Connecting smart green transportation, enjoying a wonderful journey! On May 22, the ceremony for the batch delivery of Zhongtong New Energy Tourist Coaches to Macao China Travel Service Co., Ltd. under the Southlight Group (hereinafter referred to as "Southlight Macao Travel") was successfully held in Macao. Wang Zhijian, Party Secretary and Chairman of Shandong Heavy Industry Group, and Fu Jianguo, Chairman of Southlight Group, attended the event and cut the ribbon.

The delivery of this batch of range-extended new energy coaches is a landmark achievement of the deep collaboration between Zhongtong Bus and Macao's culture, tourism, and transportation sectors to jointly build a green and low-carbon Greater Bay Area. It is also a vivid practice of Zhongtong Bus using core technologies to create green application cases for the global high-end market and promoting the high-quality development of global green transportation.

Deeply Cultivating Core New Energy Technologies

Empowering Macao's Low-Carbon Transportation Development

As a high-end window for China's opening up and an important node city of the Greater Bay Area, Macao sets strict standards for the safety, stability, comfort, and regional environmental adaptability of passenger vehicles. It is a "high-end trial field" to test the smart manufacturing strength of new energy coaches.

Southlight Macao Travel is Macao's largest land passenger transport service provider. As a leading enterprise in Macao's tourism industry and a core operating entity for transportation, culture, and tourism, it has deeply cultivated Macao's entire industry chain of "eating, living, traveling, entertainment, sightseeing, and shopping". It is the backbone force of Macao's public transportation and cultural tourism passenger transport services.

To actively respond to the Macao Special Administrative Government's "Macau Long-term Decarbonization Strategy" and "Green Transition of Land Transportation" deployment, and implement the national "Dual Carbon" goals, in recent years, Southlight Macao Travel has comprehensively launched the new energy upgrade of its passenger fleet, accelerating the construction of a green, smart, and efficient modern passenger transport system. Zhongtong Bus has become its core partner for new energy development.

Zhongtong Bus has deepened its focus on new energy technology R&D and possesses the capability for full-series new energy coach product solutions, including pure electric, hybrid, and range-extended technologies. At the same time, with deep exploration of the global market, Zhongtong Bus has accumulated a massive amount of complex road conditions and multi-scenario operation data. Technology iterations continue to lead the industry.

Relying on hardcore technology and extreme adaptability, Zhongtong Bus's cooperation with Southlight Group covers cross-border, urban, and tourist passenger transport fields. The total cooperation scale reached 600 units, effectively boosting the quality improvement and upgrade of the local transportation industry.

Deeply Adapting to Macao Scenarios 

Customizing to Build Green Travel Benchmarks

Macao has a special regional environment, complex road conditions, congested traffic, and limited charging resources, facing challenges in new energy transition. Based on a deep understanding of Macao's local operation scenarios, Zhongtong Bus has tailored a range-extended product solution for the local area.

Zhongtong range-extended coaches combine the dual advantages of pure electric models (quiet and comfortable, zero idling pollution) and fuel vehicle models (worry-free range, convenient refueling/recharging), precisely solving Macao's pain points of insufficient charging infrastructure, limited long-distance range, and high operating costs.

At the same time, the vehicle has undergone comprehensive upgrades in comfort details and intelligent safety. High-end configurations such as ergonomic seats and healthy environmental interior decoration improve the quality standards of cultural tourism passenger transport. Deeply optimized vehicle passability and turning radius make the vehicle better adapt to Macao's street conditions, improving operational flexibility and safety. At the same time, the vehicle integrates intelligent systems such as collision warning, automatic emergency braking, tire pressure monitoring, and driving assistance, achieving a dual upgrade in safety and intelligence.

Relying on refined customization and all-dimensional comfort experiences, Zhongtong range-extended coaches have now become the main model for Macao tourism transfer and commuter services. Delivered in three batches to the Macao market, it has won high recognition from passengers and users.

Leading the Global Green Track 

Zhongtong Manufacturing Empowers Global High-Quality Development

Currently, the global carbon neutrality process is accelerating, and the green public transportation system is iterating and upgrading. New energy coaches have become a winning track for China's automotive industry development.

As a representative enterprise in China's coach industry, Zhongtong Bus closely follows the national "Going Global" strategy and the "Belt and Road" Initiative deployment. It takes new energy going overseas as a core development strategy, continuously increasing investment in overseas markets. Against diverse global market needs, it adheres to localization strategies, tailoring solutions for the market and enhancing product adaptability.

