GM, China's SAIC Motor Extend Joint Venture Partnership for 20 Years

By Megan Cheah

General Motors and China's SAIC Motor will extend their joint venture for 20 years, cementing the U.S. automaker's commitment to the Chinese market.

The renewal extends the partnership to 2047 and puts the joint venture in a position to boost its technological transformation and increase growth opportunities, Detroit-based GM said Tuesday.

The Shanghai-headquartered joint venture, SAIC-GM, was founded in 1997 and has manufactured and delivered more than 20 million vehicles. It plans to launch at least 30 new-energy vehicles--a category that includes EVs and hybrids--by 2030 and deploy tech solutions developed in China for the Chinese market.

It will also sharpen its focus on the Buick and Cadillac brands in China.

John Roth, GM senior vice president and GM China's president, said the deal reflects confidence in the joint venture's long-term growth potential.

"We are committed to strong performance in the China market, and we see meaningful opportunities to compete in select international markets: the Middle East, Africa, South America, Mexico and Asia-Pacific," he added. The Buick Electra E7 is set to be SAIC-GM's first premium new-energy vehicle model to go overseas in October.

Western carmakers have been seeking partnerships with their Chinese counterparts as a way to tap Chinese technology, as tech-heavy Chinese-made cars increasingly erode market share for Western carmakers both in China and Europe. Such partnerships also let automakers trim costs through shared purchases and engineering.

Ford and Geely Automobile in July agreed to a deal allowing the Chinese automaker to build some of its cars at Ford's plant in Spain. The companies also committed to jointly develop a new SUV.

Jeep maker Stellantis in May said two of its Spanish factories would produce electric vehicles with China's Leapmotor.

It also inked a $1.17 billion deal with Dongfeng Group to produce electric vehicles under the Peugeot and Jeep brands in China. A separate joint venture between the two companies will let Dongfeng assemble at least one of its premium Voyah-branded electric-vehicle models in a French Stellantis factory.

Write to Megan Cheah at megan.cheah@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 05, 2026 01:12 ET (05:12 GMT)