SAIC Motor to bring Chinese NEV culture to global market

The recent rise of new electric vehicles presents a prime opportunity for Chinese automotive design identities to present on the global stage, said Shao Jingfeng, design president of SAIC Motor R&D Innovation Headquarters.

"As Chinese NEVs take bigger global shares, their clean, simple-yet-spacious design that reflects the Chinese cultural virtues of modesty and practicality is increasingly being recognized in overseas markets," said Shao, noting that this is what SAIC Motor, China's largest vehicle maker by sales, is working on.

While China has long reigned as the world's largest automotive market, vehicles made in China have traditionally followed western stylistic conventions due to overseas influences on design education within the country.

The NEVs, however, are "completely different" from traditional petrol-driven vehicle models due to the disruptive shift in the position of the engine and transmission parts, leaving great re-creation space for Chinese auto designers.

"We aim to convey stories of Chinese technology and culture to worldwide audiences through appealing vehicle designs," said Shao.

"In the future, China's overseas automotive expansion will be fundamentally distinguished from its past through showing our unique national characteristics internationally," he added.

In his eyes, SAIC's previous design - its concept car "Kun", a good example introducing ancient Chinese philosophy - "binding the world and China as mountains and seas are connected" while MG Cyberster, the world's inaugural electric droptop sports car, demonstrates the courage of the Chinese car industry.

Shao noted each locale necessitates the preservation of distinctive local identities in parallel with perpetual cross-cultural learning.

To do so, SAIC established design centers in strategic overseas hubs in London and Tokyo to network with its premier global center in Shanghai.

"We maintain humility by actively listening to overseas viewpoints through these offshore teams while deepening contextual connections locally," Shao said.

SAIC currently provides products and services in 100 countries and regions worldwide. It has sold over one million cars overseas and over one million NEVs in 2022 while securing its seventh consecutive year as China's top exporting automaker.

Zheng Zheng contributed to this story.