In Chile, over 1,000 Zhongtong pure electric coaches have become the backbone of local green public transportation; in Denmark, Zhongtong coaches on Bornholm Island have become a green landscape for the local area; in Dubai, Zhongtong Bus pioneered the entry of Chinese coach brands into the Dubai public transportation system; in Singapore, Zhongtong new energy coaches continue to provide innovative solutions for public transportation in Singapore's high-density cities...

Currently, more than 100,000 Zhongtong new energy coaches are roaming around the world. They not only bring green, intelligent, and efficient travel experiences to the world but also demonstrate the quality standards and innovative strength of Chinese manufacturing to the globe. With high-quality, highly intelligent, and low-energy-consumption green coach product solutions, they contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the development of global green transportation.

On the afternoon of May 28, 2026, the 100,000,000th vehicle of SAIC Motor — an IM LS9 Hyper — was delivered at the Shanghai North Bund World Living Room to SAIC's 100 millionth user, Momenta CEO Cao Xudong.

The delivery list provided by SAIC Motor shows that the 99,999,999th user is Yang Chen, a former Chinese national football team player who played in Germany; the delivered model is SAIC Volkswagen ID. ERA 9X, and the delivery location is Shanghai Anting. In addition, for users from the 99,999,996th to the 100,001,100th, apart from the majority of users from China, there were also users from London, UK; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Singapore, and models included multiple models from multiple brands such as Shangjie Z7, Huajing S, MG4 EV Urban, AUDI E7X, Buick Zhijing Shijia, Sunwin Series 10 Pure Electric Bus, and Jiyue Danaka T1.

Sales data from January to May this year shows that SAIC Motor has cumulatively sold 1.651 million new vehicles, of which overseas cumulative sales reached 589,000 units, accounting for a proportion of up to 35% of the group's sales. Among them, in Australia and New Zealand, the MG3 and MG4 led, with market share shares of 21.1% and 12.8% respectively, ranking TOP 1 and TOP 3 in the CAR-B segment market; in Belgium, MG sales doubled directly; in the UK, the MG brand ranked in the top six; in Chile, MG ZS successfully took the top spot in the local SUV market. Especially in SAIC's largest overseas regional market — Europe, the global car brand MG cumulatively sold 150,000 units from January to May, a year-on-year increase of 20%, continuing to claim the title of "Chinese Brand Europe Sales Champion".

Data from 2025 shows that SAIC Motor's cumulative sales reached 4.507 million units, ranking 7th among global automotive groups, leading world-established automotive groups such as Ford and Honda. This means that today's SAIC Motor has transformed from the "handcraft workshops" of those years into a global automotive enterprise.

From Hand Hammering to 18 Consecutive Years of Sales Champion, Haipai Culture is Key

SAIC Motor's growth history is basically a microcosm of the Shanghai automotive industry, and even the national automotive industry, going from 0 to 1, from weak to strong.

In 1955, the predecessor of SAIC Motor — Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Parts Manufacturing Company — was established. This company consolidated a total of 274 original factories and workshops in the entire industry, the vast majority of which were alleyway handcraft workshops and small private repair and matching workshops. This illustrates the hardships of the start of China's automotive industry.

In 1958, workers hammered out the first "Phoenix" brand sedan with hammers, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in Shanghai sedan manufacturing.

Then in 1978, the state established the policy that "joint venture operations can be carried out", and Shanghai Volkswagen and Shanghai General Motors were established successively. As the earliest generation of joint venture enterprises in China, Shanghai Volkswagen's greatest contribution was "persisting in German Volkswagen's high standards, enabling the Chinese automotive standard system to span 30 years". "Shanghai General Motors established in the late 1990s also brought the full set of models for contemporary automotive marketization operations: network, brand, public relations, service, used cars, evolving from pure manufacturing to forming systemic competitiveness in the value chain". Li Anding described the contribution of joint venture enterprises under SAIC Motor to the entire Chinese automotive industry in this book "Car Diary".

In fact, not only joint venture enterprises, relying on the unique "Haipai Culture", SAIC Motor was the sales champion of Chinese car companies every year during the 18 years from 2006 to 2023. In these eighteen years, various parts enterprises, forward-looking technology research and development centers led and founded by SAIC Motor, the vast majority have become the leaders or market segment drivers of the entire Chinese automotive industry. China as a whole also established a highly complete and developed automotive supply chain. It was thanks to this highly developed and complete automotive supply chain that there were the magnificent new energy vehicles in the Chinese market later.

"A century of historical sedimentation has created the 'Haipai' connotation of Shanghai automobiles: open, market-oriented, integrity; exquisite craftsmanship, superior quality; inclusiveness, good at building bridges between East and West." Li Anding wrote so in the book "Car Diary". In fact, this openness, marketization, integrity, exquisite craftsmanship, and superior quality are also a true portrait of SAIC Motor.

