General Motors‘ joint venture with local partners SAIC and Wuling will start building a new plant in Chongqing, China early next year, pending government approvals.

Reuters reported the CNY6.6bn first phase is scheduled to open in 2015 and the plant will have annual production capacity of 400,000 vehicles and engines.

The JV will announce the models to be built there closer to the start of production.

The new plant will help the JV reach its production target of 2m vehicles a year by the end of 2015.