The American automobile manufacturer said in a statement the day before that it would end its automobile sales, engineering and design business in Australia and New Zealand in 20021year. In the local area, GM operates the Horton brand with a long history.
In addition, GM will sell its factory in Luo Yong, Thailand to Great Wall Motor, a China automobile manufacturer. By the end of this year, GM's Chevrolet brand will officially withdraw from the local market.
In some of these countries, GM's behavior has caused official concerns about employment. According to GM's statistics, the manufacturer has 828 employees in Australia and New Zealand, and the number of employees in Thailand has reached 1500.
"This is a disappointing result." Glenn Andrews, Australian Minister of Industry, Science and Technology? (Karen? Andrews) said. She said that nearly 500 workers will lose their jobs as a result, and she was also dissatisfied with GM's practice of not notifying the local government until the official announcement.
But for workers in Luo Yong, Thailand, GM's decision to sell the factory may be a good thing. Great Wall Motor has previously said that it will expand in the Southeast Asian market based on Thailand.
"We will also promote the development of supply chain, R&D and related industries locally, and will also contribute to the finance of Luo Yong and even Thailand." Liu Xiangshang, vice president of global strategy of Great Wall Motor, said.
In recent years, GM has withdrawn from several markets that it once considered crucial, including Western Europe, Japan, India and Russia. In 20 17, Mary Bola announced the termination of car sales in South Africa and India. At that time, she said, "We are in the process of business transformation, with a view to becoming a more focused company with a more rigorous organizational structure."
GM said that the company analyzed the future production business of the Luo Yong plant from a commercial point of view. The results show that the low energy utilization rate and sluggish automobile sales make "GM's local automobile manufacturing no longer sustainable".
Last year, GM suffered heavy losses in the Asian market, and its international business, including the China market, lost about $200 million, including $654.38 billion in the fourth quarter alone.
Mary Bola said that the company will shift its focus to those markets with stronger profitability, and withdrawing from Australia, New Zealand and Thailand is one of them. But she also promised that GM would help local employees and consumers through the transition period.
"We will change the positioning of our business structure, and we will pursue more accurate market positioning and sell high-end models with higher profits." Li Bai (? Julian? Blissett? ) said in the statement.
Detroit auto giants predict that after the abolition of the business in the above three countries, they will get cash and non-cash income worth 1 654,380 billion US dollars in 2020.
"From a global perspective, we have now found the right market to improve profitability, enhance business performance and profit from long-term opportunities. We will continue to optimize the company's operations according to the rhythm of one market after another to further enhance our competitiveness and improve the cost base. " Mary Bora said.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.