From Joint Venture to Independent, SAIC Motor's Final "Butterfly Transformation"

If the "Phoenix" born in 1958 represents the original intention of China developing independent brands, IM Motors established by SAIC Motor in 2020 represents Chinese automotive professionals who have always stood at the forefront of China's automotive industry, experiencing decades of wind and rain, still not forgetting this original intention.

Shanghai has always been Shanghai, and SAIC has always been that SAIC.

In 2003, SAIC Motor launched the acquisition of the British century-old factory Rover, the acquisition target was only the intellectual property rights of two Rover 25 and Rover 75 models. This is completely different from the situation where most Chinese automotive enterprises acquire the brand itself along with the industrial M&A overseas. This means that from the beginning, SAIC Motor has chosen the road of fully developing independent brands.

In 2006, SAIC Motor launched the brand-new independent brand Roewe, the first car chosen was the mid-size car Roewe 750, hoping to break away from the old road of Chinese brands "poor quality and cheap price". In comparison, in the past era, most independent brands often chose to start from compact cars or even micro cars. SAIC Motor in 2006 was undoubtedly one step ahead. In 2016, SAIC Roewe launched the world's first mass-produced Internet car Roewe RX5, which further set off the development wave of Internet cars in the entire Chinese market later.

In 2020, SAIC Motor established the IM brand, the pricing and positioning of the new brand was clearly aimed at the high-end market. From the current trend that the market share of independent brands in China's automotive market is getting higher and higher, and independent high-end brands are beginning to occupy the BBA market share on a large scale, SAIC Motor's approach, its foresight, and determination to pursue brand elevation are obvious.

Latest data shows that in recent years, the proportion of independent brand sales of SAIC Motor in the group has been increasing, first breaking 50% in 2021, reaching 65% in 2025, and this year January-May even broke 70% for the first time, reaching 71.1%. SAIC Motor's striving upward has much to do with SAIC Motor's innate Haipai Culture.

Nowadays, not only SAIC's independent brands Roewe and IM, including overseas brands cooperating with SAIC, German Volkswagen and American General Motors, are all making use of SAIC Motor as an important innovation base, starting the development path of comprehensive transformation towards electrification and intelligence.

On May 20, 2024, again at the World Living Room, SAIC Motor and Audi Cars officially signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop multiple high-end intelligent electric new cars for SAIC Audi and jointly develop Advanced Digitized Platform intelligent digital platform. Audi Cars, for this cooperation, even went so far as to use the AUDI letter logo, a logo used when the Audi brand was established, as the brand logo for SAIC Audi. The last time this logo appeared independently as an Audi brand car logo can be traced back to 1994, 30 years ago.

"Audi Cars possesses powerful high-end model product definition, whole vehicle R&D and engineering technology capabilities; SAIC Motor's intelligent electric innovation technology is industry-leading, both sides will join hands through this cooperation to "technologically empower" SAIC Audi, fully support joint venture brands to sprint on new tracks and grasp new opportunities", both sides wrote so on the cooperation agreement. "SAIC Motor's intelligent electric innovation technology is industry-leading", for China's automotive industry, obtaining recognition from the German automotive industry which once led China's automotive industry significantly, and becoming a partner on equal footing with German cars, took China's automobiles a full 40 years. And for SAIC Motor established in 1955, it took a full 71 years.

Not only that, in April 2026, SAIC and Audi further cooperated to set up the Audi Innovation Technology Center in Shanghai Anting, forming the AUDI brand's technology home port in China, helping SAIC Audi continue R&D in China. This innovation technology center is even Audi's first "full value chain" R&D entity outside of Europe.

China R&D, China manufacturing luxury brand cars, re-exporting globally, this is SAIC Audi's new brand goal. Behind this brand goal, the underlying logic is precisely SAIC Motor's industry-leading intelligent electric innovation technology.

In fact, not only Volkswagen, but General Motors from the United States is also making use of SAIC Motor to build its intelligent electric vehicle whole vehicle R&D and manufacturing base in China. The brand-new high-end new energy sub-brand Zhijing of SAIC General Buick was established in such a context. Looking at the sales volume this year in May, Buick Zhijing terminal sales reached 12,253 vehicles, a month-on-month surge of 64.8%.

In fact, the first "Joint Venture" partner chosen by China's initial automotive industry was American General Motors, not German Volkswagen. And the concept of Joint Venture was also proposed by General Motors CEO Thomas Murphy at that time when he came to China to discuss cooperation in October 1978. Nowadays, SAIC Motor's cooperation with General Motors has also gone from the initial "Joint Venture", to later establishing the global R&D innovation base PanAsia Automotive Technical Center jointly by both sides, to now Zhijing brand focusing on new energy vehicles, SAIC Motor's technical weight in the entire Joint Venture system has been raised to a new height.

