In Lanping, Yunnan, a farmer carrying a basket full of matsutake mushrooms has to trek for five hours out of the mountains. After passing through numerous middlemen, the profit he receives is less than 30% of the market price. This is a dilemma not only for Lanping but also for high-quality agricultural products in many key rural revitalization areas across China—the dual obstacles of "the last mile of transportation" and "the first mile of digital sales."
Today, state-owned enterprises, such as SAIC Maxus, are leveraging their sense of mission and deep industry insight to provide innovative answers to this question, originating from the automotive industry. On August 7th of this year, SAIC Maxus unveiled its one-year "Interstellar Plan" at its "Interstellar Pickup Night" new product launch event. This plan, with its 15 million yuan wealth creation fund, comprehensive agricultural support system, and new model of government-enterprise collaboration, provides a new model for Chinese automakers to participate in rural revitalization.
Stay true to our original aspiration and achieve resonance between national strategies and the missions of state-owned enterprises
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China explicitly called for "comprehensively promoting rural revitalization and prioritizing the development of agriculture and rural areas," setting the strategic direction for "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" (Sannong, 2017). As early as 2022, when the Central Government's No. 1 document first deployed the "Digital Commerce to Revitalize Agriculture" project, it publicly called on leading enterprises to leverage modern methods such as live-streaming e-commerce and cold-chain logistics to facilitate the circulation of agricultural products. These national strategies align perfectly with SAIC Maxus's previous research findings and its vision for supporting agriculture.
Meanwhile, Shanghai-Yunnan cooperation has spanned 28 years. Since the Party Central Committee designated Shanghai as the counterpart for supporting Yunnan in 1996, the two regions have continued to write a new story of "central requirements, Yunnan's needs, and Shanghai's capabilities." Against this backdrop, SAIC Maxus, a Shanghai state-owned enterprise, has actively responded to this call and proactively integrated itself into the broader national development.
"SAIC Maxus has always taken 'creating wealth for young strivers and paving the way for a better life' as its brand mission." Song Hai, director of SAIC Maxus's brand and marketing department, said at a recent "Interstellar Project" media communication meeting that through long-term and in-depth connections with users, SAIC Maxus not only deeply felt the hard work and wisdom of China's 257 million farmers on the road to wealth creation, but also intuitively discovered the real difficulties they face.
These user pain points, stemming from the front lines, are the initial driving force behind SAIC Maxus's exploration of the "Automobile + Agricultural Support" model. Qi Gaohang, Sales and Strategy Director of SAIC Maxus Pickup Trucks, believes the "Interstellar Project" is the concrete implementation of the brand's mission in rural revitalization. "It's more than just a simple public welfare initiative. More importantly, it's a long-term agricultural support system that combines the automotive industry with digital empowerment, government-enterprise collaboration, and solves the problem of agricultural products struggling to get out of rural areas," he said.
Innovate the agricultural assistance system and replace "public welfare blood transfusion" with "industry blood production"
As the first dedicated agricultural support fund established by a Chinese automaker specifically for farmers, SAIC Maxus's 15 million yuan wealth creation fund for the "Interstellar Project" has pioneered a new model for the automotive industry to empower rural revitalization. Unlike the charitable donation model of traditional automakers, this fund is centered on "industry-driven" development. SAIC Maxus envisions this 15 million yuan fund as leverage to build a comprehensive agricultural support system integrating production, transportation, and sales through three core initiatives: tool empowerment, skill empowerment, and channel empowerment. The goal of all this is to transform "giving a man a fish" into "teaching a man how to fish."
The first is tool empowerment. In the vast rural environment, for the agricultural product transportation needs from fields to markets directly, with diverse links, complex road conditions and challenges, SAIC Maxus's Star Pickup, with its multi-dimensional advantages, will become a solid support for the Star Plan to take root.
The 2026 Star L long-box version boasts a massive 1.44m³ cargo box, capable of carrying large quantities of agricultural products. More significantly, the Star L boasts class-leading load-carrying technology, with a declared rated load of 685kg, a 40% increase in load capacity compared to its competitors. Even with a full 3-ton cargo bed, the vehicle remains stable. "In Yunnan, 50 bags of 2.5-ton coffee beans didn't slip at all on the muddy road, and the leaf springs didn't deform at all," said Qi Gaohang, sharing actual test data.
