GM sells a record 3.5 million vehicles in China in 2014

General Motors and its joint ventures sold a record 3,539,970 vehicles in China in 2014, an average of one vehicle every 9 seconds and almost 9,700 vehicles each day. GM’s sales were up 12.0 percent from the previous high of 3,160,377 vehicles sold in 2013.

“GM performed well ahead of the overall industry in China, which was up an estimated 7.5 percent last year,” said GM executive vice-president and president of GM China Matt Tsien. “We experienced especially strong growth in demand in the luxury segment as well as in the SUV and MPV segments.”

Domestic sales by Shanghai GM rose 13.1 percent last year to a record 1,710,025 units. SAIC-GM-Wuling sold 1,787,931 units in China, an increase of 12.8 percent and an all-time high as well. FAW-GM’s domestic sales were down 29.4 percent to 41,702 units.

Buick sales in China increased 13.5 percent on an annual basis to a record 919,518 units. The brand was led by the original Excelle family, which had sales of 293,098 units, and the Excelle XT and GT, whose sales were up 20.6 percent to 246,305 units. Sales of the Regal and Encore totaled 111,245 units and 82,346 units respectively. The Envision SUV, which was launched in August, had sales of 19,683 units.

Chevrolet also set a record for domestic sales, as demand increased 10.0 percent from 2013 to 717,007 units. Its most popular seller was the Cruze, which had sales growth of 7.7 percent to 265,993 units. It was followed by the Sail family, which sold 203,208 units, and the Malibu, whose sales increased 25.4 percent to 125,547 units.

Cadillac sales in China were up 47.0 percent from 2013 to a record 73,500 units. The XTS sold a record 31,960 units, up 59.0 percent from the previous year. In addition, sales of the SRX reached 27,484 units, and sales of the ATS and ATS-L totaled 13,276 units.

Wuling sales in the domestic market rose 8.4 percent year on year to 1,608,571 units, which was also a new annual high. Baojun had sales of 179,360 units, an increase of 78.5 percent from 2013 and a new high for the brand.

Strong presence
In 2014, GM and its joint ventures expanded their lineup with several new and refreshed models in China, including the Buick Envision premium midsize SUV, Chevrolet Trax urban SUV and Sail 3 family car, Cadillac ATS-L luxury sport sedan, and Baojun 730 family vehicle.

GM also continued expanding its footprint in China. SAIC-GM-Wuling broke ground for its new R&D center and proving ground in Liuzhou, Guangxi, to support the development of new vehicles for China. It also opened its new manufacturing base in Chongqing and signed an agreement for the second phase of production at the facility. Shanghai GM Norsom Motors opened its Phase III manufacturing facility in Shenyang, Liaoning.

GM continued expanding the dealership networks of all of its brands, with a focus on China’s Tier 3 and 4 cities, ending 2014 with more than 4,530 dealerships nationwide.