Recently, the National Federation of Passenger Cars released the national passenger car sales data in April, affected by the fluctuation of vehicle prices in the short term, most consumers are still holding the currency to buy a wait-and-see attitude. In April, the national passenger car market was 1.532 million units, a year-on-year decline of 5.7%. Despite this, the cumulative sales of 6.364 million units from January to April this year still demonstrate the strength of the Chinese auto market and Chinese automakers. Since the beginning of this year, SAIC Motor has shown a steady growth trend, with cumulative vehicle sales of 1,194,163 units from January to April, and vehicle sales reached 360,000 units in April, continuing to maintain its leading position in the industry. In the highly concerned domestic brands, new energy vehicles, overseas markets and other segments, SAIC also showed its own report card. Sales of self-owned brands exceeded 60% of the Group's total sales to 216,000 units, NEVs increased by 9.3% year-on-year to 75,000 units, and overseas markets also achieved good results, with sales reaching 92,000 units, continuing to lead the industry.
The penetration rate of new energy vehicles continued to increase in April, and new energy vehicles have become the mainstream choice of consumers. As a leading automotive group in China, SAIC Motor has provided consumers with a wealth of choices with technological innovation and rich accumulation in the automotive industry, and its innovative power has also been responded to by the market. Sales of new energy vehicles increased by 9.3% y/y in April, and increased by 35.4% y/y from January to April, reaching a total of 285,000 units, ranking second among Chinese automakers. The new energy models of various brands also showed a forward edge.
In the pure electric segment, Zhiji Automobile's sales in April increased by 49.3% year-on-year, and the new car "super intelligent coupe" Zhiji L6 received 21,000 orders. SAIC Passenger Vehicle's world's first open-top electric sports MG Cyberster has been ranked in the top 3 sports car sales for five consecutive months; SAIC Volkswagen's sales of new energy vehicles exceeded 10,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 56%, and the ID. family was electrified first, all the way to Changhong; SAIC-GM delivered nearly 9,000 new energy vehicles, up 93.1% year-on-year, and SAIC-GM-Wuling sold more than 40,000 new energy vehicles, up 65.9% year-on-year. In the field of plug-in hybrid, in April, SAIC Passenger Vehicle Roewe D7 DMH ranked TOP 2 in the sales list of plug-in hybrid mid-size cars for four consecutive months, and Buick's new GL8 Luzun PHEV exceeded 10,000 orders within 72 hours of its launch.
It is worth mentioning that although pure electric new energy vehicles are the main driving force of the new energy vehicle market, the growth proportion of plug-in hybrid models has far exceeded the growth of pure electric vehicles in the same period. In April, the wholesale sales of pure electric vehicles were 462,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 5.7% and a month-on-month decrease of 8.8%; In April, the overall sales of true plug-in hybrid (excluding range extension) were 255,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 103% and a month-on-month increase of 10%. In terms of alleviating range anxiety, the advantages of plug-in hybrid are gradually highlighted. In the face of the differentiation of the new energy vehicle market, SAIC Motor is prepared. The DMH super hybrid technology recently released by the Roewe brand of SAIC Passenger Vehicle, the industry's first powertrain brain PICU, realizes the "five-in-one" of motor control, engine control, hybrid transmission control, air conditioning thermal management and battery thermal management, and the fuel consumption, mileage, power, NVH and other indicators have reached the world's leading level, and can match different hybrid routes such as PHEV/EREV/HEV through a set of systems, and actively meet the driving needs and fuel consumption regulatory requirements of different users around the world.
As we all know, the new transformation of the automobile industry started by new energy vehicles is not only the market's response to the demand for new power, but also the accompanying intelligent process is also enriching the connotation of new era models. Relying on its strong electric intelligent innovation technology capabilities, SAIC Motor has provided a strong source of power for its development in the new track. In terms of the design of models with the most intuitive consumer experience, SAIC is also building "soft power". Recently, Joseph Carban, a world-renowned car designer, the founder of the Bugatti Veyron supercar, the former chief designer of Audi exterior, and the design director of top automobile brands such as BMW, Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen, has officially been appointed as the vice president of global design of SAIC Design Center, which will help enhance the competitiveness and internationalization of SAIC Motor's design and provide more excellent model products for global consumers.
In April, SAIC Motor sold 92,000 units in overseas markets, continuing to lead the export of Chinese automakers. Among them, SAIC MG continued its outstanding performance in the European market, with sales of more than 60,000 units from January to April, and successfully took over from Porsche as the main sponsor of the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, which will further enhance its overseas reputation and recognition.
When the hustle and bustle during the alternation of the old and new automobile eras gradually subsided, the market trend revealed its vein, and the heritage effect of the leading car enterprise groups was also highlighted in turn. In the new automotive era, SAIC will strive to create new experience models for consumers around the world, demonstrating the power of China's intelligent manufacturing.