Complete portfolio

Since its commercial vehicle unit began production in 2006, the company has formulated a complete lineup including heavy and light trucks, buses and vans, backed by the R&D capacity of SAIC and Nanjing Automobile Group owned by SAIC.

The vehicle giant said it is now working on a marketing and sales plan for the domestic market and further consolidation of the Maxus overseas sales network.

SAIC's commercial vehicle portfolio now includes the brands SAIC-GM-Wuling, Nanjing Iveco, Sunwin, SAIC-Iveco and Shanghai Huizhong.

The Maxus Datong is its first wholly owned commercial vehicle brand sold both in China and globally.

Experts believe that China's commercial vehicle sector will see robust growth over the next five years due to the nation's massive investment in infrastructure and a continuing rise in the cargo and logistic sectors.

A survey by US consultancy Alix Partners said that in the next few years, BRIC nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China - will become the main growth engines for commercial vehicles globally.

It is estimated that by 2014, annual global production of commercial vehicles will rise by 1.8 million units, Alix Partners said.

In 2010, SAIC sold 3.58 million vehicles, making it the biggest maker in China's automobile market.

China Daily

(China Daily 03/07/2011 page18)