"The accumulation of a century of Haipai car culture has not only made Shanghai the backbone of China's car manufacturing industry, but also made Shanghai the earliest starting and most accomplished car R&D innovation base. This point, although the competent authorities and media have not paid sufficient attention, multinational corporations have already regarded it as a rare cooperative force." This is the observation given by Li Anding when writing the book "Car Diary" in 2010. More than ten years later, the constantly evolving cooperative relationship between SAIC Motor and Volkswagen, General Motors further confirmed Li Anding's observation.

Just on the afternoon of May 28, at the delivery ceremony of SAIC Motor's 100,000,000th new vehicle, a new car delivery ceremony originally worthy of being written extensively by enterprises and the entire industry "China's First 100-Million-Level Vehicle Enterprise", instead appeared restrained and low-key.

On the entire delivery ceremony, among the delivered car owners, there were former national team players and football stars like Yang Chen, current CEOs of top-tier enterprises like Momenta Cao Xudong, internet celebrities like Luo Zhenyu, Indonesian active national team players, DHL Senior Vice Presidents, and Village Party Secretaries, etc. Models also included multiple brands from passenger cars to commercial vehicles, from ordinary family sedans to luxury cars. But in this press conference, there were no leadership speeches popular in the industry, no parameter stacking that consumers found somewhat annoying, and no exaggerated and affected emotional performance. All temperature, height, breadth, and depth condensed into a string of numbers: 100,000,000.

From 0 to 1, from 1 to 100 million, it is less said that SAIC Motor is telling an "100-Million-Level Vehicle Enterprise" industry story, telling the era changes spanning a full 71 years, rather, it is telling the life legend of 100,000,000 users. Just as SAIC Motor's corporate Slogan says: Understand Cars, Understand You Better. This is what SAIC Motor wants to accomplish.

According to media reports, Chery is establishing a joint venture with multiple Chinese and Japanese enterprises to launch an independent all-electric brand in Japan. Instead of following Chery's traditional direct overseas model, the new venture adopts a strategy of "Chinese Technology + Japanese Local Operation".

This is a result of a five-party cooperation, including: Chery Automobile, which provides vehicle platforms, electric powertrains, and core intelligent driving technology, while serving only as a shareholder without participating in local Japanese operations; Jiangsu Yueda Group, which utilizes the former HiPhi factory in Yancheng to handle vehicle production; and Gotion High-Tech, which is responsible for supplying power batteries.

The Japanese side is mainly responsible for channels, craftsmanship, and localization. Autobacs Seven, Japan's largest automotive aftermarket retail chain with approximately 1,200 stores, manages sales, after-sales service, and localized brand operations. Anest Iwata, a prominent leader in industrial painting equipment, provides specialized technical support for the vehicle's body-painting and finish processes.

The operating entity's parent company is registered in Singapore, with a subsidiary EMT (Electric Mobility Technologies) established in Yokohama, Japan, to fully operate the new brand, R&D, and sales.

Positioned as an all-electric brand originating from Japan, the new venture has built a world-class team, recruiting technical talent from Honda and Mazda alongside a former Nissan executive serving as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

In terms of product planning, the first all-electric model is scheduled for delivery in Japan in 2027, focusing on the compact and subcompact EV segments to adapt to Japanese urban driving needs. By 2029, the company aims to launch four distinct models covering subcompact cars, SUVs, and MPVs. Looking beyond 2030, it plans to explore building localized factories in Japan.

Chery Automobile's overseas expansion strategy dictates that its vehicles utilize Chery's proprietary technology and are Made in China, while carrying a new brand identity tailored for the Japanese market. Direct utilization of AUTOBACS's nationwide stores bypasses heavy overseas retail construction costs, enabling rapid network scalability. This joint venture allows Chery to precisely target Japan's electric vehicle vacuum, created by the slower electrification pace of legacy giants like Toyota and Honda. Capitalizing on this massive market gap, Chery is well-positioned to leverage its technological edge and local partnerships to seize a powerful first-mover advantage—an expansion strategy that holds immense promise.

According to data from the Japan Automotive Importers Association (JAIA), total New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sales in Japan reached 16,924 units in March 2026, with BYD capturing a 3.7% market share. Notably, within the imported EV segment, BYD secured a dominant 10.3% share, ranking first among all imported all-electric vehicles. Driven by this momentum and upcoming market entries from other Chinese brands like GAC Aion and Zeekr, annual sales of Chinese NEVs in Japan are projected to surpass 20,000 units by 2027.