GM Ends Chevrolet Retail Operations in China After Sales Collapse

General Motors is ending Chevrolet's retail operations in China after 21 years as sales of the brand plunged by 99% over the past decade.

General Motors is pulling Chevrolet from China's retail market after years of declining sales and intensifying competition from local automakers. [Photo: Xinhua]

GM sold about 760,000 Chevrolet vehicles in 2014, but that figure fell to fewer than 9,000 last year, Leroy Marion reported for Autoblog.

The parent company will sharpen its focus on the Buick and Cadillac brands, which have stronger appeal among Chinese consumers. The Electra lineup has also performed well.

Despite the retail pullback, General Motors recently signed a major two-decade partnership extension to maintain its manufacturing footprint in the region.

Chevrolet offered a broad range of models in China, including the Blazer, Equinox, Malibu XL, Seeker, Monza, Menlo EV and Tracker.

However, much of the lineup relied on conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, putting the brand at a disadvantage in a market where consumers have rapidly embraced new-energy vehicles and advanced automotive technologies.

The mismatch between Chevrolet's product lineup and changing consumer preferences contributed to the brand's steep decline as Chinese buyers increasingly shifted toward competitively priced electric and other new-energy vehicles.