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SAIC-GM-Wuling

Not to be confused with SAIC-GM, Wuling Motors, or Wuling Group, the former name of Guangxi Automobile Group.
SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile
Native name
上汽通用五菱汽车股份有限公司
Company typeJoint venture
IndustryAutomotive
Founded18 November 2002; 22 years ago (2002-11-18)
Headquarters
Liuzhou, Guangxi, China
Area served
China
Indonesia
Key people
  • Shen Yang (General Manager)[1]
  • Raymond Bierzynski (Executive vice president)[2]
ProductsAutomobiles
Microvans
BrandsBaojun
Wuling
Owners
[3]
Number of employees
20,000[4]
SubsidiariesSGMW Indonesia
Websitesgmw.com.cn

SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile (Chinese: 上汽通用五菱汽车股份有限公司, abbreviated as SGMW) is a joint venture between SAIC Motor, General Motors, and Guangxi Auto (previously Wuling Group). Based in Liuzhou, Guangxi in southwestern China, it produces passenger and commercial vehicles sold in China under the Wuling and Baojun brands.

Founded in 2002, SGMW became well-known for manufacturing microvans, which are especially popular in China's less affluent regions. Since 2017, SGMW has operated a manufacturing and sales subsidiary in Indonesia, known as SGMW Motor Indonesia. The company also manufactures vehicles in China for export under the Chevrolet brand for General Motors.

Both SGMW and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile Industry Co. Ltd. use the Wuling brand name and the five-diamond "W" logo.

History

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In 2002, the joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling was established, with SAIC holding 50.1% of the shares, General Motors 34%, and Wuling Group (later renamed Guangxi Auto) 15.9%.[5] Wuling transferred its microvan and small truck production to the joint venture. By 2011, GM increased its ownership stake to 44%, reducing Wuling's share to 5.9%.[6][7][8]

In 2005, SGMW acquired Etsong Vehicle Manufacturing, a small-scale manufacturing company in Qingdao, China. This factory, originally established in 1997 by a tobacco company, was later owned by FAW Jiefang before being acquired by the SAIC group. The factory had previously produced Austin Maestro/Montego derivatives under the Etsong Lubao and Etsong Lande brands. After SGMW's acquisition, production of these models ceased, and the facility was repurposed to expand SGMW's mini-vehicle capacity.[9]

Wuling Sunshine

SGMW became significant mass-volume vehicle producer in China's interior. In 2011, the company sold 1,286,000 vehicles domestically, with sales increasing to 1,445,000 in 2012.[10] Its vehicle offerings are priced between $5,000 and $10,000, catering to budget-conscious consumers.[11] SGMW is also one of China's leading manufacturers of microvans, known locally as xiao mianbao che (小面包车), or "small bread box cars." These compact commercial vehicles, comparable in size to a compact car, have been particularly successful in the country's less affluent interior regions.[12] Among its popular models, the Wuling Sunshine stood out, selling over 450,000 units annually at its peak. At that time, SGMW has claimed that no other model in China surpasses the Wuling Sunshine in sales volume.[13][14] In late 2012, SGMW inaugurated a new factory in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with an annual production capacity of 400,000 Baojun passenger cars. A powertrain factory with equal capacity was also under construction.[15][15]

SGMW sold over 700,000 Baojun 510 in two years.

In 2010, SGMW launched the Baojun brand to compete with domestic Chinese automakers.[16] Focusing on passenger vehicles, it targeted consumers in third- and fourth-tier Chinese cities, which are medium- and large-sized cities outside the top four in terms of population or GDP contribution.[17][18] Its first product is the Baojun Lechi, based on the Chevrolet Spark/Daewoo Matiz M150.[13][19] In 2012, Baojun introduced the 630, a small four-door sedan.[20] In 2016, Baojun sold 688,390 vehicles, with sales increasing to 996,629 in 2017, largely driven by the success of the Baojun 510 SUV.[21] The 510 became the best-selling crossover in China in 2018, with nearly 800,000 units sold by June 2019.[22] Despite early success, Baojun's sales declined in subsequent years. In 2019, the brand launched the "New Baojun" strategy with modern designs and higher-end models, but it failed to boost demand, leading to several model discontinuations. Consequently, Wuling largely took over Baojun’s role in affordable passenger vehicles.[23]