Secondly, in terms of skills empowerment, SAIC Maxus' professional livestreaming empowerment team goes deep into the front lines, visiting farmers' industrial bases, and provides six months of on-site technical training. "We will organize a livestreaming training team of approximately 20 people to educate new farmers on the steps and precautions of livestreaming sales, including brand enhancements," Qi Gaohang explained.
SAIC Maxus plans to achieve its goal of cultivating a group of "new farmer anchors" who understand live broadcasting and operations by conducting more than 150 live broadcasts in villages and 300 village IP training sessions. It is even possible that new rural professions such as agricultural product selectors and live broadcast assistants will be derived in this process, truly realizing the grand scene of new farmers devoting themselves to the construction of new agriculture.
Finally, there's channel empowerment. SAIC MAXUS's Maxus Super New Media Matrix boasts over 500 accounts, over 10 million total followers, and an average monthly reach of over 50 million. This new media matrix will provide crucial traffic support for agricultural production. Through traffic support, policy support, and regional resonance, it can ensure the initial growth of farmers' accounts and maintain stable traffic. Combined with the "Interstellar Project," which selects excellent products based on the rigorous "Interstellar Selection" standards, it may inject new vitality into agriculture in certain regions. This beautiful vision is already unfolding before us.
On August 26th of this year, the first signing ceremony for SAIC MAXUS's "Interstellar Project" was held in Shanghai, marking the official launch of the "automaker + government" collaborative mechanism. In time, this comprehensive agricultural support system is expected to be replicated, helping more hardworking and resourceful farmers embark on a path to prosperity.
From short-term sales support to long-term revitalization, building a solid foundation for common prosperity
For SAIC Maxus, the purpose of the "Interstellar Plan" goes far beyond the single scope of "short-term sales assistance". More importantly, it focuses on rural capacity building and systematic revitalization, so as to achieve all-round development of rural areas.
Relevant personnel emphasized: "The 'Interstellar Project' is a public welfare project, not an automotive project. The reason we invite everyone here is not only to spread our ideas, but also to obtain resources from all parties to truly implement our project. This is not just publicity or gimmicks."
For example, SAIC Maxus will help local agricultural products shift from "scattered sales" to "standardized, branded operations" through "screening of geographical indication-certified agricultural products" (such as Lanping's matsutake mushrooms) and "branded livestreaming operations." This will also drive the development of upstream and downstream supporting industries such as cold chain packaging and logistics, fostering a distinctive rural industrial ecosystem and promoting rural industrial upgrading. In this process, hands-on livestreaming training will enable farmers to quickly master digital tools and learn to actively leverage digital resources to create wealth. This will not only inject growth momentum into rural development, but more importantly, the livestreaming-driven sales model will effectively expand farmers' employment and income opportunities. It is also expected to enable a two-way flow of high-quality agricultural products and market resources between urban and rural areas, narrowing the digital and industrial gaps between urban and rural areas and laying a solid foundation for common prosperity.
SAIC Maxus is not only the initiator of the "Interstellar Project," but also a leader. "15 million yuan is just a rough estimate. I've calculated that it will definitely cost much more than that. Millions went into the initial launch alone," Qi Gaohang admitted, admitting the investment far exceeded expectations. "The company has over a thousand sales and service outlets nationwide. All store supplies, including rice, oil, and fruit, will be sourced from the Interstellar Project's product library." Furthermore, SAIC Maxus plans to prioritize products from the Interstellar Project for future livestream raffles and gift giving, ensuring real-money purchases and truly empowering agricultural revitalization.
SAIC Maxus' innovative "Interstellar Project" demonstrates the social responsibility and mission of a state-owned enterprise beyond its economic responsibilities. By integrating industry, technology, and resource capabilities, it has created a replicable "automaker + government" collaborative model, providing solid grassroots support for China's modernization drive and opening up a new path for the automotive industry to participate in rural revitalization.
This original aspiration of leveraging industry to "pave the way for a better life" transcends simple commercial considerations and embodies the mission and responsibility of state-owned enterprises in the new era. As Qi Gaohang stated, "Since we are committed to this endeavor, we must meet the needs of farmers and businesses. We're not necessarily targeting a specific scale, but we have a 'galactic' heart to support farmers." This new path for the automotive industry to empower agricultural and rural development provides a valuable model for the industry, hopefully inspiring more companies to join the movement to serve national strategies and empower rural revitalization, injecting new momentum into China's rural revitalization.
