Baojun 510

The Baojun 510 is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive subcompact SUV launched by SAIC-GM-Wuling. This vehicle line swept through the Chinese automobile market with extremely high popularity, created a sales legend in the subcompact SUV segment for domestic independent brands, and later transformed into a global rebranded vehicle exported to multiple emerging overseas markets.

Model Overview 

The Baojun 510 is positioned as a sports-style subcompact SUV. In the history of automotive industry development, this vehicle line was given historical labels of "National Legend Car" and "Phenomenal Dark Horse" in China. Its core selling points lie in its futuristic exterior design that breaks conventions (pioneering split headlights and narrow daytime running light style), its highly competitive low price barrier (Chinese official guide price maintained in the 50,000 to 80,000 RMB range for a long period), and its highly pragmatic overall vehicle durability. This vehicle line primarily targets first-car needs for young people or commuting needs for families in Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities.

Development History 

The birth of the Baojun 510 aligned with the strategic opportunity of the Chinese subcompact SUV market boom. This vehicle line was officially launched in February 2017 and quickly gained volume with its forward-looking appearance and high cost-performance ratio. Within the first 12 months after its launch, it set a global new car sales record of over 410,000 units in its first year. In 2018, it successfully ended the Haval H6's multi-year sales monopoly and won the Chinese SUV Annual Sales Champion title.

In July 2019, the vehicle line received a mid-cycle facelift, with subtle refinements to the front grille in a glossy black matrix style, and introduced a new CVT continuously variable transmission to replace the early AMT automated manual transmission. In 2020, with the advancement of SAIC-GM-Wuling's globalization strategy, the Baojun 510 officially began its "global rebranding" journey, rebranded as "Chevrolet Groove" with the Chevrolet bowtie emblem, and was exported in large quantities to South American, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and African markets. In the domestic market, due to SAIC-GM-Wuling's overall shift to the Wuling brand Red/Silver badge system and electrification, the Baojun 510 pure fuel vehicle line completed its historical mission and was officially discontinued in September 2025, with its overseas rebranded version subsequently taken over by models such as Wuling Xingchi (Second Generation Chevrolet Groove).

Market Performance 

Over its entire lifecycle, the Baojun 510 accumulated a user base of nearly one million. During its peak period from 2017 to 2020, its monthly sales volume remained stable at high levels of 20,000 to 40,000 units. In the mid-to-late stage, impacted by disruptive competition from new energy micro cars such as the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV and subcompact PHEV SUVs, its market share in the Chinese pure fuel vehicle market gradually shrank. However, until the vehicle line was discontinued, its overseas export performance remained active. The rebranded Chevrolet Groove became one of the most popular entry-level compact SUVs in many South American and Middle Eastern countries, ranking high in market share in countries such as Chile and Peru. In the used car market, due to its large ownership volume and extremely low maintenance costs, it still maintains high circulation activity.

Core Technology 

In terms of body dimensions, the Baojun 510 adopts a compact and flexible cabin layout, with overall length, width, and height of 4,220 mm, 1,740 mm, and 1,615 mm respectively (1,625 mm for high-spec models with roof rails), a wheelbase of 2,550 mm, and a curb weight between 1,206 kg and 1,290 kg.

In terms of powertrain and chassis architecture: 

Engine: All series are equipped with the classic SAIC-GM-Wuling 1.5-liter (designation L2B) inline-four naturally aspirated engine, adopting Dual Variable Valve Timing (D-VVT) technology. Its maximum output power is 73 kW (approximately 99 horsepower), with some early China V versions at 82 kW (112 horsepower), and maximum torque is 135 Nm to 146 Nm. 

Transmission: Throughout its evolution, it has offered 6-speed manual transmission (6MT), 5-speed/6-speed AMT automated manual transmission, and later the mainstream continuously variable transmission capable of simulating 8 speeds.

Fuel consumption performance: NEDC / WLTC combined cycle fuel consumption per 100 km is approximately 6.2L to 6.6L.

Chassis structure: Adopts the conventional front MacPherson independent suspension and rear torsion beam non-independent suspension for subcompact cars, with all series featuring front-engine, front-wheel drive (FWD) layout.

In terms of in-car technology configurations, later versions were equipped with 8-inch floating central control screens, panoramic sunroofs, automatic climate control, and backup cameras. In terms of safety, later export models were equipped with 4 airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in some markets.

Future Plans 

With the Baojun 510 pure fuel vehicle line officially retiring from China factories in Autumn 2025, this vehicle line has no subsequent iteration plans for domestic fuel versions. SAIC-GM-Wuling has fully handed over this price segment and product ecosystem to new energy vehicle lines. In the future, the core evolution for this subsegment will be carried forward by pure electric and plug-in hybrid architecture products such as the Baojun Yep Plus and Wuling Bingo Plus. On the overseas export front, SAIC-GM-Wuling is using Left/Right-hand drive models developed on the new generation Global Silver Badge platform (such as Wuling Xingchi, Wuling Star) to comprehensively replace the existing territory of the original Baojun 510 in Latin America and Southeast Asia, achieving a smooth transition of the product line from low cost to quality.