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GM Authority

More Than 60 Percent Of GM Vehicles Sold In Mexico Are Built In China

Considering Mexico is a free trade partner with the United States and Canada, one would be forgiven for believing that the GM vehicle lineup there is largely the same as it is up north. That’s not the case, however, as the majority of GM products sold in Mexico are global market nameplates that are built in China.

GM ended production of the Chevy Onix in Mexico earlier this year as it implemented a new manufacturing strategy at the San Luis Potosí plant. It subsequently began importing the hot-selling Onix into Mexico from a plant in China, making it one of several Chevy models that are produced in the Asian country. Other Chevy models from China that are now sold in Mexico include the Chevy Groove and Chevy Captiva crossovers, which are rebadged Baojun models, along with the Chevy Cavalier and Chevy Sail compacts, Chevy S10 Max pickup and Chevy Tornado utility van.

These Chevy models make up a large chunk of GM’s sales in Mexico, however U.S.-imported models like the Chevy Silverado 1500 and Silverado HD also remain popular in the country. The Buick Encore, a Chinese-built crossover that’s also sold in the United States and Canada, is sold in Mexico as well.

By importing vehicles from China, GM is able to make the most of its Global Emerging Markets platform, a cost-effective, flexible vehicle architecture designed for certain global markets in South America, the Middle East and Asia. Chinese-built GM vehicles that tap the GEM platform include the Chevy Onix, Tracker, Sail and Cavalier, as well as certain China-only models like the Buick Excelle.

Importing vehicles from China has also allowed GM to maintain steady production output in Mexico, keeping its dealers well-stocked with new product even amid the chip shortage and other supply chain challenges.

Earlier this month, GM’s SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) joint venture in China announced it had begun production of an unnamed Chevy compact car codenamed 310C, which will eventually go on sale in Mexico. This future compact car will be imported into the country from a Wuling plant in Tianjin, China.

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Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. Serious question for anyone. Because GM seems to be going all SUV and truck and (from the sounds of it) will soon not have a single car (sedan) for sale outside of Cadillac, does anyone know if it’s legal to buy a car in Mexico and bring it to the US and title it here? Living in southern California, it wouldn’t be hard for me to do. I like some of the cars GM is selling south of the boarder.

    Reply
    1. Yes, it’s perfectly legal, but a pain in the F****** a@@. You have to pay the import “chicken tax” as well as get through customs and licensed with your state, and depending on where it crosses the border or your local BMV, they might give you hell to where it could take 6months from date of purchase.

      I almost bought a Suzukis Jimney and brought it up here, me bing a fan of the Geo-trackers and Samuries from the 90’s. I did the math, and went and bought a traverse for cheaper. Godspeed, as you’ll need it.

      Reply
      1. GM is doing this for their bottom line ,while at the same time ,they want the American drivers to support them and buy their EV’s.

        Reply
      2. Steven: Thanks. I’m good for now with my 2021 Malibu, but was just thinking outside the box for the future life with nothing but ugly boxes and trucks littering our roads.

        Reply
    2. For years GM sold lease returns stateside that were only available in MX when new. Many non US spec cars do not meet US NTSB standards so much research will be needed.

      Reply
  2. Comment deleted.

    Reply
  3. Sla_ve labor…. C’mon GM. Get out of this terrible regime and support countries that actually care about you and not just to use you up and spit you out. This is abhorrent.

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  4. Cut through BS and it’s pure profit. Why buy lemonade at 1.25 a glass when you can walk across the street and buy the same size cup of lemonade for .35 and fill a thermas and walk across the other side of the street and sell that thermas of lemonade for .50

    I worked in the data business and in the 90’s we installed tons of data lines in S. America due to cheap labor until the corporations realized the millions of untapped potential buyers in China and dropping the labor cost less than S. America and took their business to China. Huge data line disconnects from S. America and installed triple amount of data lines to China factories. China took jobs away from all countries. About the same time corporations let go US employees and reestablished call centers in India, Philippines, and Vietnam. Then we lost high tech skilled jobs to those countries. Example, level 1 US skilled multiple certification employees with years of experience making triple digit income could easily be let go and hire in those international countries for 20k based on those countries salaries, whice happened. It was like watching a buffalo slaughter.
    What started the massacre, Obama raised corporate taxes and corporations quickly learned moving overseas could off set the taxes and passing the cost onto the consumer.

