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In the past two years, Germany and Japan have occupied most of the car market, and they are almost occupied by these two other models in the list of the top 10 sales, while American models are rarely seen. However, in the newly released list of car sales, Buick Yinglang can be seen in the top 10. Buick Yinglang sold 23230 vehicles in May 2020, up 55.9% from a year earlier, ranking seventh in May's car sales list and the top-selling model of the Buick brand, according to FIFA data.

The vast majority of consumers are no stranger to Buick Yinglang, which has sold as well as Lang Yi, Xuan Yi, Carola and other best-selling cars. But sales of this best-selling car plummeted after the replacement of three-cylinder engines in 2017, and SAIC GM's sales fell for the second year in a row.

Figures show that Buick Yinglang's sales were high all the way in 2017, with cumulative sales of 421000 vehicles for the whole year, on a par with long Yi and Xuanyi. However, at the peak of sales, the new Yinglang chose to carry a three-cylinder engine, and consumers naturally did not buy it, resulting in a sharp drop in sales of 37.2% to 262000 vehicles in 2018, making it out of the top five. The gap between Yinglang and Lanya, Xuanyi, Carola and other models further widened.

However, SAIC GM has not stopped the three-cylinder engine strategy because of the sharp decline in sales, in addition to Yinglong, including Kruze, Weilang, GL6, Shue Lang and other models are equipped with three-cylinder engine. According to statistics, by 2019, SAIC GM has a total of 13 models equipped with three-cylinder engines, covering the two major brands of Buick and Chevrolet.

The decline in SAIC GM sales expanded again in 2019, with cumulative sales falling 18.8 per cent to 1.6001 million vehicles. Among them, Yinglong sales increased by 6.6% to 279300 vehicles, which seems to have achieved an increase in sales, but it is actually the result of price-for-volume. Yinglong terminal offered a discount of 40,000 yuan to sell, thus maintaining Yinglong's sales. However, it has also led to a serious setback to SAIC GM's price system and brand reputation.

SAIC GM's strategy of vigorously promoting three-cylinder engines was hindered, as its brand reputation declined, sales continued to decline and terminal prices fell, forcing it to restart plans to restore performance in key models with four-cylinder engines. On March 31st, the new Yinglang officially launched the four-cylinder model, which is powered by a 1.5L inline four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine with a price range of 11.99-125900 yuan. 1.5L in-line four-cylinder model and 1.0T/1.3T inline three-cylinder model are sold at the same time.

From the sales data, the effect of four-cylinder Yinglang driving sales growth is immediate. SAIC GM's April sales fell 12.35 per cent to 110002 vehicles, with Yinglang accounting for nearly 30 per cent of sales, according to the data. After the launch of four-cylinder new cars, Yinglang sold 30643 new cars in April, up 143% from a year earlier, including 25180 1.5L and 5462 1.3T.

On May 11th, Kruze also launched a 1.5L four-cylinder engine model with a maximum power of 83kW and a peak torque of 141N ·m, combined with a six-speed DSS intelligent transmission. On the same day, Kovac added two new models to the original model, both of which are equipped with 1.3L naturally aspirated engines, with a maximum power of 79 kilowatts and a peak torque of 130N ·m, matching a five-speed manual transmission.

At present, the core models of SAIC GM Buick and Chevrolet have been restarted for carrying four-cylinder engines. In the face of many challenges in the auto market, SAIC GM has realized the rejection of three-cylinder engines by Chinese consumers. Whether the increase in Yinglong sales is the return of the four-cylinder engine or the result of price-for-volume, the painful lesson of the three-cylinder engine is enough to prove that there is no way out under the three-cylinder engine, and that if no change is made, there will only be death.

Why are car companies so enthusiastic about the three-cylinder engine carrying plan? Generally speaking, three-cylinder gasoline engines are more in line with increasingly stringent fuel economy and emission regulations, so automakers vigorously promote them to meet regulatory requirements and avoid fines, but this ignores the actual needs of consumers. as a result, promotion is very difficult and sales have declined.

Why do consumers reject three-cylinder engine models? Consumers believe that the three-cylinder engine has greater disadvantages, such as noise, jitter and acceleration problems, and even no more fuel-efficient than the four-cylinder engine at the same displacement.

By re-offering the four-cylinder engine version, GM may stop falling in the Chinese market, but that does not mean it will not continue to promote the three-cylinder engine strategy. According to Shi Hong, deputy general manager of SAIC GM, it does not rule out the possibility of carrying three-cylinder engines on larger models. SAIC GM will still adhere to the three-cylinder engine strategy in response to fuel consumption requirements. Qian Huikang, president of GM China, has also said that the three-cylinder engine still has great advantages from the point of view of fuel consumption and power output. But China is GM's largest single market and has a say in product development, so it is adding four-cylinder engine models to meet consumer demand and cope with market competition.

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