SAIC-GM Extends Joint Venture Agreement to 2047; Buick Zhijing L7 EV Launches Pre-sales

SAIC Motor and General Motors recently signed a joint venture renewal agreement in Shanghai, extending their partnership until 2047. The two companies plan to launch at least 30 new energy vehicle (NEV) models by 2030 and advance the application of intelligent cockpit and advanced autonomous driving technologies. As the first product of this new phase of collaboration, the Buick Electra L7 EV has officially opened for pre-orders, with a starting price of RMB 169,900 after national subsidies. The vehicle comes standard across all trims with an 800V high-voltage architecture and 6C ultra-fast charging technology. It is equipped with an 80.6 kWh Ultium 2.0 battery pack featuring CATL cells, delivering a CLTC-rated range of up to 702 kilometers and enabling a 450-kilometer range boost in just 10 minutes of charging. In terms of performance, the Electra L7 features a 282 kW electric motor producing peak torque of 382 N·m, achieving a 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 5.6 seconds. According to official data, vehicles built on the Ultium platform have accumulated 5.6 billion kilometers of safe driving with zero incidents of spontaneous combustion or fire-related accidents.