One other legacy model is about to depart the Chinese language market. Former auto large SAIC-GM, the Sino-American three way partnership, is dealing with a shrinking market share and is making ready to make “strategic changes” to its three manufacturers (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac) in China to cease losses.
Chevrolet gross sales have declined for six consecutive years in China. In 2018, it offered over 640,000 automobiles in China, whereas in 2023, it offered solely 168,588 items, based on information monitored by China EV DataTracker. However that was not a backside – the 2024 hit Chevrolet exhausting because it had a record-breaking gross sales drop of 68.7% to 52,774 automobiles.
And that also won’t be the underside. In 2025 to date (January – April), Chevrolet offered 5,314 automobiles, down 75.9% from the identical interval final yr. That’s a mean of 1,300 autos monthly, with the Chevy Monza being answerable for 80% of gross sales. That’s down 97.6% from the typical of 54,300 autos month-to-month in 2018, CarNewsChina calculation reveals.
In accordance with a report from Chinese language outlet Zaker, all Chevrolet tasks that aren’t SORP (Begin of Common Manufacturing) have been delayed indefinitely (learn = cancelled), together with fashions internally codenamed C223, C1YC-2 and D2UC-2 ICE. All of the merchandise in mass manufacturing will quickly attain EOP (Finish of Manufacturing), the report notes.
C223 was speculated to be an all-electric SUV (Path EV), the C1YC-2 is a flagship SUV, and D2UC-2 ICE is a brand new Chevrolet TrailBlazer codename. All these China-adjusted fashions had been able to be launched to the Chinese language market by the top of 2023, nevertheless, because of Chevy’s issues in China, they weren’t launched and challenge finally died.
In response to the latest report, SAIC-GM Basic Supervisor Lu Xiao said that “rumours that the Chevrolet model will withdraw from China are pretend information” and promised that “we is not going to quit Chevrolet.”
Nonetheless, 36kr quoted an insider near SAIC-GM, who revealed that the subtext behind Lu Xiao’s “is not going to quit Chevrolet” (“不会放弃雪佛兰” in Chinese language) is “is not going to quit Chevrolet’s present customers” (“不会放弃雪佛兰的现有用户” in Chinese language).
“He simply needed to guarantee Chevrolet customers that SAIC-GM will take over after-sales community and upkeep,” the insider stated. “That’s all”.
Editor’s remark
Chevrolet was unable to adapt quick sufficient. Regardless of EV adoption in China reaching practically 50% final yr, Chevy was nonetheless counting on ICE car gross sales. Solely about 5% of its gross sales had been EVs, as Chevy didn’t supply many fashions to Chinese language clients, and people which they did, such because the Trailblazer PHEV, didn’t have a lot success. Chevrolet was additionally absent from the Shanghai Auto Present this yr and faces the exit of many sellers and problematic after-sales providers. Because the Chinese language EV value warfare doesn’t see its finish, extra legacy manufacturers can have a tough time in China. We are going to keep watch over it.