In 2015, SGMW began building its first overseas manufacturing facility in Cikarang, Indonesia, within the Greenland International Industrial Center. Spanning 600,000 m², the facility was designed to produce vehicles for the Indonesian market and export to Southeast Asia, with a $700 million investment and a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually.[24] The plant started operations in July 2017, producing the Confero MPV, and by the end of 2017, Wuling Motors had ranked among the top 10 automotive brands in Indonesia.[25][26]

Wuling Hongguang Mini EV

In 2020, SGMW transitioned to electric vehicle production with the launch of the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, a small battery electric city car. The vehicle began retail deliveries in China in July 2020. Priced starting at around US$4,200,[27] the Hongguang Mini EV became one of the most affordable electric cars in the market. In 2020, it sold 119,255 units, ranking as the second-best-selling plug-in electric car globally.[28][29] In January 2021, the Hongguang Mini EV topped new energy vehicle sales in China with 25,778 units, surpassing the Tesla Model 3.[30] By February 2023, global sales had surpassed 1.1 million units, making it the best-selling electric car in China.[31] By 2023, SGMW's Baojun brand shifted entirely to electrification, introducing plug-in hybrid and electric models.[32][33]

In September 2024, SGMW unveiled its first vehicle not affiliated with any of its sub-brands, called the SGMW ASEAN Concept.[34]

Current products

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Wuling

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Since 2020, SAIC-GM-Wuling has categorized its vehicle models into "Red Badge" and "Silver Badge." The "Red Badge" models are primarily designed for light commercial or entry-level passenger vehicles, while the "Silver Badge" models are used for more premium passenger cars in global markets.[35][36]

Silver Badge

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Red Badge

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Export-only models

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Baojun

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Main article: Baojun

Operations

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The company has a number of production bases in China. These include a facility in Liuzhou, Guangxi,[16] and a plant in Qingdao, which it had purchased in 2007.[13]

Overseas operation

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Main article: SGMW Motor Indonesia

In 2010, GM and SAIC established an equally-owned joint venture, General Motors India, which assembled some SGMW products to India until General Motors stopped selling cars in India at the end of 2017.[6]

On August 20, 2015, SGMW established PT SGMW Motor Indonesia (Wuling Motors), which laid the first stone of a new manufacturing facility in Cikarang, West Java, Indonesia. The facility spans 600,000 square meters, set aside for the production and manufacture of motor vehicles in Indonesia and to set up an export base for Southeast Asia. The investment of the project is around US$700 million. At peak capacity, the plant is expected to produce up to 150,000 vehicles in a year and estimated to create estimated 3,000 jobs. On July 11, 2017, the facility starts its operations for mass production. The first product under the brand Wuling Motors for Indonesian market is Wuling Hongguang S1, renamed as the Wuling Confero.[39] In 2018, SGMW Indonesia launched Baojun 730 as the Wuling Cortez. In 2019, SGMW Indonesia introduced Baojun 530, renamed as Wuling Almaz as their first SUV.

Export

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In 2009, Wuling began to export its small commercial vehicles to South America, the Middle East, and North Africa where they are sold under the Chevrolet brand.[40] The first such vehicles were sent to Peru in July 2009.[41] In 2014, SGMW started exporting the Baojun 610 to Egypt (as knock-down kits) and Algeria as the Chevrolet Optra.[42][43][44] SGMW started exporting SUVs to Middle East and Latin America such as the Baojun 530 as the Chevrolet Captiva since 2019, followed by the Baojun 510 as the Chevrolet Groove since 2020.[45][46][47]

