Opel cars are pictured at the Opel plant of Bochum in this March 28, 2012. [Photo / Agencies]

One of the world's biggest automobile brand has announced its decision to withdraw from the Chinese mainland market.

Opel's Chinese mainland website said on March 28 that it will gradually scale-down its dealership network and eventually close it down. The manufacturer says it will continue to sell cars until January 2015. Opel will continue provide maintenance, repair services and spare parts, and the warranty issued to all its cars remains valid.

The day Opel made the announcement, General Motors Co (GM) said that the sales of Opel will be targeted at the European market and Buick at the US and Chinese markets.

CEO of Opel AG Karl-Thomas Neumann said that "Promoting brand awareness and expanding distribution network in China may cost millions of euros. However, Opel plans to strengthen cooperation with Buick as it is one of the market leaders in China. At the moment we are testing several projects."

Only 4,365 Opel cars were sold in the Chinese mainland in 2013, while Buick's sales were 810,000 units, according to data. Opel AG, founded in 1863 in Germany, is now GM's wholly owned subsidy. General Motors took full control in 1931, and began exporting Opel cars to Chinese mainland in 1993, but it has not been able to boost its sales due to little brand recognition.