SAIC Roewe

Roewe is the core independent passenger car brand under SAIC Motor. Officially launched in October 2006 and headquartered in Shanghai, the brand is fully operated by SAIC Group. As the first domestic brand positioned in the mid‑to‑high‑end segment, Roewe carries SAIC's core mission for the future. Its brand DNA is rooted in "elegant passion," with a commitment to delivering high‑quality passenger cars.

Over the past two decades, Roewe has remained driven by original design and technological innovation, going through three key leaps: in 2006, the Roewe 750 broke the premium ceiling for domestic brands; in 2016, the RX5 created the new category of "internet cars"; and in 2026, the AI‑native "Jiayue (家越)" series is leading the new era of AI‑powered vehicles. The general manager of SAIC Roewe's brand department is Qian Yang, reporting to SAIC Passenger Vehicle Company management, with Zhang Liang, deputy general manager of SAIC Passenger Vehicle, overseeing coordination. The year 2025 was a year of testing the waters and building momentum for the brand's sales recovery, while 2026—the brand's 20th anniversary—marks the start of full‑scale, systematic implementation.

Development History

SAIC Roewe's origins can be traced back to SAIC Group's early push into the premium independent brand space. In 2005, SAIC officially launched its independent passenger car project, and in October 2006, the Roewe brand was formally unveiled. The first model, the Roewe 750, entered the market at a starting price of 250,000 RMB, setting a new benchmark for Chinese mid‑to‑high‑end sedans. The brand's early technical foundation came from core technologies and intellectual property acquired through SAIC's purchase of Rover, which was then further developed using SAIC's global resources.

Brand Launch and Technical Foundation (2006–2015)

In October 2006, the Roewe brand was officially launched, blending British styling with Eastern aesthetics. The Roewe 750 sold over 10,000 units within months of its launch, boldly taking on joint‑venture B‑segment sedans and reshaping public perceptions of Chinese‑brand cars as cheap and low‑quality. In 2013, SAIC invested over 5 billion RMB to build the Roewe R&D Center in Nanjing, laying a strong foundation for long‑term independent technology development.

Internet Car Boom and Peak Moment (2016–2017)

In July 2016, the Roewe RX5 went on sale, equipped with the YunOS smart operating system co‑developed with Alibaba. It supported voice‑controlled windows, temperature adjustment, real‑time navigation, and other smart functions, earning the title of "the world's first mass‑produced internet car." The phrase "Hello, Zebra" opened consumers' eyes to smart interactions in passenger vehicles, and Roewe became a household name. In 2017, Roewe hit its sales peak, with full‑year volume reaching 470,000 units. The RX5 became the first domestic‑brand SUV to break 20,000 monthly sales. Roewe then followed up with new models like the i6 and RX3 in 2017 and 2018, cementing its tech‑forward brand image.

Brand Drift and Electric Transition (2018–2024)

From 2019 onward, product updates slowed. The aging RX5 saw sales decline sharply—from about 320,000 units in 2019 to a low of roughly 157,000 in 2023. In 2020, Roewe refreshed its brand logo and pushed a "Guochao" (China‑chic) concept, but the effect was short‑lived. Electrification also moved slowly—while models like the pure electric Ei5 and plug‑in hybrid eRX5 reached production, they failed to gain meaningful market traction. In 2022, Roewe launched plug‑in hybrid models such as the D7 DMH and D5X DMH, but combined sales of the two new energy models in 2025 still came in under 30,000 units, with an EV penetration rate below 20%.

Strategic Repositioning and Triple Leap (2025–Present)

In 2025, Roewe's full‑year retail sales recovered to about 177,000 units, up 24%‑26% year‑on‑year. In November 2025, the Roewe M7—powered by the Doubao Deep Thinking large model—went on sale, hitting 5,000 units in its first month, with high‑ and mid‑spec models accounting for over 80% of sales, re‑establishing the brand's value‑driven tone. 2026 marks the brand's 20th anniversary. At its spring media event in March, Roewe unveiled its brand vision, positioning the "AI‑native premium sequence" as the centerpiece of its strategic upward push. On April 21, Roewe held a brand night and AI sequence launch event in Beijing's Zhongguancun International Innovation Center, themed "The First One," where it officially launched the world's first AI‑native car sequence—"Jiayue"—and unveiled the industry's first AI‑native technology architecture, CPP. On stage, Zhang Liang announced that Roewe has completed its strategic transformation from internet car pioneer to AI‑native era definer, writing the third historic milestone for Chinese independent brands.

