SAIC top brass are probably kicking themselves that they didnt stick a bid in for Landrover and Jaguar, after a record breaking 2007 they can easily afford it!

In 2007 SAIC sold 1.69 million vehicles, which translates into a 25.8% year on year increase on 2006. Profit in RMB was 4.63 billion RMB. Of the 1.69 million vehicles sold, 1.13 million were automobiles.

Sales with its joint venture partners worked out as follows: GM sold 508,380 vehicles, and VW 456,424. SAIC’s minivan and truck making ventures, SAIC-GM-Wuling and SAIC-Iveco Hongyan each sold 520,000 and 24,000 vehicles. Some more good news for SAIC bosses are that sales at its Korean owned manufacturer, Ssangyong, are up 13%. Ssangyong sold 136,000 vehicles in 07, a respectable figure for essentially a niche market player.

SAIC is planning to push the goal posts even further in 2008, with them planning to sell 1.9 million vehicles. Can they meet those targets? Possibly, the Chinese Car Industry shows no signs of slowing just yet.