Wuling mini-trucks were exported in limited numbers to the United States from 2004 to 2005. SGMW USA, a Cobra Motors company, imported and distributed the vehicles. Those trucks were limited to off-road use (i.e. private property), and were primarily marketed as industrial and commercial vehicles.[48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "SGMW's Baojun Brand to Sell Passenger Cars in China". General Motors (Press release). 18 July 2010.
  2. ^ "Raymond Bierzynski Appointed Executive Vice President of SAIC-GM-Wuling". media.gm.com (Press release). 12 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2013. Bierzynski served in leadership roles in China as president of the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) from 2004 to 2007, and vice president of GM Asia Pacific and GM executive director of China Engineering from 2007 to 2009
  3. ^ "About GM China". gmchina.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  4. ^ Raghav Narsalay, Ryan T Coffey, Cherry Lu Cui and John Gong (2012). "SGM Wuling: Bringing affordable vehicles to low-income consumers" (PDF). Accenture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ White, Joseph B. (20 April 2007). "For GM in China, Tiny Is Mighty; Wuling Venture Plans Expansion as Sales of Small Cars Surge". Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones and Company. p. A9.
  6. ^ a b Shirouzu, Norihiko (12 November 2010). "Corporate News: GM to Strengthen China Stake". Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones and Company: B2.
  7. ^ "GM Retains No. 1 China Sales Rank". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg LP. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  8. ^ Webb, Alysha (24 November 2012). "To see the future for GM in China look at the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture". chinaev.wordpress.com ("Alysha Webb's ChinaEV Blog"). Retrieved 8 October 2013. In late 2010, however, GM boosted its share to 44%, leaving Wuling with 5.9%.
  9. ^ "GM buys old Chinese car factory". The Economic Times. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 3 June 2005. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  10. ^ For 2011 production figures and goal of 2 million units annually, see "Chevrolet Lechi to Be Sold Under Baojun Brand in China". GM Media: China (News release). General Motors. 15 August 2012.
    • For 2012 production figures, see "About GM China". gmchina.com. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  11. ^ For $5,000 microvan, see Samilton, Tracy (18 February 2010). "GM's $5,000 Minivan, A Hit In China". npr.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  12. ^ For "bread box cars," see Webb, Alysha (24 November 2012). "To see the future for GM in China look at the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture". chinaev.wordpress.com ("Alysha Webb's ChinaEV Blog"). Retrieved 8 October 2013. In late 2010, however, GM boosted its share to 44%, leaving Wuling with 5.9%.
  13. ^ a b c Schifferes, Steve (17 May 2007). "Cracking China's car market". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 29 November 2012. The (Wuling Sunshine) costs $3,700 (£1,872), has a 0.8 litre engine, have a top speed of 60 mph, and weighs less than 1000kg
  14. ^ "SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. Ltd. (SAIC-GM-Wuling)". media.gmchina.com. 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  15. ^ a b "SAIC-GM-Wuling Opens Passenger Car Production Base". media.gm.com (Press release). 18 November 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2013. Baojun products are targeted primarily at first-time car buyers in China's second-, third- and fourth-tier cities.
  16. ^ a b Shirouzu, Norihiko (18 November 2012). "GM ups capacity in no-frills China car market". reuters.com. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  17. ^ Fang Yan; Wills, Ken (22 November 2010), "GM unveils new brand in China, targets smaller cities", reuters.com, Thomson Reuters, retrieved 30 November 2012, Those big coastal cities are rapidly becoming less than a quarter of our business, and the real growth is in what we call tier three, tier four cities," Terry Johnsson, vice president of GM's China operations, told Reuters in an interview. "It wouldn't be unexpected to see 60 percent of the business in tier 3 and tier 4 cities (in five years).
  18. ^ Mullich, Joe. "China's "Second-Tier" Cities Take Off". Special Advertising Section Presented by Cathay Pacific. The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones and Company, Inc. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  19. ^ "Chevrolet Lechi to Be Sold Under Baojun Brand in China". GM Media: China (News release). General Motors. 15 August 2012.
