Development of GEM in particular was largely done by GM's joint ventureSAIC-GM in China.[2] It was developed by the GM-SAIC joint venture Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC).[3] Creating the platform reportedly came at a cost of approximately 5 billion dollars to GM,[4] much of the funds for which were accumulated by exiting several unprofitable markets in Europe and Africa in 2017.[5][6]
History
Prior to 2015, GM primarily sold slightly refreshed versions of aging American models to developing markets.[7] These included the likes of the Chevrolet Lanos and Daewoo Lacetti, both of which have been manufactured well past the introduction of new models in their segments (since 2002 and 2003, respectively for these examples).[8][9] In August 2015, the conglomerate announced their plans to invest billions of dollars into the development of a singular platform for their secondary markets for introduction in the next 5 years.[10]
In September 2019, Chevrolet revealed the second generation Onixsedan, the first vehicle to be underpinned by the GEM platform.[11] GM anticipates that the markets in question will begin to outpace their established markets in new vehicle introduction from 2020 to 2030.[12]