SAIC Motor celebrated the start of manufacturing its own-brand cars at its plant in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, when a Roewe 350 compact sedan recently rolled off the assembly line.

The Rmb2.6bn facility will have an annual production capacity of 200,000 cars and 250,000 engines. The Shanghai-listed SAIC will also produce compact models under its MG brand at the Nanjing plant.

SAIC has existing facilities in Shanghai and Yizheng, another city in Jiangsu, to make its own-brand cars. It also has joint ventures with Volkswagen and General Motors.

The group aims to double 2009 sales of its own-brand cars to 180,000 units in 2010, reported China Daily. It plans to launch four new models this year, including a medium-sized sedan, a compact car, a subcompact and a sports utility vehicle.