Brand Portfolio

In 2026, Roewe is building a three‑pronged product portfolio—fuel vehicles for the mass market, smart hybrids, and the AI‑native premium sequence—with plans to launch seven new models throughout the year, averaging one new model every three months. The full lineup covers a price range of 70,000 to 250,000 RMB, spanning everything from mainstream family cars to high‑end AI‑native offerings.

AI‑Native Premium Sequence – Jiayue (Debuting in 2026)

Launched on April 21, 2026, the world's first AI‑native car sequence is rooted in family mobility needs. The initial lineup includes the production Jiayue 07 and the concept Jiayue 06 and 09, each tailored to different family structures. The Jiayue 07 is a flagship AI‑powered large five‑seat SUV aimed at mainstream families. Nearly five meters long, it was designed by SAIC's Global Design Vice President, former Audi and BMW designer Joseph Capan, using a "Rising Aesthetics" design language. The model will be officially unveiled at the June Volcano Engine Force Conference. The Jiayue 06 and 09 target young families and multi‑generational households, respectively. All models come standard with the CPP AI‑native architecture, Doubao large model, and feature LiDAR and high‑level driver assistance systems.

Smart Hybrid and Pure Electric Lineup

The Roewe D6 is an A+‑class pure electric sedan, with a fixed price starting at 79,800 RMB at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show. It is offered in six models with ranges of 450 km and 520 km. The Roewe D7 serves as the mid‑to‑high‑end new energy sedan in the D family, available in both EV and DMH plug‑in hybrid versions. The Roewe M7 DMH is a premium plug‑in hybrid sedan featuring the new DMH 6.0 Super Hybrid System, with a combined range of over 2,000 km for the 2025 model; it sold over 5,000 units in its first month. The Roewe D5X DMH is built on the Everest electromechanical integration architecture, with Zero‑Fuel Magic Cube battery technology covering a wide range of driving scenarios.

Fuel Model Cornerstone

The all‑new Roewe i6, launched in April 2026, is an A+‑class fuel sedan positioned in the 70,000 RMB‑level "national family car" segment. It measures 4,767 mm in length, 1,828 mm in width, and 1,498 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,755 mm. Combined fuel consumption is just 5.95 L/100 km, and it comes standard with a Qualcomm 8155 chip and a 15.6‑inch HD central display. The Roewe i5 is a compact entry‑level fuel sedan that has sold over 450,000 units since its 2018 launch, contributing nearly half of the brand's total sales in 2025. The fuel lineup also includes SUVs such as the RX5 and RX9; the RX5 posted cumulative retail sales of around 18,700 units in 2025, focusing on practical family mobility needs.

Market Performance

Roewe's sales trajectory has followed a classic boom‑and‑recovery cycle. The brand peaked in 2017 at 470,000 units. By 2023, sales had fallen to 157,200 units, and continued to dip slightly in 2024 to around 138,000 units. But 2025 saw a clear recovery, with full‑year sales of roughly 173,800 to 177,000 units—a year‑on‑year increase of over 24% to 26%.

In 2025, the Roewe D7 and M7 DMH were the main growth drivers. The D7 sold about 24,000 units for the year, while the M7 DMH moved roughly 11,000 units in retail. The Roewe i5, with full‑year sales of around 81,000 units, accounted for 45% of Roewe's total—holding down the brand's solid core. Roewe's new energy models, however, still made up less than 20% of total sales in 2025.

Early 2026 brought pressure: January sales hit 12,725 units, but February fell to 4,996. Still, with the launch of the new i6 and a pipeline of upcoming models, Roewe has set a 2026 target of 415,000 to 425,000 units—340,000 domestically and over 80,000 overseas. The brand's channel network has been upgraded, with plans to expand to nearly 700 stores to ease terminal pressure. The new product matrix is expected to accelerate Roewe's penetration across each price segment.

Core Technology

Roewe operates on the principle of "not chasing the era, but defining it," having invested tens of billions of RMB in R&D over the years. This has enabled the brand to build a full technology capability stack—spanning electronic‑electrical architecture, three‑electric systems, hybrid powertrains, and AI‑driven vehicle intelligence.

