Recently, it was reported that the change of SAIC's leadership, which had been discussed before, may be officially grounded. It is reported that Chairman Chen Hong, the helmsman of SAIC, is about to step down and officially bid farewell to his leadership position, and President Wang Xiaoqiu will take over this important responsibility and become the new chairman. At the same time, Vice President Jia Jianxu, as the general manager of SAIC Volkswagen, will be promoted to the new president.
It can be said that this personnel change has undoubtedly injected new vitality into SAIC.
It is worth noting that despite the premonition of this change in leadership, SAIC did not issue an emergency meeting order to its core team until last night. In the early morning of June 19, a secret meeting was held quietly within SAIC. At this pivotal meeting, the new leadership team was carefully selected through a rigorous process of one-on-one interviews, extensive solicitation of opinions, and ballot filling.
Despite maintaining a high degree of secrecy throughout the process, the election results were surprisingly consistent with public expectations. This demonstrates not only the strong influence of public opinion, but also the deep trust and anticipation within the organization for the new leadership team. This high degree of alignment between public opinion and organizational decision-making has undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for the smooth transition of the new leadership team and the smooth development of future work.
It can be said that Chen Hong has led the auto giant for a full decade since he became chairman of SAIC in 2014, and has continued to contribute for another four years after retirement. In the past decade of industry changes, SAIC has adhered to steady development and demonstrated extraordinary resilience.
In 2023, SAIC Motor achieved total sales of about 5.02 million units, with sales of new energy vehicles reaching 1.123 million units, and sales in overseas markets reaching 1.208 million units, especially in the European market. Domestic brands accounted for more than 55% of sales, a result that highlights SAIC's deep strength in technological innovation and market expansion. The cumulative R&D investment is nearly 150 billion yuan, and the number of valid patents exceeds 26,000.
At the beginning of his tenure, Chen Hong put forward the "New Four Modernizations" strategy - electrification, networking, intelligence and sharing, which laid a solid foundation for the long-term development of SAIC. In the fiercely competitive European market, SAIC Motor is far ahead with annual sales of 230,000 units, and the high-end brand Zhiji Automobile has also gained a firm foothold in the fierce market competition. SAIC has not only achieved a magnificent transformation from technology introduction to technology output, but also competed with international giants in key technology fields such as autonomous driving, new energy, and solid-state batteries.
Therefore, Chen Hong's leadership and foresight have laid a solid foundation for the future development of SAIC, and his work has not only accumulated technical strength, but also won the group a competitive advantage in the global automotive industry.
Wang Xiaoqiu, who is also a member of SAIC, has played a key role in the development of the SAIC Roewe brand and made important contributions to the rise and development of SAIC's own brand passenger cars.
In 2003, SAIC launched its own brand project, and Wang Xiaoqiu, who was only 39 years old at the time, was appointed as the project leader and concurrently served as the deputy general manager of SAIC Motor Co., Ltd. He participated in the acquisition of the core technology of the Rover brand, and successfully launched the Roewe 750 mid-to-high-end sedan and the Roewe 550 digital sedan, which marked the official birth of SAIC's own brand. As a result, Wang Xiaoqiu is known as the "pioneer" of SAIC's own brands, and has played a leading role in the transformation of China's own brands to high-end and Internet.
Although Wang Xiaoqiu left briefly during the development of his own brand, 10 years ago, with the addition of Chen Hong, he was recalled to serve as the general manager of SAIC Passenger Vehicle. At that time, SAIC's own brand was in a critical period of development. Under Wang Xiaoqiu's leadership, SAIC's own brand passenger cars have achieved remarkable development results in just over four years. In 2018, SAIC Motor's cumulative sales of passenger vehicles reached 701,900 units, a year-on-year increase of 34.5%, and SAIC's share of total sales increased from 4% in 2013 to 10%.
It can be seen that Wang Xiaoqiu's contribution is not only reflected in the rapid development of SAIC's own brand, but also in his continuous pursuit of independent innovation and brand improvement in China's automobile industry. His leadership and vision have set a benchmark for the development of China's own brands.
Jia Jianxu, the incoming president, has been the general manager of Yanfeng since 2018, after he was responsible for the development of SAIC's vehicle business in the European market, laying a solid foundation for the rapid development of its own brand in overseas markets. In the past four years, Yanfeng has achieved intelligent and international transformation and development, fully implemented intelligent cockpit products, and blossomed overseas business, thanks to Jia Jianxu's international vision and keen innovation perspective.
As a parts supplier, he usually follows the pace of the main engine factory, but Jia Jianxu has adopted the strategy of taking the initiative and laying out in advance. He knows that true innovation cannot be achieved without understanding OEMs, consumers, and use cases.
It is worth mentioning that in February 2023, Jia Jianxu took over as the general manager of SAIC Volkswagen, and was subsequently appointed as vice president of SAIC together with Jiang Jun, CEO of Zhiji Automobile, and Wu Bing, former general manager of SAIC Passenger Vehicle Branch and CEO of Feifan Automobile. Although it seems to be a quick promotion, this reflects Jia Jianxu's excellent personal ability.
Write at the end
In the wave of new energy vehicles and intelligent technology, the change of senior executives in the automotive industry has become a new trend. In the face of performance challenges and development opportunities, enterprises seek new breakthroughs through the change of leadership. As the industry says, "Real people are always eager to work in positions with more opportunities for development." "As for SAIC's management team change, we have reason to remain hopeful to see if they can bring impressive breakthrough results and how they can lead the way in the change and open a new chapter in the automotive industry.