Former SAIC Volkswagen marketing head Li Jun to lead Shangjie's marketing division

On September 15, it was reported that SAIC Volkswagen had internally issued a "Notice on Managerial Appointments and Removals" on the 8th, relieving Li Jun of his positions as head of the Volkswagen Brand Marketing Division and head of the Škoda Brand Marketing Division. He was previously said to have taken up a new role at SAIC Motor’s R&D General Institute. However, according to the September 15 report, Li Jun’s next assignment is not at the R&D General Institute but rather at Shangjie, where he will replace Yang Siyao as head of the marketing department for the SAIC-Huawei Joint Business Unit. Sources familiar with the matter stated that Shangjie’s decision to reshuffle its marketing leadership is primarily due to underwhelming sales performance. The report noted that in the first half of 2026, Shangjie recorded retail sales of approximately 31,500 units, ranking second within the Harmony Intelligent Mobility (Hongmeng ZhiXing) brand portfolio. The top-ranked brand, Wenjie, achieved sales of 163,000 units during the same period. Positioned as an “entry-level volume driver,” Shangjie’s H5 and Z7/Z7T models carry the lowest price tags across the entire Harmony Intelligent Mobility lineup. In July 2026, online rumors surfaced claiming that “Shangjie was exiting Harmony Intelligent Mobility.” In response, Shangjie Automobile’s legal department issued a statement saying that preliminary investigations indicated these false or misleading reports originated from online accounts such as “Che Gulu Hua,” which infringed upon Shangjie Automobile’s legitimate rights and interests. In August 2026, Zhu Yong, General Manager of Shangjie Automobile, discussed the brand’s strategy and development in a media interview. He emphasized that the collaboration between SAIC and Huawei is a strategic, long-term partnership, supported by a dedicated team of 5,000 personnel and cumulative investments totaling RMB 6 billion. He also revealed that an additional RMB 1 billion investment was allocated in 2026, primarily for the Jinqiao plant in Pudong, Shanghai.