Not EV related, but just wanted to post this for anyone interested...
A month ago there was an article about Stellantis ending manufacturing operations in China.
It should be a little bittersweet to hear this news to anyone who is of a certain generation.
Stellantis is the latest inheritor of the Jeep brand, which occupied the unique position as the first Western joint venture manufacturer in the PRC under the predecessor company American Motors (AMC).
As one of the first joint ventures, they had to suffer through many of the hardships of the initial reform and opening up period including the Tiananmen Square protests and consequences, lack of technology, and even lack of hard currency. The latter of which required the personal intervention of a then up and coming Zhu Rongji.
The Beijing Jeep factory's first product was the venerable XJ Cherokee, which was produced well past it's discontinuation in its home market. As part of the initial agreement, AMC had promised to help build a new 4-door off road vehicle for the PLA which ended up being cancelled. BAIC executives had asked AMC whether it was possible to use the XJ to create the PLA vehicle, but they did not feel it was feasible. 30 years later BAIC did actually end up producing the BJ2022 light 4x4 for the army which was based on the XJ.
40 years since starting that joint venture, Stellantis still occupies the same position as AMC Motors. A company struggling to be profitable and survive. The failure to adapt to the changes in the auto market place can be seen in their lazy assessment of their Chinese business prospects. Unreliable JV partners, Chinese government interference and support of domestic makers, and unfavorable economic conditions. These were the exact same problems AMC executives cited 40 years ago when the Beijing Jeep factory was struggling. 40 years ago, they were a company charting the uncertain waters of a fully centrally planned economy to one closer to a free market. However, it is undeniable that the entire country has changed since, the success of foreign automakers in China had people questioning whether domestic carmakers could ever catch up before the dawn of Lithium battery EVs, yet here Stellantis is, rolling out the same excuses as the past.
Although the door has closed on Beijing Jeep, the factory itself is still open. In one of the many subsequent mergers and unmergers (AMC was unmerged from Renault when purchased by Chrysler), Daimler acquired control of the JV plant in the "divorce settlement" and retooled it to produce Mercedes Benz cars. Today the JV lives on as Beijing Benz.
