Chevrolet ends China sales after 21 years as focus shifts to exports

General Motors is ending Chevrolet's retail operations in China after almost 21 years - but plans to continue producing vehicles in the country for export markets.

GM confirmed the move to National Business Daily on 10 August, announcing that its joint venture with SAIC will continue producing Chevrolet vehicles in China while shifting the brand’s focus toward international markets outside the US. Existing customers will continue to receive after-sales support, with its dealer network remaining operational and the supply of parts and maintenance services staying intact.

GM has stated that Chevrolet’s current product line-up is better suited to export markets. According to Car News China, John Roth, executive vice president of GM Global and the President of GM China, said: “We see vast opportunities to move beyond China and face the world.” He went on to highlight SAIC-GM’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities, stating that this “can be leveraged to enter markets in the Middle East, Africa, South America, Mexico, and the Asia-Pacific region”.

The decision marks a significant reversal for a brand that once sold more than 760,000 vehicles per year in China. In 2014, Chevrolet recorded peak annual sales of ~767,000 units, helped by models such as the Cruze. However, by 2025, annual sales had fallen to fewer than 9000 vehicles. This decline accelerated around 2018 when Chevrolet began to face growing competition from Chinese manufacturers amid the country’s rapid shift to ‘new energy vehicles’ (NEVs).

Long-term, GM’s Chinese production operations will now increasingly serve overseas export markets. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association, Chevrolet exported 6,930 vehicles from China during the first half of this year – up 6.9 per cent year-on-year.

Despite the move, the decision to end Chevrolet sales does not represent a broader withdrawal by GM from China – which recently renewed its joint venture with SAIC for another 20 years, extending the partnership through to 2047. Following a comprehensive restructuring – which included a $6 billion write-down by GM in January 2026 and several years of declining sales – the joint venture is intended to return to a more stable footing. The partners plan to strengthen cooperation by pooling resources across research and development, supply chains and international markets.