testing
100 million vehicles are, first and foremost, an accumulation of time. But time itself does not represent value; true value is demonstrated within time.
SAIC's history is extremely glorious.
In 1958, workers hammered out the first Phoenix brand sedan, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in Shanghai car manufacturing. In 1983, the Santana went off the line, opening a new phase of Sino-foreign joint cooperation in the Chinese automotive industry. In 1997, Shanghai General Motors was established. In 23 months, a factory was built and cars produced, creating the "Shanghai Speed".
In 2006, the independent brand Roewe was born. In 2016, the world's first Internet car Roewe RX5 was launched. In 2020, the high-end smart electric brand IM Motors was established.
These time nodes indicate that SAIC did not survive by relying on a single trend. In the fuel vehicle era, it set a benchmark for localization; in the Internet car era, it was the first to define smart connectivity; in the smart electric era, it presented all-electronic chassis and endogenous safety technology.
With every technological change and every round of market reshuffling, SAIC kept up and even led. Crossing the cycle is not luck; it is capability.
"Time" in the "I Ching": When the timing is right, effort is doubled with half the result
The "I Ching" emphasizes "Time" the most. Every hexagram, every line asks: Is this timing right?
SAIC's history proves this enterprise understands "Time". It seized the timing of joint venture opening with the Santana. It seized the timing of Internet cars with the Roewe RX5. It seized the timing of smart electrification with the layout of IM.
But "Time" is not static. The 100 million vehicles represent that at the gateway of every era, SAIC made the right choices; this is the true gold content of time assets.
Shanghai's geographical location represents not just "Position" but also hides a time dividend.
SAIC's products and services cover over 170 countries and regions, with cumulative overseas sales exceeding 7 million vehicles.
Why is it SAIC? Because it is in Shanghai. Shanghai is the window for opening up to the outside world earliest in China, a gathering point for finance, talent, and ports. Since its inception, SAIC has stood on the front line of connecting the Chinese automotive industry with the international community.
This is not accidental; the geographical location gave SAIC a time-based first-mover advantage. When other car companies were still learning how to make cars, SAIC was already negotiating joint ventures with Volkswagen and GM. When other car companies began going overseas, SAIC's MG had already ranked first among Chinese brands in Europe for 11 consecutive years.
Time assets are SAIC's first moat.
Second Asset: Space — Deep Accumulation of Industry Chain and Users
Space is not just a venue, but the breadth and depth of layout
100 million vehicles are not just a number, but a huge net. This net has two dimensions: Industry Chain Space and User Space.
First, industry chain space. SAIC does not just make cars; it covers six major sectors: Vehicles, Parts, Mobility and Services, Finance, International Operations, and Innovation Technology, forming a full value chain closed loop.
Among them, Anji Logistics owns 42 Ro-Ro vessels of various types, with 8 international routes covering Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Overseas, there are over 100 parts production bases, over 3,000 dealer networks, 3 major R&D innovation centers including London, and 4 production and manufacturing centers in Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan.
This full industry chain layout is far ahead domestically. From R&D to production, logistics to sales, finance to services, SAIC can run the entire link itself.
"Position" in the "I Ching": When the position is right, potential energy comes naturally
The "I Ching" also emphasizes "Position". Where each line is located determines its function and risk.
Where is SAIC's "Position"? First, Shanghai as a global coordinate; second, the full industry chain as an industry coordinate. Shanghai gave it the advantage of openness, and the full industry chain gave it risk resistance capabilities.
From January to April 2026, SAIC cumulative sales reached 1.302 million vehicles, ranking first among Chinese car companies for four consecutive months. Independent brands accounted for nearly 70%. This shows that SAIC's growth has switched from joint venture-driven to the three-horse carriage of Independent + New Energy + Overseas.
This "Position" has changed. In the past, SAIC's position was "Joint Venture Leader"; now it is "Independent + Overseas Leader". The conversion of position determines the conversion of tactics.
User Space: Behind 100 Million Vehicles is 100 Million Trusts
Next, user space.
100 million vehicles mean 100 million car owners. Behind each owner is a family, friends, and social circle.
SAIC has many user stories: Dedao APP founder Luo Zhenyu became the 001st Experience Officer for Huajing S; former German player Yang Chen chose the ID.ERA 9X; Cao Kailiang's family booked a car and found out their idol Jay Chou happened to be a Buick spokesperson; public welfare blogger Liu Jia was moved by Buick Zhijing E7's "Full Score Cockpit".
