Undoubtedly, joint venture brands are facing unprecedented impacts, with many previously popular models experiencing sluggish sales in a short period of time. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association, mainstream joint venture brands sold a total of 4.414 million vehicles from January to September this year, a year-on-year decrease of 17.1%. In the same period, sales of independent brands reached 9.16 million units, an increase of 18.4% year-on-year. From the perspective of individual models, many flagship models of joint venture brands have encountered "Waterloo".

The following table lists the top 20 joint venture vehicle models with the largest year-on-year sales declines from January to September this year. From the list, the smallest decline among the top 20 models is 47.2%; 10 models have declines between 50% and 70%; and four models have declines of over 70%.

Among them, the model with the largest decline is the Buick Enclave, which sold 11,048 units from January to September last year but dropped to just 2,235 units this year, a year-on-year decline of 79.8%. The second and third largest declines belong to the Chevrolet Malibu XL and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Plug-in Hybrid, respectively. These two models sold over 10,000 units cumulatively from January to September last year but dropped to 2,928 units and 2,639 units this year, with declines of 76.9% and 75.7%, respectively.

Overall, the market bases for the above three models are not large, so fluctuations in sales volume are more pronounced in year-on-year data changes. Similar situations also apply to models like the Cadillac XT6, Magotan GTE Plug-in Hybrid, Tharu, and Audi Q2L, which had monthly sales of just over 10,000 units last year.

Among the top 20 models with the largest sales declines, the Chevrolet Cruze has been the most affected in terms of the number of sales reductions. It sold 89,468 units from January to September last year but dropped sharply to 25,427 units this year, a decline of 71.6%. This model is also Chevrolet's best-selling model. Its market segment is precisely the A-segment market that BYD aims to disrupt with plug-in hybrids. In addition, models like the Nissan Sylphy, Volkswagen Lavida, and Toyota Corolla, although not on the top 20 list for sales declines, have also been severely impacted, currently barely supported by their core competitiveness and terminal discounts.

The Buick Envision, with the second-largest sales decline, sold 72,449 units from January to September last year but dropped to 37,985 units this year, a decline of 47.6%. This model is one of Buick's flagship offerings.

The Volkswagen Fit and Polo, two A0-segment cars, have also been significantly impacted. They sold 41,822 and 27,153 units, respectively, from January to September last year but dropped to 13,533 and 13,384 units this year, with declines of 67.6% and 50.7%, respectively. These two models were once leaders in the A0-segment market, but now this segment has been dominated by domestic electric vehicles such as the Seagull, Bingguo, Dolphin, and Haoma, with new models continuously entering the market, such as the Geely Xingyuan.

Besides the impact on sales of individual models, this list also reflects the situation faced by joint venture manufacturers. Among the top 20 models with the largest sales declines, SAIC-GM alone accounts for six models, with two each from Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac, including flagship models like the Cruze and Envision.

These six models have directly contributed to over 130,000 units of sales losses for SAIC-GM from January to September this year. SAIC-GM has also experienced the largest decline among joint venture manufacturers this year. According to SAIC Motor's production and sales bulletin, SAIC-GM sold a total of 278,485 units from January to September this year, far below the 724,259 units sold in the same period last year, a year-on-year drop of 61.55%.

Besides the Cruze and Envision listed in the table, sales of SAIC-GM's main models, such as the GL8 and Verano, have also declined significantly. This has prompted SAIC-GM's management to undergo a "reshuffle" and introduce new pricing schemes for self-rescue. Recently, the new Envision Plus and the all-new Cadillac XT5 have received impressive order performance thanks to their limited-time fixed pricing, which is of great significance in boosting SAIC-GM's morale.

Volkswagen has five models on the list (including Jetta), with three from FAW-Volkswagen (including Jetta) and two from SAIC Volkswagen; Honda has three models, with two from Dongfeng Honda and one from Guangzhou Honda; Beijing Benz has two models; and FAW-Volkswagen Audi, FAW Toyota, Changan Ford, and Beijing Hyundai each have one model on the list.

The brands involved in the above models basically cover mainstream joint venture brands. Among these brands, sales have declined to varying degrees this year, except for Changan Ford. From January to September this year, Changan Ford sold 172,448 units, a year-on-year increase of 3.38%. Additionally, Yueda Kia also experienced positive sales growth from January to September this year, with cumulative sales of 176,201 units, a year-on-year increase of 57%, surpassing its total sales for the entire year last year. However, these two companies do not hold a significant share in the overall market.

It is worth mentioning that the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Plug-in Hybrid and the Magotan GTE Plug-in Hybrid are included in the top 20 list with the largest sales declines. Both models were launched in 2021. Although their sales have declined significantly from January to September this year, it also indicates that these two brands have been attempting to electrify and have achieved certain results. However, under the impact of an endless stream of new models, their competitiveness has diminished.

With the deepening of the electrification transformation in recent years and the rise of independent brands, consumers now have more diverse options for vehicles. Faced with independent brand models that offer higher cost-effectiveness, richer configurations, and lower usage costs, as well as the shortcomings of joint venture brands in terms of brand premium and intelligence, consumers will make their choices with their feet. The continuous decline in sales and market share of joint venture brands over the past two years is the best evidence of this.

Of course, many joint venture brands are seeking electrification transformation, but the current results are still limited. Brands like Volkswagen and Audi are closely following market trends and choosing to cooperate with local brands to accelerate the compensation for their shortcomings and enhance product competitiveness. However, it will take some time for related products to be launched. Of course, this list only covers the top 20% with the largest declines. Many joint venture models are also experiencing rapid growth. This statistics only shows the adjustment of the overall market structure under market changes and how enterprises can better find the direction of reform.