(Yicai Global) Jan. 9 -- State-owned SAIC Motor has become the first Chinese automaker to start selling new energy vehicles to consumers in Singapore after introducing two of its MG-branded motors to the market today.

SAIC is selling the MG EZS, a pure electric sport utility vehicle, and the MG HS, a fuel-driven SUV, in the city-state, the Shanghai-based company said in a statement today. It hasn't said how much they cost. In China, the MG EZS starts at CNY119,800 (USD17,300), while the MG HS is available for as little as CNY109,800.

The MG EZS has been available in the UK, the Netherlands and Norway since the second half of last year. More than 10,000 have already been shipped to Europe, setting an export record for a single Chinese NEV model sold to developed countries.

With a strict certification system, Singapore is the most mature auto market in Southeast Asia, SAIC said. So the successful introduction of NEVs in the country can be a precursor to the group's further expansion into the markets of other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

With a population of nearly 700 million, ASEAN is one of the most important auto markets in the world, with annual demand for about 6 million new cars. SAIC, which has set up two finished vehicle plants in Indonesia and Thailand, primarily covers Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines and plans to enter Malaysia, Vietnam and Myanmar this year.

SAIC, which sold 350,000 finished vehicles overseas last year, an annual increase of 26 percent, has ranked first among Chinese suppliers for four straight years. Its overseas sales of MG-branded vehicles surged 90 percent to 139,000 last year, while the company also sold 14,000 NEVs overseas, company data showed.

With a history of nearly 100 years, MG Motor originated from the UK sports car marque Morris Garages. MG Motor's parent company MG Rover Group went bankrupt in 2005, with its core assets acquired by China's Nanjing Automobile Group, which merged with SAIC Motor in 2007 to form the new brand SAIC MG.

Editor: Peter Thomas