GM expects more than $5 billion impact from China restructuring, including plant closures

DETROIT – General Motors expects a restructuring of its joint venture operations with SAIC Motor Corp. in China to cost more than $5 billion in charges and writedowns, the Detroit automaker disclosed in a federal filing Wednesday morning.

GM said it expects to write down the value of its joint-venture operations in China by between $2.6 billion and $2.9 billion. It also anticipates another $2.7 billion in charges to restructure the business, including "plant closures and portfolio optimization," according to the filing.

GM, which previously announced plans to restructure the operations in China, did not disclose any additional details about the expected closures.

"As we have consistently said, we are focused on capital efficiency and cost discipline and have been working with SGM to turn around the business in China in order to be sustainable and profitable in the market.  We are close to finalizing our restructuring plan with our partner, and we expect our results in China in 2025 to show year-over-year improvement," GM said in an emailed statement.

GM said it believes the joint venture "has the ability to restructure without new cash investments" from the American automaker.

A majority of the $2.7 billion restructuring costs is expected to be recognized as non-cash, special item charges during the fourth quarter. That means they will impact the automaker's net income but not its adjusted earnings before interest and taxes – a key metric monitored by Wall Street.