GM CEO: Chinese drivers want more variety in vehicles

By Mary Barra | China Daily | Updated: 2015-04-20 09:47

Editor's note: Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, shared her vision of business in the Chinese market and joint ventures just before the Shanghai Auto Show in an interview with China Daily reporter Hao Yan.

What are the driving forces for GM's sustained growth in China?

China has been GM's largest market since 2010. GM and its joint ventures had record sales of more than 3.5 million vehicles in 2014. Our growth in China has been driven by strong brands, great products, growing retail capability and win-win partnerships across our 11 joint ventures, two wholly owned foreign enterprises and 58,000 employees.

One of our core values is to put the customer at the center of everything we do. We believe that each interaction matters. We listen intently to our customers' needs.

What is the new product lineup for China this year?

A new trend is the replacement and upgrading demand from Chinese families. This will drive changes in the product mix to more diversified and more premium products.

We will continue to bring more new and refreshed models to meet growing demand. A particular focus is on the large and fast-growing segments in China, which include luxury vehicles, SUVs, MPVs and compact cars. At the same time, we are continually working to make our vehicles more efficient with leading powertrains, by offering solutions such as hybrids and electric vehicles.

GM's joint ventures are introducing 12 new and refreshed models in China in 2015, including three each at Chevrolet and Wuling and two each at Cadillac, Buick and Baojun.

Luxury brands are accelerating in China. What is GM's strategy for the luxury car segment?

China is Cadillac's No 2 market in sales globally. Our flagship luxury brand, Cadillac, will be a separate business unit. This will enable Cadillac to pursuegrowth opportunities in the luxury marketworldwide with more focus and clarity. Our goal is to make Cadillac the standard for luxury in every market in which it is sold, including here in China.

What is your goal this year?

Our priority is to offer a diverse array of great looking vehicles to suit the wide array of Chinese consumers. Achieving brand loyalty and earning customers for life is vital to GM everywhere. Whether sales, service, financing or mobile connectivity, our overall goal is to ensure that our customers have more than just a great vehicle, they also have a great ownership experience.

We know we need to offer the right products, the right technologies and the best sales and service experience to all customers, whether they are in Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Detroit, Russelsheim or elsewhere.

We are working closely with our JV partners to expand the scope of our business to provide greater convenience for our customers in China. That is why we are now engaged in automotive financing, insurance, accessories, and aftersales.

What are your expectations for the Shanghai GM joint venture?

By 2020, SGM will reduce the average fuel consumption of these new Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet models by 25-30 percent, with the help of 13 new engines, nine new transmissions, and around 40 new technologies to create powertrains that are quieter and with higher performance, reliability and mileage.

GM's joint ventures offer more than 40 different vehicles under six strong brands: Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Wuling and Jiefang.

By the end of 2015, we expect to have nearly 4,800 dealers nationwide, a 6 percent increase from last year. With a highly trained sales staff representing the face of each of our six brands, we want our customers to have the best buying and ownership experience in the industry.