SAIC to ship 1 millionth MG vehicle overseas

A MG ZS crossover rolled off SAIC Motor's Zhengzhou plant in Henan province on Wednesday, marking the marque's one millionth vehicle to be shipped overseas.

SAIC, China's largest vehicle maker by sales, started to export MG-branded vehicle in 2007.

The carmaker said MG-branded vehicles are now available in 84 countries and regions, adding that it has been the best-selling Chinese vehicle brand for three years in a row.

Earlier this year, SAIC unveiled MG Mulan, its first electric model developed "with global markets in mind".

The model is the result of its British and Chinese teams for customers in China and abroad, said MG CEO Zhang Liang.

Naming the model after the well-known Chinese folk heroine, the carmaker said the electric hatchback embodies "strength, courage, and being yourself”.

SAIC expects the MG Mulan will help it realize the goal of selling over 100,000 vehicles in Europe this year.

In June, SAIC's overseas sales reached 84,000 units, up 59.4 percent year-on-year. Of them, 12,000 were new energy vehicles.

In the first half of the year, SAIC's overseas sales totaled 381,000 units, up 47.7 percent year-on-year. SAIC aims to sell 800,000 vehicles in international markets this year.

China-made vehicles are getting recognized in overseas markets. A total of 249,000 vehicles were exported in June, hitting a historic high, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

In the first six months this year, vehicle exports from China totaled 1.22 million, up 47.1 percent year-on-year, said the association.