General Motors de Argentina
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Vicente López, Buenos Aires , Argentina |
Area served | Argentina |
| Products | Automobiles, pickup trucks, SUVs |
| Parent | General Motors |
General Motors de Argentina S.R.L. serves as the Argentine branch of the US-based General Motors, with its corporate headquarters located in Vicente López, Buenos Aires and a manufacturing plant situated in Alvear, Santa Fe Province.
GM’s entry into the Argentine market dates back to 1922, initially through importers distributing Chevrolet vehicles. The company was officially established in 1925, first operating out of San Telmo, Buenos Aires, then relocating to Barracas, Buenos Aires, before finally launching a significant production facility in San Martín, Buenos Aires. Over time, it manufactured automobiles under various marques including Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Pontiac, LaSalle, Oakland, Marquette, Buick, and Opel. Chevrolet stood out as the brand with the most commercial success.
At the San Martín site, GM commenced production of the first cars entirely assembled in Argentina, such as the 400, the locally adapted Chevy (based on the Nova), the pickup model C-10, and the Opel K 180. Although GM dominated the market for several years, a downturn in sales ultimately caused the plant to shut down in 1978.
Subsequently, manufacturers like Sevel and Renault Argentina obtained licenses to produce Chevrolet pickups until GM returned to local manufacturing in 1994. Since then, GM Argentina has been responsible for producing Chevrolet sedans including the Corsa,Agile, and Cruze.
Early Development
General Motors established its foothold in Argentina in 1922 when Hampton and Watson, local distributors of GM automobiles, entered into an agreement with the parent company to assemble Chevrolet vehicles domestically. Initially, most parts were imported from the United States, while minor components such as seat upholstery were sourced locally. The first vehicle produced was a Doble Phaeton model in 1924 at a facility near Buenos Aires’ port area. Later that same year, General Motors USA assumed control over local operations by founding "General Motors de Argentina" and inaugurating a modern factory in San Telmo.
The inaugural locally assembled Chevrolet model, called Campeón, debuted in 1925 priced at m$n2,085. This vehicle combined imported elements with locally produced parts to lower expenses and foster domestic supplier growth. In its initial year, GMA expanded its dealer network to 400 outlets and sold over 6,000 units across five variants including sedans and light trucks. The model saw rapid demand—within just two weeks of launch, it had accumulated 2,000 orders. By the close of 1925, nearly 8,000 automobiles and more than 500 trucks had been distributed through approximately 100 dealers.
In addition to Chevrolet vehicles, GMA introduced other brands such as assembled Oldsmobiles alongside imported Cadillacs and LaSalles. By early 1926, production volumes had reached 10,000 units.
Development
Pontiac and Oakland were incorporated into local manufacturing, contributing to a steady increase in sales. By 1926, annual figures reached 8,000 automobiles and 500 trucks. To accommodate growing demand, GMA inaugurated a new 48,000 m² facility in Barracas three years later. Production expanded to include additional GM marques such as Buick, Cadillac, Marquette, LaSalle, and Opel, with total output rising to 27,000 vehicles per year.
By 1931, the complete range of GM brands was produced domestically by GMA. Daily production climbed to 120 units by 1934, encompassing Chevrolet buses designed for public transportation. In 1939, GMA purchased a 190,000 m² plot in General San Martín Partido within Greater Buenos Aires to establish another factory. This plant opened in 1940 and manufactured automobiles alongside Frigidaire refrigerators and automotive parts like batteries.
GMA leveraged the popularity of the Turismo Carretera racing series by sponsoring drivers including Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio secured the brand’s inaugural major victory in 1940 at the "Gran Premio Internacional del Norte" behind the wheel of a Chevrolet coupe.
World War II imposed operational challenges due to import constraints that caused shortages of components. Production at the Barracas plant was temporarily suspended but resumed after the war with Oldsmobile and Pontiac models, as well as imported Bedford trucks from England; Chevrolet vehicles were introduced subsequently.
First fully-Argentine vehicles
In 1959, GMA upgraded the San Martín factory to manufacture fully assembled models domestically, aiming to reduce reliance on imported parts. The following year saw the debut of the C/K "Apache" pickup, marking GM’s first entirely Argentine-produced vehicle.
The initial GMA sedan arrived in 1962 with the Chevrolet 400, a compact car derived from the American Nova, which maintained moderate sales until 1974. Alongside these models, GMA also produced truck chassis and Bedford buses. In 1969, the "Chevy" (third generation US Nova) was introduced as a four-door sedan, followed by a two-door variant in 1971. Competing against the Ford Falcon and IKA-Renault Torino, the Chevy emerged as GMA’s best-selling model with 65,970 units manufactured between 1969 and 1978. By 1970, production volumes had reached 75,000 vehicles.
