Finished Roewe 350 compact sedan emerges from the production line. [China Daily]

Top auto group sets sights on doubling sales of Roewe, MG

NANJING: SAIC Motor Co Ltd kicked off operations at a new plant for its own-brand cars in the capital of Jiangsu province last week when a Roewe 350 compact sedan rolled off the assembly line.

The 2.6 billion yuan facility will have an annual production capacity of 200,000 cars and 250,000 engines, according China's top auto group, which is also a partner of Volkswagen and General Motors.

SAIC will also produce compact models under its MG brand at the Nanjing plant.

The Shanghai-listed company also has existing facilities in Shanghai and Yizheng, a smaller city in Jiangsu, to make its own-brand cars.

The Roewe 350, equipped with a 1.5-liter engine, uses 5.9 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers at a constant speed of 90 km an hour. It is one of the roomiest models in its segment with a 2,650-mm wheelbase. The sedan is scheduled to go on sale in the next few months.