Chevrolet Sail sales reach a million in China

Shanghai GM recently sold its one millionth Chevrolet Sail since the introduction of the current generation of the small car in 2010.

The customer, Tan Zhenwei of Qingdao, selected her white 1.2 Sail SE EMT after seeing it for the first time in a Chevrolet showroom. She said, "It is incredible that a million Sails have been sold. I was attracted to the Sail by its styling, superb safety and fuel efficiency."

The Sail, which has a spacious interior, class-leading safety features and a choice of economical 1.2-litre or 1.4-litre engines, is targeted at young families who are first-time car buyers. Sixteen variants of the Sail sedan and hatchback are available, with an official starting price of RMB 56,800 (Rs 5.48 lakh) in China.

The Sail was developed by Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), becoming the first passenger car created in China by a Sino-foreign JV. Its development yielded 34 core technology patents. Prior to being launched, it was put through about 100,000 kilometres of intensive road testing and more than 34 crash tests to ensure the highest level of quality. In addition to being sold in China, the Sail is exported to several emerging markets.

GM has 10 joint ventures, two wholly owned foreign enterprises and more than 58,000 employees in China. Passenger cars and commercial vehicles are sold under the Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Jiefang, Opel and Wuling brands. In 2013, GM sold nearly 3.2 million vehicles in China.