GM loses share in January as sales fall 40%

General Motors lost ground in China last month as its two joint ventures both underperformed the overall market.

Sales at SAIC-GM, GM’s car joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp., slipped 30 percent to 125,464 in January, according to figures SAIC disclosed last week. 

Deliveries at SAIC-GM-Wuling, the Detroit automaker’s light-vehicle partnership with SAIC, plummeted 51 percent to 78,240.

In January, total sales at the two joint ventures slumped 40 percent to 203,704.

By contrast, new light-vehicle deliveries across China fell 20 percent to 1.61 million during the month due to the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday and the coronavirus epidemic that spread from the central China city of Wuhan at the end of the month.

SAIC-GM produces and markets Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet cars and light trucks, while SAIC-GM-Wuling builds and distributes Baojun-badged entry-level cars and Wuling-brand minibuses.

GM only releases China sales on a quarterly basis.