(Yicai) Aug. 10 -- Chevrolet will continue producing vehicles in China and explore opportunities in overseas markets outside the United States even though sales of new Chevrolet vehicles in the country have been suspended, General Motors China told Yicai today.

GM China said Cadillac and Buick, two other GM-owned brands, have strong competitive advantages in their respective market segments in China that can support sustainable business growth, while the Chevrolet product lineup under its joint venture is better suited to meeting demand in export markets.

GM China will continue to provide after-sales service support to existing Chevrolet owners in China as the automaker shifts the brand’s focus toward overseas markets.

Chevrolet sold just 36 vehicles in China in the first half of this year, according to retail data. Monthly sales were eight units in January, 14 in February, 11 in March, two in April, zero in May, and one in June.

Several insiders at authorized Chevrolet dealerships confirmed to Yicai that sales of new Chevrolet vehicles in China have been suspended, though they gave differing accounts of when the halt began. Some said sales stopped around the end of last year, while others said they had been stagnant for more than a year.

Chevrolet was officially introduced in China through SAIC-GM in 2005 for local production and sales. Riding a wave of household car ownership in the country, the brand quickly gained traction, with annual retail sales peaking at 767,000 vehicles in 2014, making Chevrolet one of China’s mainstream JV auto brands.

But sales began declining after 2018 amid the combined impact of Chevrolet’s three-cylinder engine strategy, price cuts by sister brand Buick, the rise of Chinese automakers, and a lagging transition to electrification. Sales fell to 410,000 vehicles in 2019 and just 52,700 in 2024.

Chevrolet’s sales decline in China accelerated over the past two years, with retail sales totaling fewer than 8,750 vehicles last year. Its new-car retail business in China had effectively ground to a halt by the first half of this year.

Editor: Emmi Laine