Case Study: SAIC Motor achieves rapid HCU development and 98% auto-generated production code with MathWorks Model-Based Design

SAIC Motor Develops Embedded Control System for the Roewe 750 Hybrid Sedan Using Model-Based Design

SAIC Motor faced its first production embedded software challenge developing the hybrid control unit (HCU) for the Roewe 750, needing to coordinate electric motor and engine control while the battery and motor were being developed concurrently. With limited in‑house embedded experience and a desire to reduce hand‑coding and misunderstandings from written specs, SAIC Motor adopted MathWorks Model‑Based Design using MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, Simulink Check, and Embedded Coder to model, simulate, and verify the control algorithms.

MathWorks’ tools and consulting support let SAIC Motor simulate multiple powertrain configurations, automate model checks and verification, and generate production code—98% of the code was automatically produced with Embedded Coder. The project moved from concept to production in 18 months (vs. about 24 without this approach), achieved roughly 20% fuel‑economy improvement over the non‑hybrid Roewe 750, and established a repeatable verification process now used across SAIC Motor’s new energy vehicle programs.

SAIC Motor

Jun Zhu

General Manager