These stories explain one thing: Users are not cold numbers. 100 million deliveries are 100 million trust establishments.
Trust is a fusion asset of space and time. It cannot be bought with money; it is saved bit by bit over more than seventy years. In a crowded market, prices can be copied, configurations can be stacked, but trust cannot be copied.
Third Asset: Future — Continuous Investment Led by Innovation
Future is not waited for; it is a grand plan laid out in advance.
100 million vehicles are the past; SAIC is not resting on its laurels. Future assets are reflected in the layout done today.
IM LS9 Hyper is equipped with next-generation chassis technology, first-in-class all-electronic four-wheel steering. 520-line super-vision LiDAR, Nvidia Thor chip. Full-domain 800V high-voltage platform, Star Super Range Extender.
There is also the "Endogenous Safety" technology jointly launched globally by Purple Mountain Laboratories, extending the safety boundary from "Physical Safety" to "Information and System Safety".
These designs are not concepts; they are configurations already in mass production, comprehensively pre-installed with redundant capabilities for continuous evolution towards L3 and above advanced intelligent driving.
The combination of "Time" and "Position" is the future "Time-Position"
The "I Ching" speaks of "Time" and "Position", but the highest realm is the unity of "Time-Position" — standing in the right position at the right time, then doing the right thing.
SAIC's future layout is exactly "Time-Position" thinking. In timing, smart electrification has entered the second half, and competition is shifting from electrification to intelligence. In position, SAIC has full industry chain support, overseas channels, user base, and co-creation capability with joint venture partners.
SAIC actively implemented the important instruction "Developing new energy vehicles is the only way for China to move from a large automotive country to a powerful automotive country" as early as 2014. Twelve years later, it evolved from "Leading the charge" in smart electrification transformation to "Thousands of horses galloping" in independent and joint ventures, passenger and commercial vehicles, domestic and overseas markets.
Starting the layout twelve years ago is the judgment of "Time". Collaborative promotion of the full industry chain is the control of "Position".
Overseas Strategy: Future Space is Globalization
In SAIC's future assets, overseas is the main focus.
Several key figures are: cumulative overseas sales exceeded 7 million vehicles, MG ranked first among Chinese brands in Europe for 11 consecutive years, 2025 European annual sales exceeded 300,000 vehicles, becoming the first Chinese automotive brand to break one million cumulative sales in Europe and the UK.
In March this year, MG held a technology day in Frankfurt, Germany, globally launching semi-solid-state batteries and Hybrid+ hybrid technology. The Hybrid+ family's overseas monthly sales have exceeded 20,000 vehicles.
In 2025, SAIC released the overseas "Glocal Strategy" (Global + Local), accelerating the shift from "Product Going Overseas" to "Value Chain Going Overseas".
Domestic market is crowded; overseas is incremental. SAIC has ships, factories, channels, and technology in hand; the future "Time-Position" is not only in China but globally.
"Heaven and Fire: Fellowship": How to Aggregate and Empower Three Assets
The core of the Fellowship hexagram is "Aggregation". SAIC holds the triple assets of Time, Space, and Future, but they cannot be used scatteredly; integration is the hard truth.
Step 1: Internal Aggregation. IM's high-end technology is downgraded to Roewe and MG. Joint venture quality control experience feeds back into independent brands. Overseas channels are connected and shared, letting over a dozen brands stop fighting alone.
Step 2: Ecosystem Openness. The first hundred-millionth user is Momenta CEO; this is no coincidence. SAIC needs to turn partners into users and users into partners. Let suppliers, developers, and dealers merge in, becoming a net.
Step 3: Global Deepening. After maintaining stability in the domestic market, treat overseas as a new growth point. Europe has tariffs, but SAIC has localization. Southeast Asia has Thailand and Indonesia bases. Space assets must be realized globally.
100 million vehicles are proof of Time-Position, not the end point.
Time proves SAIC can cross the cycle. Space is the deep industry chain and user base; Future relies on continuous innovation and global layout.
Time corresponds to "Time", Space corresponds to "Position", Future is the dynamic unity of "Time-Position". The true meaning of SAIC's 100 million vehicles is not the number itself, but that it proves — this enterprise knows at what time, in what position, to do what thing.
Involution asks not about origins, but direction. The last sentence of the Fellowship hexagram says: "Only the Gentleman can connect the will of the world." Can SAIC become that Gentleman who gathers hearts? Let's see if it can hit these three assets at the same point next.
Welcome to watch "Reading I Ching while Driving Cars".