    It’s getting ready to happen again… that’s why gm and other corporations have not moved thosed overseas production plants, revenues gains are to great to move production and keeping your eye on the potential buyers of hundreds of millions of people in China.

    Reply
    1. The off shoring of jobs happened long before Obama was president. It started when ” Greed is Good”
      senile Ronnie took office and began the destruction of the American middle class for the
      benefit of the rich !

      Reply
      1. To Robert Graham:

        Absolutely 100% in agreement with you. The MAGA (Make America Great Again) Lying Alzheimer Reagan and the Republicans, with the backing of the mighty Oil and Weapons Industries, derailed Democrat President Jimmy Carter’s chance of a 2nd term, which then Reagan ushered in the 1980’s Era of greed.
        He broke the backs of the Unions starting with the Air-Traffic Controllers, along with the destruction of the vast middle class he lied to, to get in power.

        Donald Trump sure benefited from the 1980’s Era of Greed.
        Shockingly, Trump was not the one who originate “Make America Great Again.” It was Ronald Reagan and the Republicans who used it in the 1980 election campaign.
        That slogan seemed an insult to President Jimmy Carter, as if America was no longer great! In my opinion, the mid to late 70’s under President Carter were the great times socially and especially economically as everything was so affordable.
        If he had a 2nd term, we may have self reliant solar panels in most homes and be driving electric vehicles sooner and the planet and the environment would be saved.
        He was the first President to put solar panels on top of the White House and Reagan took them down, until decades later, Democrat President Barack Obama put them back up again.

        Remember GM’s first electric vehicle on the market, the 1996 EV1. GM then had to buy them all back and destroyed, most likely from the threat by the oil industry.
        GM could have been the leader in electric vehicles way ahead of Tesla.

        Make GM great again as if GM is not great.
        Glad GM is still the big and great North American Multinational Corporation, and may have a bright electric vehicle future.
        Buy GM vehicles.

        Reply
        1. @Edward Ken Wong…WTF…

          Carter was POS and ruied this country. I was trying to decide college or military. College was crap at that time and over the years got worse.
          Unemployment, interest, gas, and food were crazy high. Odd and even days to get gas…

          Choose military and never looked back.

          You are sick individual…or never lived in era.

          Reply
        2. And little Mr. Wong is anther one. Blaming personal failures on politicians. What a miserable existence.

          Reply
      2. Mr Graham. Another one of life’s losers blaming his pathetic, unhappy plight on a politician the don’t know personally and who left office over 30 years ago.

        Reply
  5. The article mentions that the Buick Encore is made in & imported from China. However, it is made in South Korea (at least, the ones imported to the US are sourced there).

    Reply
    1. Korea builds the larger GX China builds the Encore

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      1. Peaky: Unless that has changed since I had my 2018 Encore, you are not correct. My 2018 was assembled in south Korea. From what I know, it still is. Maybe you have the two mixed up? I think the GX may be assembled in China.

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        1. I own a GX(well wife drives it) Bepong SK ASSEMBLY , I was just repeating Wiki,

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      2. The Envision is built in China. Both the Encore and Encore GX, along with the Chevy Trax and Trailblazer, are sourced from South Korea.

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        1. Wiki says 2019 back- Encore- China and Korea
          2020 on Encore China GX KOREA.. maybe wiki is wrong but usually GM keeps that stuff pretty close.

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  6. I will only buy north american made… China has already “given” us enough…

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  7. Wow, the USA rustbelt ( upper Midwest heartland ) after World War 2 and for the next 30+ years was king of the world in metalworking ( machine tools, stampings, forgings, foundries, steel, fabrication, assembly, etc. ). We lost it. We are self killing ourselves by politics, taxes, ethics, laziness, etc. Hello new Rome.

    China has capitalized on our mis steps. So much metalworking has gone to Asia. The Japanese now lead the world in metalworking machine tools. Very sad to see the dumbing down of America.

    Reply

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