GM Pauses Plans for Car Exports to China

General Motors has decided to cease vehicle exports to China, pointing to recent “major shifts in economic conditions” and the necessity for a business overhaul.

As reported by The new York Times, GM announced on May 19 that it would stop sending its Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs to China and has abandoned plans for other models as well. The company began its export journey into the Chinese market in 2024 under an initiative called the Durant Guild. Though, these exports represented a mere fraction—less than 0.1%—of GM’s total sales in China. In the first quarter of 2025, GM sold around 443,000 vehicles ther, although many were produced through collaborations with local manufacturers.

Sales took a nosedive in 2024, plummeting over 42%, which is quite a fall from its glory days as one of China’s leading car brands back in the ’90s. The Chinese government has heavily subsidized local automakers for years while making life tough for foreign companies trying to break into its fiercely competitive electric vehicle (EV) sector. Since 2008, hefty taxes—up to 100%—have been imposed on large imported cars and SUVs, whereas domestically made evs enjoy a much lighter tax burden of just 13%.