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General Motors Sets New Sales Record in China in 2010

2011-01-05

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Shanghai – General Motors vehicle sales in China rose 28.8 percent to a record 2,351,610 units in 2010. Its manufacturing joint ventures and major brands all set new annual sales marks, enabling GM to remain the leader among global automakers in its largest market for the sixth consecutive year.

“GM kept pace with the needs of our customers by introducing 11 new and upgraded models that are leaders in their segments in design, technology and fuel economy,” said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group. “At the same time, we continued to expand our local presence to position GM for long-term growth in China.”

Unmatched Sales Performance

GM was the first global automaker to sell more than 2 million vehicles in China in a single year. Shanghai GM became China’s first passenger car maker to sell 1 million vehicles annually. It ended 2010 with domestic sales of 1,033,307 vehicles, representing year-on-year growth of 42.0 percent. SAIC-GM-Wuling’s domestic sales grew 15.6 percent on an annual basis to 1,226,860 units. It captured about 40 percent of China’s mini-commercial vehicle segment. GM’s light-duty commercial vehicle joint venture, FAW-GM, sold 88,224 trucks in China in its first full year of doing business.

Chevrolet experienced unprecedented domestic sales growth of 63.4 percent in 2010 to 543,709 vehicles. Leading the way for the brand was the Cruze compact sedan, which had sales of 187,737 units. Demand was also strong for the New Sail small car family, which generated sales of 125,652 units following its introduction in January.

Buick sales rose 23.0 percent in 2010 to a new high of 550,010 vehicles. The brand benefited from the expansion of its Excelle lower-medium passenger car family. With the arrival of the Excelle GT sedan and XT hatchback, sales for the model totaled 304,142 units. Two other Buick models – the New Regal and LaCROSSE – dominated China’s upper-medium sedan segment, with combined sales of 183,713 units. In December, Shanghai GM began taking orders for the all-new Buick GL8 luxury MPV.

Cadillac had record sales of 17,366 vehicles in 2010. It was led by all-time demand of 9,192 units for the SRX luxury SUV and 5,200 units for the locally manufactured SLS luxury business sedan.

Wuling sales in China rose 14.8 percent year on year to 1,149,060 units, also a new record. The Sunshine minivan was the best-selling vehicle in China for the eighth consecutive year, on sales of 668,783 units. Rong Guang minivan sales were strong as well, totaling 335,952 units.

Continued Expansion in China

Shanghai OnStar Telematics, which began offering in-vehicle safety, security and communication services in December 2009, ended 2010 with more than 171,000 subscribers. It set a record in December 2010 for new subscriptions. Throughout the year, it answered more than 2.5 million calls, made 867 emergency responses and recovered 79 stolen cars in China.

GMAC-SAIC remained China’s leader in automotive financing, providing services to 450,000 customers. It also provided wholesale service to 620 Shanghai GM dealers and retail credit service to all Shanghai GM dealers.

FAW-GM launched its third manufacturing facility and first pickup. Its plant in Changchun complements the joint venture’s plants in Heilongjiang and Yunnan provinces, and serves as the new home of FAW-GM. The facility will commence regular production in 2011.

In 2010, GM launched its tenth joint venture with SAIC in China. Shanghai Chengxin Used Car Operation and Management Co. has taken the partners and their Shanghai GM joint venture into the second-hand vehicle market.

Strengthened Local Capability

Ground was broken in July 2010 for the GM China Advanced Technical Center. The new facility adjacent to the GM International Operations and GM China Headquarters in Shanghai will develop advanced vehicle designs and technology solutions for GM on a domestic and global basis.

GM and its joint ventures extended their development of products locally. At the beginning of the year, Shanghai GM introduced the Chevrolet New Sail. Created by Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), it was the first passenger car developed in China by a Sino-foreign joint venture. Shanghai GM and PATAC also developed the all-new Buick GL8 luxury MPV, which goes on sale in 2011.

SAIC-GM-Wuling introduced the Baojun brand and its first model, the Baojun 630, which will reach consumers this year. It also rolled out the locally developed Wuling Hong Guang, China’s first compact business vehicle.

GM further broadened its relationship with strategic partner SAIC by signing a new agreement for the joint development of new powertrains, as well as a memorandum of understanding to explore cooperation in new energy vehicles and engineering and design.

