Not long ago, General Motors was arguably the top automotive brand in China. In 2010, the American automaker sold more cars in China than in the United States. Since then, China has continually been a key sales market for GM and in 2017 the company’s CEO Mary Barra even said she was fully on-board with China’s EV goals and GM would launch 20 EVs over five years in the country.
But the landscape has changed for GM since the COVID pandemic. While the pandemic affected overall automotive sales in China due to the country’s strict COVID restrictions, GM also has had to contend with the Chinese government’s shift towards encouraging EV adoption and the subsequent rise of domestic EV makers, which has eroded GM’s market position.
