Shanghai (ZXZC)- SAIC General Motors ("SAIC-GM"), the joint venture between General Motors and SAIC Motor, saw a significant power center, named SAIC-GM Wuhan Ultium Center, start operation in Wuhan city, the capital of China's Hubei province, on Dec. 28.

The recent move signified a milestone in the joint venture's transition towards electrification and also part of efforts for the company to further improve its ability to locally manufacture new energy vehicle (NEV)-related core parts.

Together with SAIC GM's Ultium Center in Jinqiao, Shanghai, the newly-launched facility will jointly provide batteries and electric drive systems for China-made Ultium-based battery electric vehicle (BEV) models.

Buick Electra E5's trial assembly car; photo credit: SAIC-GM

On the same day, a trial-assembly car of the Buick Electra E5 all-electric five-seater SUV, the first Ultium-based model to be produced at SAIC-GM's Wuhan car manufacturing factory, rolled off the assembly line.

The mass-produced Buick Electra E5 will hit the market in the first quarter of 2023 and is scheduled for delivery in the first half of next year.

As the youngest manufacturing base of SAIC GM, the joint venture’s Wuhan branch has so far produced over 3.91 million vehicles and nearly 5.52 million engines, resulting in a cumulative production value of more than 347.2 billion yuan ($49.786 billion).

Over the next five years, SAIC-GM will roll out 10 plus locally-built Ultium-based models, four of which will be launched in 2023.