Commitment to Sustainable Mobility

As the joint global automobile partner of World Expo 2010 Shanghai, GM and SAIC highlighted their vision of sustainable urban transportation. Over the space of six months, more than 2 million people visited the SAIC-GM Pavilion, which also showcased GM and SAIC’s new technology for making the vision reality.

A centerpiece of the pavilion was the EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) concept vehicle, which offers a new automobile DNA based on electrification and connectivity. The Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle and Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle served in the Expo 2010 VIP fleet and were part of a series of advanced technology demo programs hosted by GM. Shanghai GM’s Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid was a featured member of the Expo 2010 taxi fleet.

At the conclusion of Expo 2010, the “Roadmap to 2030”: GM Sustainable Urban Mobility Blue Paper was issued by GM. It was the first call for action by an automaker in China to address sustainable mobility challenges and present technological solutions.

GM continued to support protection of the natural environment in Beijing, Shanghai and Yunnan. An estimated 500,000 people were reached by its environmental protection education programs, including the 2010 Low Carbon Spring Festival Program. In December, GM announced that its campus in Shanghai received Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

To help protect the most vulnerable road users, GM joined hands with the China Women & Children Federation to host the GM Child Family Road Safety Education Program. The program reached out to 790,000 families in eight cities nationwide.

“Over the next 12 months, GM will continue to grow our presence in China through the introduction of cutting-edge products like the Chevrolet Volt and the start of sale of the Baojun passenger car brand,” said Wale. “We will also continue to grow our manufacturing capability while addressing the sustainable development of China’s automotive industry. This is all part of our ongoing commitment to working in China, with China, for China.”

General Motors Company, one of the world's largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

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GM China Milestones in 2010

• January 11: Shanghai GM introduced the Chevrolet New Sail small car.
• January 23: Shanghai GM launched the Buick Excelle XT lower-medium hatchback.
• March 24: GM’s EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) concept made its global debut in Shanghai.
• April 2: GM announced single-month and quarterly sales records in China. It sold 230,048 vehicles in March and 623,546 vehicles in the first quarter.
• April 25: GM and its joint ventures began displaying 37 production and concept vehicles, including three that were making their global debut, at Auto China 2010. Shanghai GM introduced the Chevrolet New Sail hatchback, and SAIC-GM-Wuling introduced the Wuling Hong Guang, China’s first compact business vehicle.
• May 1: The SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 Shanghai opened to the public.
• May 26: GM’s "Drive to 2030": Sustainable Urban Mobility Forum series began at the SAIC-GM Pavilion.  
• May 28: GM’s 2010 sales in China surpassed 1 million units, the earliest any global automaker had reached the milestone in a single year.
• June 23: Shanghai GM launched the Buick Excelle GT lower-medium sedan in Dalian.
• July 18: SAIC-GM-Wuling announced the launch of its new Baojun passenger car brand.
• July 19: Ground was broken for the GM China Advanced Technical Center, the second phase of GM’s campus in Shanghai.
• August 18: GM and SAIC signed an agreement for the development of a fuel-efficient small engine family and advanced transmission.
• August 31: GM celebrated the arrival of the first drivable Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle in China.
• October 28: GM China, SAIC subsidiary Shanghai Automotive Industry Sales Co. and Shanghai GM announced the establishment of their Shanghai Chengxin Used Car Operation and Management Co. joint venture.
• November 3: GM signed a memorandum of understanding with SAIC to reinforce collaboration in core areas of their business, including the development of new energy vehicles.
• November 4: GM became the first global automaker to sell 2 million vehicles in China in a single year. 
• November 7: The “Roadmap to 2030”: GM Sustainable Urban Mobility Blue Paper was published.
• November 18: Public trading of GM stock began in New York and Toronto.
• November 22: SAIC-GM-Wuling’s first Baojun 630 passenger car rolled off the production line.
• November 28: Shanghai GM launched the all-new Buick GL8 luxury MPV, which will reach the market in January 2011.
• December 8: FAW-GM launched its new plant in Changchun and introduced its new pickup.
• December 9: GM announced that its campus in Shanghai received Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
• December 15: Shanghai GM became the first passenger car manufacturer in China to sell 1 million vehicles in a single year.
• December 18: SAIC-GM-Wuling announced the establishment of a new passenger vehicle production base in Liuzhou, Guangxi.
• December 20: The Sail electric concept vehicle from Shanghai GM made its global premiere and Shanghai GM launched the new Chevrolet Spark mini-car at the Guangzhou Auto Show.