General Motors’ two main own brands plus the three-way JV of SAIC-GM-Wuling make up the majority of the American OEM’s sales in the giant Chinese market. Buick has been the company’s own volume play for some years, with Cadillac also more successful in the PRC than it has been in the USA.
GM remains committed to an electric future in China - and eventually, North America too - but has to decide if it will continue making major investments in both EVs and gasoline-powered models. Some would say it has no choice but so far, the firm has held back on matching the bargain basem*nt pricing of new electric and electrified models from multiple rival brands in China. And for that reason, Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet sales have taken a major hit.
This report looks at how General Motors might decide to proceed, highlighting certain cars, minivans/MPVs and SUVs. The most likely strategy appears to be a pullback (for now) on going all-in with EVs for Cadillac, instead offering hybrid/plug-in hybrid alternatives not only in North America but China too.
Buick
June was yet another grim month for Buick in its number one market, wholesale deliveries plunging by 48 per cent year-on-year, according to CAAM. The total - 24,003 locally manufactured passenger vehicles - placed the brand in twentieth position (just behind GAC).
Looking at other GM China brands, Cadillac suffered a fall of 45.5 per cent (9,003) and fell five positions to fortieth YoY, while Chevrolet was down by 82 per cent, ending the month in position 58 (compared to 44 in June 2023). There was better news for Baojun (+16 per cent to 3,118) but Wuling (-15.5 per cent to 39,294) also lost share (fifteenth place compared to eleventh a year ago).
Things aren’t so bad for Buick that Chinese market deliveries have fallen behind those of its numbers for the USA, its home market deliveries numbering 89,830 (+11 per cent) for the year to the end of June. One of the reasons why the brand has historically done so well in China is a near-premium image and a strong range of localised models. That continues and in certain segments, such as MPVs, Buick is especially strong.
The GL8, GL8 PHEV, GL8 ES and Century are four minivans. The combined monthly sales volume of the first three - though each is a different vehicle - plus the Century does at least exceed one thousand units but how long can GM China justify all these models?
The Lu Zun (plug-in hybrid) is the newest model, having debuted at the Beijing motor show in April. This and the upscale Century should survive any potential rationalisation, the latter expected to endure until 2030 after a facelift in 2026.
The only other models to sell in a four-figure monthly volume are (in order) the Velite 6, Verano, Envision S, Regal and LaCrosse. In June, the Century, Electra E5, Encore, Enclave, Electra E4 and Envista were all selling in three figures only, suggesting some will be axed before their originally planned time. What will follow these vehicles, though?
Two very strong hints were dropped at the Beijing show three months ago, in the form of two concepts. Interestingly, neither was an SUV. The Electra L used the GM Ultium platform and was said to be powered by a 255 kW rear-mounted motor. This electric sedan was joined by the Lt, a wagon version of the same car. We should expect to see SAIC GM launching each in 2026/2027.
Back in North America, the Enclave replacement is already in production. Lansing Delta Township in Michigan began building it in March. This gasoline-only SUV is longer, wider and taller than the second generation.
The 2025 model year Enclave has a standard 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine. Drive is to the front or both axles via an eight-speed automatic transmission. As the new model uses an updated C1 architecture, what will surely be an electric successor in 2031 will have a new platform entirely.
Cadillac
In April came the statement that Cadillac would be cancelling its policy of selling only EVs by 2030. The GM division did not however, go so far as to state which existing ICE-powered models would now have direct replacements. The fifth generation Escalade will surely though be one such vehicle line, such is its profitability.
Escalade 6 will likely arrive for the 2029 model year, based on a new frame but drawing heavily from the existing T1XX architecture. Engines and transmissions will also surely be evolutions from what presently exists, with one exception: no diesel option as few buyers currently choose the 3.0-litre straight six Duramax option. This engine is being dropped at the end of the 2024 model year, in fact. And for 2025 there are facelifts for both Escalade and long-wheelbase Escalade ESV, plus a new pillar-to-pillar digital dashboard.
The other Escalade is unrelated to the full-sized model launched in 2020, this being the electric Escalade IQ. Announced just under a year ago, it too is new for the 2025 model year, uses the GM Ultium platform, has a weighty 200 kWh battery, is 5.7 metres long and comes with three rows of seating. Production at Factory Zero starts in August. And despite that extraordinary length, an IQL has been confirmed as being on the way. It should be added for the 2026 model year.
Cadillac is also keeping its policy of a rear emblem which highlights the torque output, even in non-metric America. In this case, even though the number is 1,064 Nm, the tailgate badge on the Escalade IQ says 1000E4. The model will likely be facelifted in CY2028 and replaced in 2032. It and the next Escalade should therefore be sold alongside one another into the second half of the 2030s.
The line-up of other SUVs includes the XT4, XT5 and XT6 as well as the China-only GT4, plus the new, electric Optiq and Lyriq, to be joined by the three-row Vistiq (also an EV) in 2025.
Starting with the gas-powered XT models, the XT4 was facelifted a year ago and should be phased out at the end of MY26, while the larger XT5, now eight years old, is to be replaced soon. Interestingly, this applies only in China and SAIC-GM was thought to have been planning to export the model to North America. Due to hefty duties, this will not now happen. And as for the XT6, a facelift is imminent for the Chinese market, at least, then North America likely in late 2024.
When it comes to cars, Cadillac still has the CT4 and CT5 in both of its main markets while China also has the CT6. This big sedan is more or less a new body on the same architecture as the previous model. Launched in 2023, its mid-cycle facelift should take place in 2027 with the phase-out happening around 2030 or 2031. A similarly sized electric equivalent, originally expected in 2024 or 2025 is now understood to have been delayed. It, in common with another, slightly smaller electric sedan, will use BEV Prime, a premium version of General Motors’ BEV3 platform.
SAIC-GM-Wuling
Wuling, part of a three-way joint venture, has also seen its sales fall in the face of ongoing intense competition. Nonetheless, this remains GM China’s number one brand and new models continue to be launched apace.
The Bingo Plus was Wuling’s first launch of 2024, having been revealed in January. A different model to the existing Bingo, a tiny EV, the Plus has a 50 mm longer wheelbase (2,610 mm), while the battery of all variants has a capacity of 50.6 kWh. The platform is SGMW’s Global Small Electric Vehicle (GSEV) architecture. A 75 kW and 180 Nm motor is produced by supplier Shandong Shuanglin New Energy Technology Company. Production should last until 2030, with a facelift in 2027.
Revealed just weeks after the debut of the Bingo Plus, the Yuangguang EV is a line of far larger electric vans and MPVs. On sale since June, these models’ lifecycles should be seven to eight years, which means a scheduled styling update in 2028.
Three other new Wuling models revealed so far this year are the Starlight estate, the Starlight EV (sedan version) and the Xing Chen Plus PHEV. The latter is a new powertrain in an existing model, this being a 78 kW 1.5-litre engine plus a 150 kW motor.
Next up will be the Starlight S, an SUV with EV and PHEV options. This 4,745 mm long model has a 2,800 mm wheelbase. Sources claim that the electric variant will be powered by a 150 kW motor and that the plug-in hybrid will have the same engine and motor as the XingChen Plus PHEV. This additional model is due for launch by the fourth quarter.
This was the second of two reports on General Motors brands. Click here to see future model highlights for Chevrolet & GMC.
"2024 future model report: Buick, Cadillac & Wuling" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.
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