GM sees potential for Wuling mini commercial vehicles in other markets
General Motors Co. is on path to introduce the mini commercial vehicles of its 34 percent-owned Chinese company SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. to India. In addition to this, the company also looks to sell Wuling's products in other emerging markets.
Wuling N300 series
In 2008, GM started exporting rebadged Wuling mini commercial vehicles to South American countries such as Peru. The mini commercial vehicles are sold there under the Chevrolet brand through GM's distribution network.
"The reception of the product has been outstanding," said Tim Lee, president of GM International Operations (GMIO) last week at a media roundtable in Shanghai.
"The Wuling product is a value proposition for small business people, and the function between price and quality are so good," Lee explained.
In February, GM and its partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) launched a 50-50 joint venture to build Wuling mini commercial vehicles in India. Lee said he expects locally made Wuling vehicles can be sold in India "within a couple of years".
To date, GM only makes passenger vehicles in India. "We expect to do much more volume in India based on the Wuling product," he said.
"You can sort of think about where we are going to take that business model next. There are many markets, (for example) Indonesia," he added.
"So there are a lot of opportunities we look forward to," he said.
Wuling is a 50-34-16 joint venture between SAIC, GM and Wuling Automotive Co.
In 2009, Wuling sold 1,005,051 mini commercial vehicles in China, up 65 percent year-on-year, according to Automotive Resources Asia, a J.D. Power unit. The company's export figures are not available.
