SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile

In 2002, the joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling was formed, with SAIC taking 50.1% of the shares, GM 34%, and Wuling Group (later became Guangxi Auto) 15.9%. Wuling transferred the production of microvans and small trucks to the new company. Since at least 2008, GM sought to increase its ownership achieving this aim c. 2011. Its stake rose to 44%—leaving Wuling with 5.9%.

In 2010, SGMW created a passenger car brand to compete against indigenous products, Baojun. The company sold a passenger vehicle, the Chevy Spark / Daewoo Matiz M150, as the Baojun Lechi from 2007 to 2012, however.

In late 2012, ten years after the formation of the joint-venture, SGMW opened a new factory for the production of Baojun passenger cars in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, ready to produce 400,000 units per year. A factory with capacity for the same number of power trains is also being built.

Etsong acquisition

Best known for its tiny offerings, in 2005 SGMW acquired diminutive Etsong Vehicle Manufacturing, a small-scale manufacturing concern based in Qingdao, China. The factory was originally set up in 1997 by a Chinese tobacco company and was then briefly owned by the First Automobile Works (FAW Jiefang) before the SAIC group took over the factory. Since 2000, a number of Austin Maestro/Montego amalgams had been produced under the Etsong Lubao and Etsong Lande nameplates, but SGMW did not recommence production of these aged models after the takeover. Instead, the factory is used to augment SGMW mini-vehicle capacity.

Baojun

Perhaps the culmination of GM's dream to build a "farmer's car", the Baojun brand was established in 2010 and aims to sell to consumers in third and fourth tier Chinese cities. Such large- and medium-sized Chinese cities are not counted among the top four in terms of population and contribution to GDP.

Baojun currently competes for consumers with indigenous brands like Chery and Geely. Its two offerings include, as of 2012, the 630, a small four-door sedan, and the Lechi minicar. The latter is an updated version of the first generation Daewoo Matiz and was previously sold under the Chevrolet brand name. During the transition between brands, the Lechi was offered as both a Chevrolet and a Baojun.

 

Current products

Wuling

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.

Silver Badge

Red Badge

Export-only model

Baojun

 

Operations

The company has a number of production bases in China. These include a facility in LiuzhouGuangxi, and a plant in Qingdao, which it had purchased c. 2007.

Overseas operation

On August 20, 2015, the company operating as PT SGMW Motor Indonesia (Wuling Motors) laid the first stone of a new manufacturing facility in CikarangWest JavaIndonesia. 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. 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.

Production figures

year China total Wuling Baojun
2009 1,000,000+[4] 1,000,000+ 0
2010 1,226,860.[24] ? ?
2011 1,285,820[20] ? ?
2012 1,445,203[25] ? ?

Export

While the majority of SGMW products are sold domestically in China, some export does occur. 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. The first such vehicles were sent to Peru in July 2009. These exports may constitute CKD knock-down kits with final assembly only done in the receiving nation as is the case in Egypt.

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

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.