  20. ^ McGregor, Richard (20 July 2001). "GM looks to China for auto triple alliance". Financial Times. Pearson: 31.
  21. ^ GM sales rise 4.4%, top 4 million in 2017 as Cadillac, Baojun shine - Automotive News China, 5 January 2018
  22. ^ Gasnier, Matt (17 May 2018). "China 2018 Test Drives: Baojun 510". Best Selling Cars Blog. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Will Baojun disappear in the future auto market reshuffle?". Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  24. ^ Suhendra, Zulfi. "Pabrik Mobil China Pertama RI Produksi 150.000 Unit Mulai 2017". detikfinance (in Indonesian). detikcom. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  25. ^ "Baru satu tahun di Indonesia, Wuling sudah masuk kelompok 10 besar". merdeka.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  26. ^ "Diresmikan JK, Wuling Motors targetkan produksi 8.000 unit tahun ini". merdeka.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  27. ^ "GM scores a bestseller in China with $4,200 electric micro car". Autoblog.com.
  28. ^ Jose, Pontes (2 February 2021). "Global Top 20 - December 2020". EVSales.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021. "The Tesla Model 3, with 365,240 units delivered was the world's top selling plug-in passenger car in 2020."
  29. ^ Jose, Pontes (21 January 2021). "China December 2020". EVSales.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021. "The Tesla Model 3, with 139,925 units delivered, was the China's top selling plug-in passenger car in 2020."
  30. ^ Harper, Justin (25 February 2021). "Chinese £3,200 budget electric car takes on Tesla". BBC News.
  31. ^ Kane, Mark (14 January 2022). "China: Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV Sets Massive Sales Record". InsideEVs. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  32. ^ "2021上海车展：BAOJUN新款E300命名为"KiWi EV"" (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  33. ^ Deivis Centeno (14 July 2021). "GM's All-New Baojun KiWi EV Driving Range Announced". GM Authority. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  34. ^ Chen, Dong Yi (25 September 2024). "SGMW's Light of ASEAN concept car with gull-wing doors unveiled". CarNewsChina.com. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  35. ^ "New Wuling Global Silver Logo Marks Next Chapter | GM Authority".
  36. ^ "面向全球市场 五菱银标Logo正式发布". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 5 January 2024.[permanent dead link‍]
  37. ^ "General Motors Egypt to Produce the Chevrolet Move in 2012". 22 November 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  38. ^ Centeno, Deivis (29 March 2021). "GM Announces New Chevrolet Tornado Van For Mexico". GM Authority.
  39. ^ "Wuling Motors Indonesia".
  40. ^ Li Fangfang (14 August 2009). "Wuling minis go global under GM Chevrolet brand". China Daily. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  41. ^ Tang, Rachel (November 2009). The Rise of China's Auto Industry and Its Impact on the U.S. Motor Vehicle Industry (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  42. ^ "Egypt – China-built 2014 Chevrolet Optra launched". Indian Autos Blog. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  43. ^ Just-Auto (23 November 2011). "China: SAIC-GM-Wuling to Start Assembly of Chevy Move in Q3/2012". Just-Auto Global News. London. ProQuest 905880515. Vehicle kits will be supplied by GM China's SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) joint venture
  44. ^ "GM Egypt to Produce Chevrolet Move Passenger Van in 2012" (PDF). GM Egypt (Press release). 13 December 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2013. GM Egypt plans to produce about 5,000 units annually for sale in Egypt starting third quarter of 2012. Vehicle kits will be supplied by GM China's SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture. [...] The Chevrolet Move is based on the Wuling Rong Guang,[permanent dead link‍]
  45. ^ Centeno, Deivis (11 May 2020). "New Chevrolet Captiva Now Available In The Middle East". GM Authority. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  46. ^ Centeno, Deivis (29 April 2019). "GM Launches All-New Chevrolet Captiva Turbo In South America". GM Authority. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  47. ^ "Get in the Groove: Chevrolet introduces a brand-new compact SUV to the Middle East". 21 February 2021.
  48. ^ "MiniTruck Products". SGMW USA MiniTrucks, Off Road Utility Vehicles and Low Speed Vehicles (LSV). SGMW USA. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
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