Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation

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The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (in Chinese: 上海汽车工业(集团)总公司; Pinyin: Shànghǎi Qichē Gõngyè (Jítuán) Zǒnggõngsī; or 上汽, Shàngqi; abbreviated SAIC, pronounced: ['sei-ɪk]) is a Chinese automobile manufacturer which ranks the third among the "Big Five" Chinese automakers (the other four are First Automobile Works, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Chang'an Motors, and Chery Automobile).

SAIC partnered with General Motors to form Shanghai GM, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile, and the Pan-Asia Technical Automotive Center. SAIC also partnered with Volkswagen Group in the formation of Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive.

SAIC bought a 20% stake of Chery in 2001 but it was sold back to Chery in 2004 and in late 2004 took a 51% stake of SsangYong Motor Company.

1 Brands
2 MG Rover-SAIC Incompleted Negotiation
3 See also
4 External links

Car brands owned by SAIC:

Chery (20%)
Roewe (ex-Rover models)
Ssang Yong (51%)

SAIC's Joint Ventures:

Other automotive companies owned by SAIC:

Shanghai-Sunwin Bus Corporation
Shanghai-Huizhong Automotive Manufacturing
Shanghai-Xingfu Motorcycle
Shanghai-New Holland Agricultural Machinary
Shanghai-Pengpu Machinary

In August 2004, it was learned that SAIC was in talks to buy Britain's MG Rover Group. In November, it was announced that SAIC could take a 70% stake in a joint venture company shared with MG Rover in return for its £1 billion investment.

In March 2005, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and Nanjing Automobile Corporation (NAC) announced their intentions of acquiring 50% and 20% shares of MG Rover respectively.

However, in April 2005, it emerged that SAIC would not proceed with the MG Rover deal, after concerns about the British automaker's financial stability. This news sent MG Rover into administration recevership.

SAIC had claimed that it had already acquired Intellectual Property Rights in some Rover products for £67 million in the autumn of 2004, including the Rover 25, the Rover 75 and the Rover Powertrain K-series engine, but the Administrators advised that there was still interest in saving some other parts of the company, including MG, and Friday, May 13, 2005 was set as the deadline for bids from potential investors.

In June 2005, it emerged that SAIC held the rights to the MG TF sports car. Commentators in the British media claimed that the rights were transferred by its former owner, MG Rover, to SAIC accidentally.

SAIC bid for MG Rover assets but on July 22nd 2005, the Nanjing Automobile Corporation purchased the British Group for £53 million.

Having bought the rights to a number of Rover models, the group tried to purchase the Rover name from BMW Group for £11m, but this bid also failed and the Rover brand eventually went to the Ford Motor Company Inc. of the USA after its exercised its right over the name following its purchase of Land Rover in 2000.

The company has plans to release an updated version of the Rover 75 under the Lu-sheng 75 ('Road-Splendor' 75) name, under the main brand name of Roewe.