Decline
By 1971, GMA had exported a total of 11,719 vehicles to various countries. The mid-size Opel K 180, based on the German Opel Kadett but featuring an engine fully produced locally in Argentina, was introduced in 1974. Despite this innovation, market share plummeted from 9% to just 2% within two years. Production dwindled to only 5,876 units by 1978. Reporting losses amounting to USD30 million, GM ceased operations and shuttered its Argentine factories that same year. At closure, GMA’s cumulative production totaled approximately 195,000 cars and 207,000 pickups.
Return to operations
In 1985, Argentine firm Sevel Argentina obtained a license from GM to manufacture the C-10 pickup at Estación Ferreyra in Córdoba Province. These pickups were powered by Peugeot Indenor XDII engines; production ceased in 1991 when the licensing agreement ended.
GMA recommenced activities in 1994 with production of the D-20 pickup, which succeeded the C-10 series. The initiative targeted an annual output of 25,000 units along with exports totaling around 19,000 vehicles to Mercosur. A new manufacturing plant costing nearly USD300 million was inaugurated in Alvear near Rosario, Santa Fe in 1997. That same year marked the start of production for Chevrolet Corsa (a rebranded Opel model) and Silverado pickups. By October 2007, local production of Corsas had reached half a million units; this figure increased to 650,000 by March 2009.
At the end of 2008, GM formed "GM Mercosur," consolidating its Argentine and Brazilian subsidiaries to develop regional models such as the subcompact "Chevrolet Agile," assembled at Alvear.
The second-generation Chevrolet Corsa debuted in 2010 as the Classic sedan and wagon; production of the three-door model was discontinued and replaced by Brazil-imported Chevrolet Celta. The Classic wagon ended production in 2012 followed by the sedan in 2016. The Agile was also phased out in 2016 and succeeded by Brazil-made Chevrolet Prisma and Chevrolet Onix models.
As of August 2020, the Chevrolet Cruze remained the sole sedan entirely produced within Argentina. In April 2022, local manufacturing began for the subcompact crossover SUV Tracker, previously imported from Brazil; this was officially announced in June 2022 at the General Alvear facility.
Manufactured models
This section enumerates the models fully produced by General Motors Argentina. When the brand's country of origin differs from the Argentine model, it is specified accordingly.
Models currently in production
| Brand | Model | Origin | Category | Launch | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Tracker | Template:Country data BRA | SUV | 2022–present |
Previously produced models
| Brand | Argentine model name | Orig. name | Origin | Category | Production period | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | C-10 [n 1] | C/K series |  USA |
Pickup truck | 1960–1978 | |
| Chevrolet | 400 | 1962 Chevy II | USA |
Sedan | 1962–1974 | |
| Chevrolet | Chevy [n 2] | 1968 Nova | USA |
Sedan | 1969–1978 | |
| Opel | K 180 [n 3] | Opel Kadett C |  GER |
Sedan | 1974–1978 | |
| Chevrolet | D-20 | D-20 | Template:Country data BRA | Pickup truck | 1993–1997 | |
| Chevrolet | Silverado | Silverado | USA |
Pickup truck | 1997–2000 | |
| Chevrolet | Corsa / Classic | Opel Corsa | GER |
Sedan | 1997–2016 | |
| Chevrolet | Grand Blazer | Tahoe | USA |
SUV | 1999–2000 | |
| Chevrolet | Grand Vitara | Suzuki Vitara [n 4] | Template:Country data JPN | SUV | 2000–2011 | |
| Chevrolet | Agile | Agile | Template:Country data BRA | Sedan | 2009–2016 | |
| Chevrolet | Cruze | Cruze | USA |
Compact car | 2016–2023 |
- Additional information
Models imported
After General Motors withdrew its direct operations from Argentina, its brands ceased to have official local dealerships. By the year 1980, the General Motors Overseas Distribution Corporation (GMODC) was responsible for importing a variety of globally manufactured vehicles.
Chevrolet
- Blazer
- Camaro
- Caprice
- Chevette
- Citation
- El Camino
- Malibu
- Monte Carlo
- Monza
- Pickup C/K
- Pickup C-20
- Silverado
- Van
Cadillac
Buick
Oldsmobile
Opel
Pontiac
Isuzu
Saehan
Additional models
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)
Pickup trucks
Commercial trucks
Vans
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