Architecture and Intelligent Control

The Everest Electromechanical Integration Architecture is one of SAIC's three vehicle technology platforms, supporting full compatibility and rapid iteration across HEV, PHEV, and EREV hybrid solutions. The Roewe D5X DMH is a key model built on this architecture. The Starry Net Pure Electric Platform provides a solid foundation for Roewe's BEV products, delivering ultra‑high safety, long range, and efficient performance. The AI‑native CPP Technology Architecture was first unveiled at the 2026 Brand Night. CPP stands for Context (mass data acquisition and long‑term memory), Planner (AI planning and decision layer), and Pixel‑level function calling (atom‑level execution). Paired with Roewe's self‑developed full‑domain SOA smart electronic‑electrical platform (with over 2,000 service interfaces), this architecture enables AI to directly intervene in physical device control for the first time, achieving atom‑level function execution across both software and hardware.

Powertrain Technology

The DMH Super Hybrid System is at the heart of Roewe's plug‑in hybrid technology. The 2025 M7 is equipped with the next‑gen DMH system, offering a CLTC combined range of over 2,000 km and a system thermal efficiency of around 45%. The Zero‑Fuel Magic Cube Battery incorporates five‑level protection and intelligent thermal management, earning NESTA six‑dimensional electric safety certification. It is now standard across multiple new energy models, delivering accident‑free safety in all scenarios.

Smart Cockpit and Driving Technology

Powered by the Doubao AI large model, Roewe has achieved millisecond‑level precision in complex semantic interactions and cross‑system command execution. Its high‑level smart driving system covers L2+ functional scenarios, including highway NOA, automatic parking, and autonomous lane‑change assistance, with hardware and computing power redundancy already pre‑embedded for future L3 conditional autonomous driving.

Global Footprint

SAIC Roewe's global expansion is moving toward deeper, more targeted growth. Since 2025, the brand has leveraged SAIC Group's "Glocal Strategy 3.0" and its global supply chain to focus on overseas exports in Southeast Asia, South America, the Middle East, and the EU. In 2026, Roewe has set a new overseas sales target of 80,000 units, positioning itself as SAIC's charge toward global leadership in intelligent low‑carbon mobility.

Since the new overseas strategy was launched, Roewe's export momentum has already made a measurable impact at the group level: in the first quarter of 2026, SAIC Group's cumulative overseas sales reached 324,900 units, with Roewe contributing a significant share through its right‑hand drive model adaptation efforts. In Thailand, Roewe's pure electric models have gained favor among middle‑class family users; in the Middle East and Latin America, the brand has rolled out hybrid and extended‑range products tailored to local needs. Leveraging the group's ASEAN OEM assembly and KD factory capabilities, Roewe plans to begin development of right‑hand drive and Euro‑standard versions of its premium Jiayue sequence in the second half of 2026, with a demonstration push into European RHD markets.

To support this expansion, Roewe is accelerating its global channel build‑out. Its core network now covers over 200 sales and service outlets across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central Europe, and Latin America, while gradually building out a "central warehouse plus regional warehouse" spare parts support system.

Future Outlook

Roewe is using 2026 as a launchpad to drive its shift from "looking back at premium heritage" to "redefining AI‑native cars." The brand's dual‑track strategy for the year is clear: anchor the mainstream market with the fuel‑powered i5 and i6, while breaking into the 200,000‑yuan premium space with the AI‑native Jiayue lineup. From there, Roewe plans to roll out one new model every three months, quickly building out a full AI‑native portfolio.

On the tech side, Roewe will keep evolving its CPP architecture, pushing AI large model capabilities—memory, reasoning, and autonomous decision‑making—deeper into every stage of the product lifecycle, while expanding urban NOA and cross‑layer memory parking. With this forward‑looking "AI‑native" edge, Roewe aims to reshape the premium smart car space. At the same time, it's accelerating powertrain upgrades: the DMH 7.0 Super Hybrid System is targeting thermal efficiency above 46%, with combined range potentially topping 2,300 km, while the 800V platform will roll out across both hybrids and EVs. The next‑gen "Guangqi Battery" solid‑state battery is also in the pipeline, with a focus on greater reliability and lighter weight.

Sales‑wise, Roewe is aiming high: over 400,000 units globally in 2026, with more than 80,000 from overseas markets. On the channel front, the brand will broaden its dealer network while pushing hard on direct sales and business‑direct models.