Chevrolet, an American car brand, has seen a significant decline in new car sales in mainland China. The official website has ceased vehicle sales at the only listed store in Zhejiang, with after-sales services in other cities of Zhejiang being taken over by Buick 4S stores. Its parent company, General Motors, has denied claims of production halt but has not given a clear response on the continuation of new car sales in China.
According to recent reports from Chinese media, Chevrolet’s official website in Zhejiang only lists one store in Hangzhou. Staff members have stated that the store no longer sells new cars and only retains maintenance and repair services; car owners in other cities in Zhejiang must now visit nearby Buick 4S stores.
General Motors responded by stating that Chevrolet will not cease production, as its product line aligns better with export market demands. It plans to continue manufacturing in China and expand into overseas markets beyond the United States. General Motors also mentioned continuing to provide after-sales services for existing car owners in China. However, they did not address whether the sales of new cars in China would be stopped.
On August 5th, SAIC Group and General Motors signed a joint venture agreement, extending the SAIC-GM joint venture period by 20 years until 2047. The Daily Economic News reported that both companies plan to introduce at least 30 new energy vehicle models by 2030, focusing on the electrification transformation of the Cadillac and Buick brands. These arrangements did not specify Chevrolet’s new car sales plan in mainland China.
Chevrolet entered the Chinese market in 2005 and reached a sales volume of 767,000 vehicles in 2014. The number of dealerships once reached close to a thousand. However, sales have been steadily declining since then, with models not being updated for a long time, and no new models have been introduced in China for over two years.
Several Chinese media outlets have reported that some automotive platforms show that Chevrolet’s retail sales in mainland China dropped to single digits in June 2026. In 2019, Chevrolet’s sales in China fell to 410,000 vehicles, and by the end of 2025, the annual sales were less than 9,000 vehicles.
The official Weibo account of Chevrolet has not been updated for over a year, with the last post dated back to February 2025.
Amid Chevrolet’s contraction, the overall automobile consumption in China has been decreasing. According to data from the China Automobile Dealers Association, passenger car retail sales in mainland China in the first half of 2026 amounted to 8.7 million vehicles, down 20.2% year-on-year. Liu Xuehong, deputy secretary-general of the association, previously stated that the overall number of traditional fuel car 4S stores is decreasing, with the contraction of sales networks for marginal joint venture brands like Chevrolet and Skoda being particularly noticeable.
The consecutive closures of stores have made it difficult for some car owners to fulfill their after-sales rights. In a report by Life Daily in March this year, a Chevrolet car owner in Harbin received a 6-year-12-service maintenance gift upon purchase. However, when there were still nine services left, the 4S store withdrew. Despite registering issues with Chevrolet customer service, the store has not responded further as of the report’s publication.
After the news broke out, many Chevrolet car owners have expressed concerns about future maintenance and the availability of spare parts for their vehicles. Some netizens lament that their first car was a Chevrolet; others recall Chevrolet being a more common joint venture car brand in their area. Some netizens believe that the continued contraction of joint venture brands in the Chinese market, similar to Chevrolet’s exit or downsizing, is only a matter of time.