Shanghai GM

Shanghai General Motors Company Ltd.
Type Private (Joint venture)
Industry Manufacturing
Founded 1997 (1997)
Headquarters Shanghai, China
Area served People's Republic of China
Owner(s) Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (51%)
General Motors Company (49%)
Website www.shanghaigm.com

Shanghai General Motors Company Ltd. (Shanghai GM; Chinese: 上海通用汽车) is a joint venture between General Motors Company and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) that manufactures and sells Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac brand automobiles in mainland China. Shanghai GM was founded on June 12, 1997 with 50% investment each from each partner. Shanghai General Motors began assembling the venture's first vehicle, the Buick Regal, in Shanghai, China in 1999.[1][2][3]

In 2003, China became the second largest single market for General Motors, selling 201,188 vehicles, an 81.6% percent increase over the previous year. That year Shanghai General Motors achieved a 13% market share in mainland China, second only to Volkswagen Group China among foreign carmakers. Sales dropped for 2004 when the company retired the Buick Sail. The release of the Buick Sail's replacement, the Chevrolet Sail, was delayed to February, 2005, knocking General Motors Shanghai to seventh place in mainland China market share. Shanghai General Motors market share climbed back to nearly 9.8 percent, placing Shanghai GM among the top three passenger car manufacturers in mainland China. Shanghai GM was the top passenger vehicle producer in China in 2006, with sales of 413,400 vehicles.

Chile was the first export market to receive a vehicle manufactured by Shanghai General Motors. In September 2006, General Motors launched the Chevrolet Corsa Plus in Chile, a version of the 4-door Opel Corsa with a 1.6L engine.

In 2010, SAIC acquired an additional 1 percent stake in the joint venture for US$85 million to boost SAIC's total share of Shanghai General Motors to 51%.[4]

To improve its standing with the government, Shanghai GM made Cadillac a chief sponsor of a communist propaganda film "Birth of a Party" on September 1 2010, a film dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Communist party in China.[5]

Models

References

  1. ^ "1995, GM Links with SAIC". history.gmheritagecenter.com. General Motors Company. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5z3cvAY0i. Retrieved 2011-05-30. "GM signed a milestone agreement with China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) for a proposed automotive joint venture, a joint venture technical center, and several other projects in and around the city of Shanghai..." 
  2. ^ "1982 -1999, Globalization, One Company, One Team". history.gmheritagecenter.com. General Motors Company. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5z3Uy5pg2. Retrieved 2011-05-30. "Also in 1995, the company entered into a joint venture agreement with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) in China, laying the foundation for unprecedented growth over the next few years. Four years later, the Buick Regal was being assembled in China for the Chinese market..." 
  3. ^ "1999, Buick is Back in Shanghai". history.gmheritagecenter.com. General Motors Company. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5z3V6i6Em. Retrieved 2011-05-30. "The General Motors-SAIC joint venture plant in Shanghai began building Buick Regals for the Chinese market, marking the Buick brand’s proud return to China." 
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ "Cadillac Sponsors Communist Propaganda Film". ChinaAutoWeb.com. http://chinaautoweb.com/2010/09/cadillac-sponsors-communist-propaganda-film/. 

See also PATAC joint-venture.

External links

Automotive marques of General Motors, and those of its affiliates and former affiliates
Affiliates
Former affiliates
  • Fiat (2000–2005; up to 20%)
  • Isuzu (c.1971–2006; up to 49%)
  • Lotus (c.1986–1993; up to 100%)
  • Saab (c.1989–2010; up to 100%)
  • Subaru (c.1999–2006; 20%)
  • Suzuki (1985–2008; up to 15%)
Defunct marques