Shanghai (ZXZC)- BAIC BJEV and Senova, a new energy vehicle brand and a fuel-burning automobile marque owned by China's stated-owned BAIC Group, will be merged into a new brand “Beijing” with an all-new logo, according to local media outlets.

Under the new “Beijing” brand, new energy vehicles and oil-fueled vehicles will be simultaneously produced as usual. Sales channels and dealers of the two brands shall be integrated accordingly, people with direct knowledge of the plan said.

Both BAIC BJEV and Senova will be benefitted from the brand combination. According to sales data from China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), annual sales of Senova-branded vehicles reached roughly 86,000 units, plunging 57.2% year on year; while in 2018, the full-year sales volume continued dropping 24.1% over a year ago to only 65,000 units. The automaker expects the brand integration to revive the self-owned car brand’s sales performance, said some analysts.

(Photo source: BAIC BJEV)

Meanwhile, BAIC BJEV is allowed to expand its market coverage and save the cost in building sales channels by using Senova's channel resources. Relevant data show that the EV manufacturer had over 500 offline sales outlets by the end of 2018, while still far trailed Senova who possessed more than 1,000 authorized dealerships across the country.

(Photo source: BAIC Motor)

The new logo featuring English letter “BEIJING” has already appeared in the Zhida X3, which should be the third model of Senova “Zhi”-series. The small SUV model hit the market on July 26 with its 9 trim levels priced from RMB49,900 to RMB95,900.

Besides, spy shots of the BAIC EU7 also presented that the logo above the front grille has been replaced with the new English lettering.