SAIC Motor, together with Roewe, MG and Chexiang under the group, officially became Shanghai SIPG Football Club’s strategic partner for 2017, it was announced on Feb 13 in Shanghai.

Last year, SAIC made its 12^th entry into the Fortune 500 list, taking 46^th position, and further extended its lead in domestic automotive sales, selling about 6.5 million vehicles. Shanghai SIPG, on the other hand, grabbed third place in Chinese Super League, and made the top eight in its first-ever AFC Champions League endeavor, the best achievement for a Chinese team this season.

Since SAIC entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai SIPG in early 2016, their crossover cooperation has effectively promoted the brand value of both.

In 2016, SAIC, along with Roewe, MG and Chexiang, actively promoted their brand influence across Asia by taking advantage of platforms like Chinese Super League, the CFA Cup and AFC Champions League.

Last year, 275 million people watched Shanghai SIPG’s matches on TV, and players’ jerseys provided tremendous exposure opportunities for SAIC and brands under it.

According to estimates by a third-party specialized company, cooperation with Shanghai SIPG benefited SAIC brands worth more than 200 million yuan in total.

In particular, Chinese Super League made its debut on Britain’s Sky Sports in July 2016, boosting the number of countries and regions where it is available to TV viewers to 71 – other countries include Australia, South Korea, US, France and Belgium. It is expected to further increase SAIC brands’ influence in overseas markets.

As strategic partners, SAIC’s Roewe, MG and Chexiang also organized a series of soccer events to interact with consumers, thus making their own contributions to increasing brand awareness and influence.

This year, SAIC will continue to push forward its branding strategy and keep supporting various Shanghai SIPG events.