GM China has handed over the Chevrolet Lechi so that it can become the second model for the SAIC GM Wuling joint venture’s Baojun low-cost brand.
“Transferring the Lechi to Baojun will help GM and its strategic partner, SAIC, strengthen the competitiveness of the four passenger car brands offered by their SAIC-GM-Wuling and Shanghai GM joint ventures: Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Baojun,” a statement from GM China reads.
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The Lechi (also known as the Le Chi) is based on the Daewoo M150 platform which underpinned the original Matiz from the 1990s. It was updated and rebadged as the Chevrolet Spark, thus giving GM a model for China’s A-segment via its partnership with Liuzhou Wuling Motors (GM owns 44% of Wuling but SAIC’s 50% holding gives it control).
Having launched the Spark in China in December 2003, SAIC GM Wuling added a 1.2-litre engine in December 2008 – until then, only 800cc and 1.0-litre versions had been available. China and India are the only countries where the first generation Spark is still built. GM China eventually changed the car’s name to Le Chi so that it could also sell the second generation model as the Chevrolet Spark.
From a manufacturing point of view, the launch of the Baojun Lechi means little: the car is still produced at SGMW’s Liuzhou plant in China’s Guangxi province.
The Lechi follows the launch of the Baojun brand’s first model, the 630, in 2011. Baojun reportedly translates as ‘Treasured Horse’.
Author: Glenn Brooks
