General Motors (GM) has discontinued sales of Chevrolet-branded models in China after more than 20 years, according to local reports, as sales in the world's largest vehicle market continued to plunge.
The Chevrolet brand was first introduced in China in 2005, with deliveries peaking at 767,000 units in 2014 across an almost 1,000-strong dealer network. Sales dropped to below 9,000 units in 2025 and continued to plunge in the first half of 2026, according to local reports.
Overall, the US automaker continues to struggle with intensifying competition from local manufacturers in a weak Chinese market, where the switch in demand from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to new energy vehicles (NEVs) has accelerated in recent years.
Industry data show that overall retail sales of passenger vehicles in China fell by 20% to 10.173 million units in the first seven months of 2026, driven lower by a 30% plunge in sales of ICE vehicles, while NEV sales declined by just over 12%.
GM's sales under its main 50%-owned SAIC-GM joint venture with state-owned SAIC Motor Corporation fell by 7% to 265,927 units in the first seven months of 2026, from very depressed year-earlier levels. At its peak in 2017, the joint venture sold over 2 million vehicles in the country. This data do not include sales by the US automaker's 44%-owned SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture.
The reports suggested that GM plans to continue to produce Chevrolet vehicles for export, while focusing on its Buick and Cadillac brands in the local Chinese market. The company said it aims to launch at least 30 new NEV models in the country by 2030, as it steps up its electrification programme.
GM aims to use its significant production capacity in China to increase its competitiveness in global markets. The SAIC-GM joint venture has a production capacity of some 1.45 million vehicles per year, split between three plants located in Shanghai, Yantai and Wuhan, after its Shenyang plant was closed in 2025.
GM China's president, John Roth, said in a statement: "We see extensive global expansion opportunities out of China. SAIC-GM's robust capabilities in engineering, manufacturing and quality enable us to supply vehicles to the Middle East, Africa, South America, Mexico and the broader Asia-Pacific, supported by GM's mature global sales, service and parts networks."
The decision to discontinue the Chevrolet brand in China comes shortly after GM signed a new deal with SAIC Motor Corporation to extend its SAIC-GM joint venture partnership by 20 years, until 2047, the longest renewal period among the major foreign automotive joint ventures in China.
"GM discontinues Chevrolet sales in China" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.