SAIC-GM-Wuling exports up 37% from January to July

SAIC-GM-Wuling exported 2,658 vehicles and knock-down kits in July, up 66 percent year-on-year, a sign of the Sino-US joint venture's growing popularity in overseas markets.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the company's total overseas sales exceeded 50,000 from January to July, up 37 percent from the same period last year.

Its overseas sales revenue in the first seven months this year totaled over 2 billion yuan ($288 million), up 35 percent year-on-year.

SAIC-GM-Wuling said it began exploring overseas markets in the early 2000s. Now its products are available in over 40 countries and regions, primarily in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.

The company has a $700 million plant in Indonesia with an annual production capacity of 120,000 vehicles.

The Baojun 530 is one of the most popular Chinese models in overseas markets. Its cumulative deliveries totaled 75,185. In India, it had a market share of 52 percent in the mid-sized SUV segment in the first quarter of 2020.

SAIC-GM-Wuling began exporting the smaller Baojun 510 in July, with the first 542 to South America. The company said the model will also be available in the Middle East and Africa.

The company is also one of the best-selling carmakers in the Chinese market. Its sales exceeded 130,000 in July, up 20 percent year-on-year. It has seen sales growth for four months in a row since April.